Friends英语赏析【58】The Hot Nanny

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第五十八篇

Rachel和Ross又为他们的女儿找了一个保姆，这回这个名叫Molly的保姆可是长得年轻漂亮，Joey看到她之后就有些蠢蠢欲动，为此Ross很是担心，于是就来找Chandler帮忙：

Ross: Listen, can you do me a favor? I'm gonna be out today. Can you just keep an eye on Joey, make sure nothing happens between him and Molly?
Chandler: You don't trust him?
Ross: Wh - No. Some woman who sounded a lot like Joey called earlier and asked for her daughter, the "hot nanny".
Chandler: Is this really your long term plan, for me to run interference? Because I could get a job any day now.
Ross: You do appear right on the cusp of something. Come on man, I'm sure he'll lose interest in a week or two, but for now can you please just do this for me?
Chandler: All right, fine, but don't blame me if it doesn't work. Because you know as well as I do that once Joey sets his mind on something, more often than not, he's going to have sex with it.
Ross: Well we gotta do something, ok? Nannies like her don't grow on trees.
Chandler: Picturing that tree?
Ross: I am, yes.

【世博视角】

在请别人帮忙时，“Can you do you a favor?” 是一个常用的语句。Ross想请Chandler帮什么忙呢？原来他一会儿要出去（I’m gonna be out today），他生怕Joey会趁他不在时去找那漂亮保姆Molly, 所以他想请Chandler看着点Joey; keep an eye on sb.意思就是“留意某人的行为”，含有对某人不信任之意，所以才有了Chandler的这一问句 “You don’t trust him?” 不过在有些上下文里，keep an eye on sb./sth. 也可以表示“帮忙照看一下某个人或某件东西，如：Mary will keep an eye on the kids this afternoon.

Ross之所以不放心Joey是因为他今天早上接到了一个电话，电话里的女声很像是Joey装出来的，说是要找“她”的女儿，也就是那个"hot nanny"。nanny 专指照看小孩的保姆，而hot一词在这里是用来形容某人很具吸引力。如果真是母亲打电话来找自己的女儿就只要ask for her daughter就行了，所以这一句the hot nanny让Ross相信电话根本就是Joey打来的。

Chandler觉得Ross让自己一直看着Joey也不是什么长久之计,毕竟他可能随时找到工作去上班的（Is this really your long term plan, for me to run interference? Because I could get a job any day now.）, interference意为“干预”。Ross看Chandler在家待得蛮舒服的，一点儿不像急着要找工作的样子，所以他讽刺Chandler说：“You do appear right on the cusp of something.”cusp是一技术用语，意思是“尖端”，be on the cusp of sth就表示“处在…变化之际”，如：The country was on the cusp of economic expansion.

估计Chandler得有一阵子才会找到新工作去上班，而到那时Joey肯定也已对保姆Molly失去兴趣了，所以Ross恳求Chandler一定得帮他的忙看着Joey(Come on man, I'm sure he'll lose interest in a week or two, but for now can you please just do this for me?)

Joey这个人做起事来有点不达目的誓不罢休的味道，尤其在sex方面，用Chandler的话来说就是“once Joey sets his mind on something, more often than not, he's going to have sex with it.” set one’s mind on (doing)sth 表示决定（做某事）要某物，这个表达法还可以写成 set one’s heart/sight on (doing)sth, 比如：Ellen has completely set her heart on that house.所以Chanlder虽然答应帮Ross的忙，但他同时又说如果事情办不成可别怪他(All right, fine, but don't blame me if it doesn't work.)

Ross也知道Chandler可能看不住Joey, 但他们总得做点什么啊(Well we gotta do something, ok?)。然后他又说“Nannies like her don't grow on trees.”在口语中有这么一个表达法：Money doesn’t grow on trees, “钱不是树上长出来的”，用来告诉别人不要乱花钱，Ross偷梁换柱地把这一表示法改成：Nannies like her don't grow on trees.意思就是像Molly那样的保姆是很难找到的，因此Ross 不想因为Joey而失去她。在说这话的同时Ross脑子里正想着Molly呢，他其实对Molly也是心动不已的！

*本篇所讲到的表达法:

keep an eye on sb.
set one’s mind on (doing)sth