《牛津線上字典》(Oxford Dictionary Online, ODO) 日前公布該字典本季所收錄的新單字,有近 40 個之多,茲舉其中幾個字加以說明,餘者請參考英文解釋:

  • dog food:(動詞) 使用自己或自己公司所生產的產品 - 尤其是程式軟體 - 以便在上市前進行測試。事實上,這個片語也可當名詞用,如 "eat one’s own dog food" (這意思跟 "to dog food" 是一樣的)。
  • e-cigarette:(名詞) 電子菸。
  • e-learning:(名詞) 線上學習。
  • genius:(形容詞) (舊詞新義) 非常聰明的;絕頂聰明的。
  • lolz:(名詞 - 複數型) 好玩;大笑;娛樂。lol 原為 laugh out loud (大笑) 的縮寫。
  • mansion tax:(名詞) 豪宅稅。
  • micropig:(名詞) 迷你豬。
  • mwahahaha:(感嘆詞) 表示大笑「哇哈哈」。
  • OH:(名詞) 另一半。指一個人的太太、先生或同居人,為 other half 的縮寫,主要用於電子通訊。
  • photobomb:(動詞) 亂入他人照片。指在別人拍照時突然出現在鏡頭前,通常是基於惡搞或開玩笑的目的。名詞為 photobombing。
  • ridic:(形容詞) 可笑的;荒謬的;滑稽的。為 ridiculous 的縮寫。
  • soul patch:(名詞) 男子下嘴唇正下方的一小撮鬍子。.
  • tweeps:(名詞 - 複數型) 某人在社群網站「推特」(Twitter) 上的粉絲。
  • UI:(名詞) 使用者介面。為 user interface 的縮寫。
  • vajazzle:(動詞) 以水晶、亮片或其他裝飾物裝飾女子的私處。
  • Wikipedian:(名詞) 維基人。參與維基百科條目的編輯和撰寫者。

《牛津線上字典》 本季所收錄的新單字一覽表:

