VOA流行美語 Unit 94: ON THE FRITZ / HOG

VOA流行美語 Unit 94: ON THE FRITZ / HOG

今天李華到Larry的宿舍裏去串門兒，李華會學到兩個常用語：on the fritz和to hog。

LH: Hey, Larry, 我昨天晚上給你打電話，在你手機上留了言，你怎麼沒給我回電話啊？

LL: I didn't get your message. My cell phone has been on the fritz. I don't know what's wrong with it.

LH: 你沒收到我的留言？還說你的手機怎麼啦？On the fritz - 那是什麼意思啊？

LL: I said my cell phone is on the fritz. If something is on the fritz, that means something is wrong with it and it is not working properly.

LH: 噢，要是說什麼東西on the fritz, 意思就是"出了毛病，不能正常工作了"。哎呀，我的手機有時候也會on the fritz. Larry, 除了電話以外，還有什麼東西也可以說是on the fritz呢？

LL: Well, usuAlly it is machines that are on the fritz. For instance, sometimes my computer does not respond to my commands, so it's on the fritz.

LH: 原來on the fritz通常是用在機器設備上，比方說像你說的電腦。就是啊，有的時候電腦會出故障，不聽指令，那就是on the fritz了。

LL: Now Li Hua, can you give me an example?

LH: 有了。昨天我在學校的食品零售機買coke，我明明塞進去一塊美元，可是零售機一點反應都沒有。It must have been on the fritz.

LL: Oh, some of the vending machines are often on the fritz.

LH: 哎，Larry, 除了說機器，我能不能說一個人on the fritz呢？

LL: Not really. However, the exception is that you can say that your stomach is on the fritz if it is uncomfortable.

LH: 噢，我們不能直接說一個人on the fritz, 但是，要是我的胃感到難受，我就可以說：My stomach is on the fritz.

LL: All right, Li Hua, forget about things that are on the fritz. You want to watch this DVD?

LH: Sure! 但願你的DVD player is not on the fritz.

LL: Oh, come on, Li Hua!

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LL: Hey, Li Hua, stop hogging all the popcorn! I want some too.

LH: 得了得了，想吃爆米花就說話呀，給你！你說我什麼？Hogging all the popcorn? 好像不是什麼好意思，你可得給我解釋清楚！

LL: Well, to hog something is to keep it for yourself and not share it with others. Just now you were eating all of the popcorn without sharing it with me. Therefore, I said you were hogging the popcorn.

LH: To hog something就是霸佔着某樣東西，不給別人。嘿,Larry, 你怎麼能說我霸着爆米花不給你呢？我又不知道你也想吃，再說，我現在不是分給你了嗎？

LL: Okay, I suppose you aren't hogging it anymore.

LH: 對了，Larry, 除了說食物以外，這種說法還可以用在別的地方嗎？

LL: Well, we are now watching a DVD, if I don't let you use the remote control, then I'm hogging the remote.

LH: 噢，要是你一個人拿着遙控器，不讓我用，那你就是hogging the remote. 那可比hogging the popcorn更氣人了！

LL: Okay, now it's your turn to give me an example.

LH: 讓我也舉個例子啊？想起來了。我那個同屋啊，她有的時候用洗手間用好長時間，進去了就不出來，我真應該告訴她 - stop hogging the bathroom.

LL: That's a very good example. Hey, Li Hua, look at me - if I lie down on the couch and don't give you any room to sit down, then I am hogging the couch.

LH: 哎喲，Larry, 你幹什麼呀？你幹嘛一個人把整個沙發都佔了，一點兒地方都不給我留，你想讓我坐地板啊？Stop hogging the couch, Larry!

LL: Calm down, Li Hua, I was just giving you an example.

今天李華從Larry那兒學到兩個常用語。一個是on the fritz, 意思是"出了故障"。另外一個是to hog something, 意思是"把某樣東西據爲己有，不給別人"。