The english we speak(BBC教學)第75期: a finger in every pie好管閒事

Rosie: Hi and welcome to The English We Speak. Today we're having an office party with the whole BBC Learning English team.

羅西：大家好，歡迎來到我們所說的英語。今天我們要和全體的BBC學英語的團隊一起開一個辦公室派對。

Helen: And we're eating some delicious cakes and pies that Jen has baked for us. Have you tried the apple tart?

海倫：我們要吃一些珍給我們烤的美味的蛋糕和派。你試過蘋果餡餅嗎？

Rosie: Mmm... It's so tasty. Jen really has a lot of different skills, doesn't she?

羅西：嗯...它太美味了。珍真的有很多不同的技能，不是嗎？

Helen: Yeah, she really gets involved in lots of different activities. She's always organising different parties, goes rowing... and did you know she works as a weather presenter at the weekend?

海倫：是的，她真的參加了很多不同的活動。她總是組織不同的派對，去划船，然後你知道她在週末做天氣預報員嗎？

Rosie: And she's a good cook too - this blueberry crumble is delicious. She really does have a finger in every pie.

羅西：她還是個好的廚師，這個藍莓碎屑很好吃。她真的好管閒事。

Helen: Ugh, really? I mean they taste good, but now I know she puts her fingers in them... I think I've just lost my appetite.

海倫：啊，真的嗎？我的意思是它們嚐起來很好，但是現在我知道她把手放進去過，我覺得我失去胃口了。

Rosie: That's not what I meant when I said she has a finger in every pie. It means she gets involved in a lot of different things.

羅西：當我說她在每個派裏都伸入了一根手指的時候不是這個意思。我的意思是她參與了很多不同的事情。

Helen: So someone has a finger in every pie when they're involved in different activities? Is it a good thing then?

海倫：所以某人在每個派裏都伸入了一根手指當他們參與了不同的活動？那麼這是個好事嗎？

Rosie: Well, in this case, when I said Jen has a finger in every pie, I meant it as a good thing, but it can sometimes suggest someone gets involved in things when they shouldn't.

羅西：在這種情況下，當我說珍好管閒事，我的意思是個好的事情，但是它有時候可以指某人蔘與本不該參與的事。

Helen: So it can be a good or a bad thing... Let's have a look at some examples:

海倫：所以它可以是好的或壞的事。讓我們來看一些例子：

If you need any information just ask Annabel. She has a finger in every pie and always knows the answer.

如果你需要任何信息就問安娜貝爾。她好管閒事，總是知道答案。

At work I'm a teacher but I also do some accounting and organise the end-of-term play. I like to have a finger in every pie!

工作的時候我是個老師但是我也做一些會計和組織期末表演。我喜歡參與很多事！

"I can't seem to do anything without him being there - yesterday I went to the photography club and he was there." "Well, unfortunately he does have a finger in every pie."

“沒有他在這裏我似乎什麼都做不了，昨天我去了攝影俱樂部，他在那裏。”“不幸的是他確實喜歡參與很多事。”

Helen: So if someone gets involved in too many different things and people disapprove of this, it can be used as a criticism.

海倫：所以如果某人蔘加了太多不同的事而且人們不喜歡，它就可以用作批評。

Rosie: Yes, and Shakespeare used it in his play Henry VIII. In the play it's used as a criticism of someone who gets involved in everything when he shouldn't:

羅西：是的，莎士比亞把它用在他的劇本亨利VIII。在劇本里它用作批評某人蔘與了所有不該參加的事：

No man's pie is freed From his ambitious finger.

沒有人的派能逃離他野心勃勃的手指。

Helen: So the person criticised here feels the need to put his 'ambitious finger' in every single pie that's baked to taste them all...

海倫：所以這裏批評的人感覺需要把他“野心勃勃的手指”放入每一個烤的派裏面嘗一嘗。

Rosie: Yes, which means he gets involved in things he shouldn't.

羅西：是的，意思是他參與了他本不該參加的事。

Helen: But Shakespeare used the expression in a slightly different way from how we use it today. Now we just say someone has a finger in every pie.

海倫：但是莎士比亞用一種和我們今天稍微不一樣的方式使用了這個短語。現在我們只說某人好管閒事。

Rosie: Yes, it's slightly less poetic than "no man's pie is freed from his ambitious finger".

羅西：是的，這跟“沒有人的派能逃離他野心勃勃的手指”比稍微不太有詩意。

Helen: Well, this is all very interesting, but I haven't tried the peach pie yet...

海倫：這都很有趣，但是我還沒嘗過桃子派。

Rosie: Well, no pie is freed from Helen's greedy fingers, is it? Only joking, Helen!

羅西：沒有派逃得過海倫的貪婪的手指，不是嗎？只是玩笑，海倫！