  1. date night, n.: a prearranged occasion on which an established couple, esp. one with children, go for a night out together.
  2. dirty martini, n.: a cocktail made with gin (or vodka), dry vermouth, and a small amount of olive brine, typically garnished with a green olive.
  3. dog food, v. [new sense, chiefly computing]: (of a company’s staff) use a product or service developed by that company so as to test it before it is made available to customers.
  4. douche, n. [new sense]: an obnoxious or contemptible person. Alsodouchey, adj.
  5. Dunbar’s number, n.: a theoretical limit to the number of people with whom any individual is able to sustain a stable or meaningful social relationship (usually considered to be roughly 150).
  6. e-cigarette, n.: another term for electronic cigarette.
  7. e-learning, n.: learning conducted via electronic media, typically on the Internet.
  8. ethical hacker, n.: a person who hacks into a computer network in order to test or evaluate its security, rather than with malicious or criminal intent.
  9. genius, adj. [new sense]: very clever or ingenious.
  10. group hug, n.: a number of people gathering together to hug each other, typically to provide support or express solidarity.
  11. guilty pleasure, n.: something, such as a film, television programme, or piece of music, that one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard.
  12. hackathon, n.: an event, typically lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming.
  13. hat tip, n.: (in online contexts) used as an acknowledgement that someone has brought a piece of information to the writer’s attention, or provided the inspiration for a piece of writing.
  14. hosepipe ban, n.: an official restriction on the use of hosepipes, imposed by a particular water company on its customers during a water shortage.
  15. inbox, v.: send a private message or an email to (someone, typically another member of a social networking site or Internet message board).
  16. lifecasting, n.: the practice of broadcasting a continuous live flow of video material on the Internet which documents one’s day-to-day activities.
  17. lolz, pl. n.: fun, laughter, or amusement.
  18. manage expectations, phr.: seek to prevent disappointment by establishing in advance what can realistically be achieved or delivered by a project, undertaking, course of action, etc.
  19. mansion tax, n.: a tax levied on residential properties worth more than a certain amount.
  20. micro pig, n.: a pig of a very small, docile, hairless variety, sometimes kept as a pet.
  21. mood disorder, n.: a psychological disorder characterized by the elevation or lowering of a person’s mood, such as depression or bipolar disorder.
  22. mwahahaha, exclamation: used to represent laughter, esp. manic or cackling laughter such as that uttered by a villainous character in a cartoon or comic strip.
  23. NFC, abbrev.: near field communication, a technology allowing the short-range wireless intercommunication of mobile phones and other devices for purposes such as making payments.
  24. OH, n.: a person’s wife, husband, or partner (used in electronic communication).
  25. photobomb, v.: spoil a photograph of (a person or thing) by suddenly appearing in the camera’s field of view as the picture is taken, typically as a prank or practical joke (n.: photobombing).
  26. ridic, adj.: ridiculous (abbrev.).
  27. ripped, adj. [new sense]: having well-defined or well-developed muscles; muscular.
  28. soul patch, n.: a small tuft of facial hair directly below a man’s lower lip.
  29. takeaway, n. [new sense]: a key fact, point, or idea to be remembered, typically one emerging from a discussion or meeting.
  30. tweeps, pl. n.: a person’s followers on the social networking site Twitter.
  31. UI, n.: short for ‘user interface’.
  32. user experience, n.: the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or a computer application, esp. in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use (also UX, n.).
  33. vajazzle, v.: adorn the pubic area (of a woman) with crystals, glitter, or other decoration.
  34. video chat, n.: a face-to-face conversation held over the Internet by means of webcams and dedicated software.
  35. vote, v. [new sense: vote someone/thing off the island]: dismiss or reject someone or something as unsatisfactory [with reference to the reality television Survivor).
  36. Wikipedian, n.: a person who contributes to the collaboratively written online encyclopedia Wikipedia, esp. on a regular basis.
  37. 3D printing, n.: a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of a material
 
文章出處:英文資訊交流網

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這三個形容詞都有「快的,迅速的」意思,但用法不盡相同,不能混為一談,否則差之毫釐,失之千里,那就糗大了!

Fast 是指人事物動作的迅速,強調速度的快速,通常隱含與同類型其他人事物的比較。例如:

  • Usain Bolt is the World’s Fastest Man. (波爾特是世上跑最快的人)
  • Jason is reading too fast for his brother to follow. (傑森讀得太快,他弟弟跟不上)
  • Mike bought a fast car yesterday. (麥可昨天買了一部速度快的汽車)
  • We took a fast train to Taipei. (我們坐快車到台北)

Quick 是指某事物之發生或造成、結束或完成極為迅速,時間持續很短,毫無延遲、耽擱,通常表示動作來得突然或匆忙,但不指動作的頻率。例如:

  • Rachel ate a quick breakfast and rushed off to work. (瑞秋匆匆吃了早餐就趕去上班了)
  • Paul had a quick look at the beggar while he was jogging in the park. (保羅在公園慢跑時匆匆看了那個乞丐一眼)
  • John gave Amy a quick kiss and ran away. (約翰突然吻了艾美一下就跑掉了)
  • Be quick, but don’t hurry. (快點,但別急)

Rapid 比 fast 和 quick 都來得正式,既著重於動作,亦強調速度的快速,尤指某一連貫或連續性動作、運動或過程的速度。經常與其搭配的名詞有 change, decline, deterioration, expansion, growth, increase, progress, rise, succession 等。例如:

  • The students have made rapid progress in English study. (這些學生的英語學習進步快速)
  • My mother had a rapid recovery from her illness. (我母親迅速恢復了健康)
  • The growth of the economy has been rapid in recent years. (近年來經濟成長快速)
  • He asked several questions in rapid succession. (他連珠砲似地提出幾個問題)

