"布朗尼加分"口語課堂:都是壓力惹的禍

Hi，可可網友們大家好。現在說起壓力來，每個人都能倒出半盆苦水來。特別是給一個本身就倍感壓力，無時無刻精神緊繃的老闆打工，這日子，恐怕就更難過了。

Some people get angry easily. You have to be careful and handle them with kid gloves. My boss is always angry. He's always hot under the collar about something. If sales are bad, he gets very nervous. He's afraid that he's going to lose everything. He thinks he's about to lose his shirt. But the business never makes very much money. We always run on a shoestring. In business, you have to be calm and keep your temper. You have to keep your shirt on. Our business might be better if my boss could stay calm. Still, I prefer to be me than to have my boss's job. I don't want to be in his shoes. He's under too much pressure.

和易怒的人，特別是易怒的老闆相處一定不容易，需要handle them with kid gloves，“小心處理，謹慎對待”。因爲他總是hot under the collar about something。Collar，領子。領子下頭總是燙的。其實這個短語就相當於angry about something，因爲某事生氣。比如：Mike had an important meeting in another city. He got hot under the collar because the plane was late taking off. 麥克在另一個城市有個一個重要的會議要參加。他因爲飛機不能按時起飛而大光其火。

這個老闆如此易怒的原因就是因爲過於擔心生意，總覺得自己about to lose his shirt. 這裏lose one's shirt意思是lose a lot of money，損失很多錢。可是，生意不是光擔心就能做好的，患得患失反而導致了公司never makes very much money, 並且always run on a shoestring。Shoestring鞋帶的意思，在像鞋帶那麼細長的路上走，用來形容“零星的資本；小額經營”。

事情就是這樣，越邁不開手腳越得不到想要的結果。如文中所說，經商的人更應該保持冷靜，控制情緒，必須keep your shirt on。又遇到了一個和shirt相關的短語。不過，它不再表示money，短語表達的是not to get angry, to be patient，制怒，有耐心。再比如：I'll finish using the computer in a minute. Just keep your shirt on, and you'll get your turn. 我馬上就用完電腦了。耐心等一下，馬上就輪到你。

像文中的老闆這樣的生活如履薄冰，真是談不到有樂趣可言了，所以我寧願作個普通的我自己，也不想to be in his shoes，這個短語的引申意思也比較明顯，be in one's shoes means be in the place of someone else. “處於某人的位置”。

好了。回答一下Rose的小問題：If you get hot under the collar, how do you feel? What makes you get hot under the collar?