第29讲 反反复复 孤枕难眠 Hang over someone’s head & Settle someone’s estate

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朋友们或许有这样的经历，当有些事情放在心里挥之不去的时候，总是惦记着，脑里思考着要如何处理它，因而不能完全的处于放松状态, 而且使你睡觉时反反复复，难以入眠。这时我们就可以用一个英文片语来形容：hang over someone’s head. 这是什么意思呢？让我们先来看一个例句：

Thanks for asking, but I don’t want to go to the movies tonight because I can’t enjoy a movie with a big exam hanging over my head.
(译文：谢谢邀请，但今晚我不想去看电影。因为我不能在面临大考下享受电影。)

这里的片语hang over someone’s head意思是指“某人面临某种威胁或压力，某事悬在心头。”Hang over 本来是指“悬挂”的意思。如果有一些事情挂在了头上(head), 你是不是感到了一种压力呢？Something to hang over your head, it means that it is a problem or a matter that is going to be with you, or has been with you wherever you go. You can’t get rid of it. It is constant source of problem or worry. For example:

US president Bush has a major worry hanging over his head. It is not easy to end the war against Iraq immediately.
(译文：美国总统布什有一个重大忧虑悬在心头。伊拉克战争要很快结束并非易事。)

有一天，笔者偶然路过某一商场时，看到一架十分精致的钢琴。本想买了来，可是自己穷得叮当响，清算了一下父母走后留下的资产，哎，他们欠人家的帐还没有还清呢！(have a financial obligation hanging over their heads), 所以只好打消了这个念头。对了，朋友们知道“清算某人资产”该怎么说吗？
 
After my grandfather died, it took a long time to settle his estate.
(译文：我祖父逝世后，清算遗产花了很长时间)

在这个句子中，片语settle one’s estate的意思就是指“清算某人资产(遗产)。”settle 本来有“安置”的意思，这里指“处理，整理”。处置(settle) 财产 (estate)，首先要清算一番嘛! To settle something means to complete or finish something. We settle arguments(争论) by coming to an agreement about what to do. We settle a bill by paying it. A person’s estate is made of all the things that they own their property(财产). So to settle someone’s estate means to determine what to do with the possessions(所拥有的财产) after that person has died. For example:

I was depressive when my parents passed away. I had no desire to settle their estate at all.
(译文：父母过世后，我根本没有心情清算他们的财产。)

结束语：人们总是努力工作希望能留下一笔财富给后代，这样待自己上了天堂，他们清算遗产时(settle someone’s estate)，也不至于会太失望。所以，如何挣钱这个问题就常悬在人们心头 (hang over someone’s head)。