這些形容詞可能接同一名詞,有時意思完全一樣,如 in rapid succession = in quick succession (連珠砲似地;一連串地),make a fast buck = make a quick buck (輕鬆而快速地賺錢);不過,有時意思看似相近,其實南轅北轍,相差一萬八千里,如 a quick worker 意為「做事速度快的人」,但 a fast worker 卻意為「很快就與異性上床的人」。

再者,在類似 a rapid river (一條水流湍急的河流) 這種使用 rapid 的用法中,rapid 絕不能用 fast 來取代,因為河流本身沒有動作,是河中的水在流動,若是 water 就可用 fast 來修飾;同樣地,rapid transit (system) (捷運系統) 中的 rapid 亦不可用 fast 來替代,因為捷運系統本身沒有動作,是所屬的列車在行駛,若是 train 就可用 fast 來修飾。

 

 

文章出處:英文資訊交流網


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作者﹕李德良


British Diplomats to Attend Trial of Murdered Briton Neil Heywood
英國外交官 將出席被殺海伍德的審判


【新聞關鍵字】
1. diplomat [ˋdɪpləmæt] n. 外交官
2. trial [ˋtraɪəl] n. 審判

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今天我們要講的一個美國習慣用語是:to take someone's word for it。Take就是拿;word就是一個單詞。那麼to take someone's word for it是甚麼意思呢? 拿某人的詞......不對。這裡的word是指某人說的話,to take someone's word for it,就是相信某人說的話。凡是想上大學的中學畢業生都會面臨同樣的問題。那就是:報考哪幾所大學。下面這個例句就是一個高中生在電話上和一個朋友商量。

例句-1:So you think a state college is better than a private college? Okay, I'll apply to San Diego or Santa Barbara. No, I haven't asked anyone else. No, that's all right. I'm happy to take your word for it. Thanks a lot.

這個高中生說:你認為州立大學要比私立大學好? 好吧,那我就申請加州大學聖迭哥分校或是聖巴巴拉分校。沒有,我還沒徵求過別人的意見。不,那沒有關係,我相信你的話。多謝了。

報考大學只聽一個人的意見就行啦?這可是一件大事,要慎重一些才行哪!有時真不能輕易相信別人的話。上星期一個朋友告訴我她看了一個電影,特別好看,我信了她的話就興沖沖地去看了,I took her word for it。結果一點都不好看。You can't always take someone's word for it。

******

To take someone's word for it這個習慣用語真是歷史悠久,在1535年就在聖經裡出現了。到現在都已經快五百年了,可是to take someone's word for it這個說法仍然使用得很普遍。

還要指出的是,to take someone's word for it這個習慣用語不一定要從正面來說,也可以用在反義。我來給大家舉一個例子。美國人去某些國家旅行按規定要打防疫針,但是有些國家不需要。下面例句裡說話的人就是在給他的朋友介紹自己的經驗。

例句-2:Before you travel there, it's probably a good idea to get an anti-hepatitis shot. Don't take my word for it though; go and check with your doctor. I'd hate to give you the wrong advice.

這個人說:我覺得你在去那兒之前最好打一下防乙型肝炎的防疫針。不過你不要聽信我的話,還是去問問你的醫生吧。我可不想給你提供錯誤的信息。

你看,這段話裡用的是 don't take someone's word for it - 不要聽信某人的話。對了,我聽說美國人到非洲國家去一定要打防瘧疾的防疫針,but don't take my word for it。

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After Release in China, Taiwanese Citizen Speaks Out
在中國獲釋後 台灣公民說話了

 

本則影音新聞出處:新唐人英語新聞

【新聞關鍵字】
1. flank :[flæŋk] v.位於側旁
2. abduction : [æbˋdʌkʃən] n.綁架
3. surveillance : [sɚˋveləns] n.監控
4. ordeal : [ɔrˋdiəl] n. 嚴峻考驗、苦難
5. brutally : [ˋbrut lɪ] adv. 殘忍地、野蠻地

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