1. It's cool.
cool 是青少年(teen-agers) 常用的字,(有时也用 debonaire) 其真正意思是指可以接受的好事;或是情况可以控制;或是保持冷静、文雅、礼貌、外表不错,能够合乎年轻人的标准。(可指人或事物)也就是 something good or acceptable;situation is under control;being calm, gentle, courteous or good-looking;meet teen's standard. 所以可以说:
That's cool;he is cool;this is cool.
Skydiving (或surfing) is cool.(跳伞或冲浪运动很不错)
主词可用任何人称的单复数 (I, we, they 等),动词可用 verb to be 的任何时态 (is, was, were, will be, have been等)。因此,也可以说:
She (He) was cool in the past.
That's a cool T-shirt.(好看的运动衫)
He (she) is a cool person.(文雅礼貌的人)
但是如果说:Are you cool?又是指「你冷吗?」(cool = cold),可见 cool 当口头禅或俚语时,多半不用在问句。假如说:
She looks as cool as a cucumber. 又是恭维语,是说她很 calm and charming; not
emotional. 但为何用黄瓜 (cucumber) 代表,则不得而知。
(注:许多华人把 cool 译成「很酷」)
2. Are you trippin'?
trippin' 这个字,是由动词 trip 演变而来。(动词时态是:tripped, tripping)年轻人用省略符号 (apostrophe ) 代替 g,表示是 slang,或口头禅。这个字是现在分词当形容词用,是指行为异乎寻常,也许受到吸毒或喝酒的影响,而显得神魂颠倒、奇形怪状(to get high on drug such as LSD),也就是说:要不是受到药、酒的影响,你为什显得这样古怪呢?(Are you under any influence of drug or alcoholic? Why are you so crazy and bizarre?) 所以可以说:
They are trippin'. (= tripping)
She (he) is trippin'.
Mr. A must be trippin'.
通常只用在年轻人身上,而且不是恭维语。
3. He is a nerd
nerd 是指一些年轻人,每天只懂读书、考试,但对生活上的其他事情,都很生疏。 (A person always buries his nose in books, but not good at social situations.) 由於美国十分重视多方面发展的教育 (well-rounded),所以许多老外认为 nerd 虽然学识不错,但很乏味;有IQ,但缺乏EQ,只是社会上无足轻重的「书虫」或「蠢货」而已。(IQ = Intelligence Quotient ; EQ = Emotional Quotient) nerd 可用复数,动词也能用其他时态。
因此可以说:
He used to be a nerd in high school
4. Yo baby
Yo baby 是许多年轻的黑人男子对女子的招呼语,也有人用“Yo baby, yo baby
yo”,由於女子很漂亮,很吸引人,他想与她交谈。(He thinks she is pretty and attractive, so he wants to speak to her.),也就是找话题,想要「打开话匣」。(to use as a form of opening line or pick-up line or to begin a greeting; try to know her or date her) 如果说:
Yo baby, are you trippin'? 意思是:漂亮的姑娘,你的样子有点怪里怪气,有什么心事吗?
“Yo baby" 後面可跟任何可以「打开话匣」的句子。诸如:
May I help you with something? I think I have met you somewhere before.
同理,如果年轻女子看到帅哥,有吸引力,很想与他交谈,那就用:“Hey, hey, hey" 後跟任何可以「打开话匣」的句子。诸如:
Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?“what is going on?”就是年轻黑人打招呼的用语 (a form of greeting or open statement) 或 Hey, hey, hey, are you going to the movie?(帅哥,你是去看电影吗?)
5. She is a ho
ho 这个字,也是美国年轻人把 whore 字改变而成的一种口头禅或俚语。意思是指一些年轻女人,也许因为 peer pressure 或 curiosity 或 enjoyment 的心理,随便自愿与男子免费上床。(a girl or woman gives sex freely without charge),也就是说:She is very loose. 或 She is a loose woman (girl)。 ho 也可用复数:
They are (were) hos.
There are quite a few hos in high schools. 但是如果用 whore,是指妓女,男人需要付钱的。(a girl or woman is paid for sex.)
6. Catch you later!
这是年轻人说「再会」的口语。(a form to say“good乡bye”) 也就是说:现在没有时间与你交谈,以後再谈吧!(I don't have time to talk with you now, but we can talk later.) 因此,catch 就是 talk 或 contact 的意思。catch 後面,也可用其他人称代名词(him, her, them 等)
有时年轻小伙子也用:I am off. 意思就是:I am leaving now; I'll talk to you again.
(我要走了,再谈吧!)
7.I couldn’t care less.
这句话的意思是「我不在乎」,「缺乏兴趣」(lack of interest),也就是:I don’t care at all. 或 I don’t give a hoot. 例如:
人家如果问: What do you think of the budget-cut?(你对预算削减有何看法?)
你回答: I couldn’t care less.(我毫不在乎)
How do you like Mr. Lee’s political point of view?(你喜欢李先生的政见吗?)
I couldn’t care less.(我才不在乎呢!)
但是有时说话者也有「口是心非」: 例如:
I couldn’t care less about the promotion or pay raise.(我不在乎升级或加薪)
而实际上他是根本在乎升级和加薪的,那么人家也许就会回答说: Yes, you do(care).
至于 I couldn’t care more. 就是「我很在乎」(I care a lot.)或 I care deeply. 同理:
I couldn’t agree more.=I totally agree.(我完全同意)
I couldn’t please you more.=I did my best to please you.(我尽量使你高兴)
I couldn’t be more right.=I am totally right.
但是老外为了「自尊」,不愿强调自己的错误,所以很少人说:
I couldn’t be more wrong.
注意:一般人都用否定句,但也有老外把肯定句与否定句互用。
不过,严格来说,I could care less. = I care to some degree.(care 的程度可能减少)
I could care more.=I care some.(care的程度也许增加)(主词可用任何人称代名词:he, she, you, we, they 等。但只用 could,不用 can。)
8. No bones about it.
意思是:真实的,诚恳的(truly, sincerely or exactly),也就是 to make no bones about it.(bone 要加 s, it 是指 something)例如:
His wife is beautiful;no bones about it.(他的太太真是很漂亮)
Mr. A made no bones about it when he talked about abortion issue.(当 A 先生谈到堕胎问题时,他是诚恳的。)
When I spoke on the topic,he said, "No bones about it."(也就是他同意我的看法)
No bones about it;the weather is very chilly today.(今天是真的太冷了)
9. take it on me!
意思是:「这是我的,请用吧!」「这是免费的」(help yourself to it; it is free),这多半是指吃的东西或一些不贵重的东西。例如:
Here are some candies from England; take one on me. (这是来自英国的糖果,尝一个吧!) (one = candy)
The restaurant owner said to me, "Take the dessert on me." (餐馆老板对我说:「尝尝我的甜点吧!」)
Please take these pencils on me.(取用一些我的铅笔吧!) (也许铅笔上刻有名字,做为宣传之用而免费。)
可见 take 后面的 it,是指 something,而 on 的后面通常不指别人,所以多半也只用在第一人称单数 me。
(假如夫妇在一起,也可以说:Take it on us.)
10. I am from Missouri.
这句话有时后面要加一句:「I need to be shown.」或「You have got to show me.」,意思是 Missouri 州的人很固执 (stubborn),不太信任别人,一定要人家「证明一下」(prove it to me),所以密苏里州也被称为「The Show Me State」。
据说这句话所以流行 (尤其在美国中西部) 是因为美国一些名人都住过密苏里州,包括 Harry Truman, Mark Twain, Walt Disney 等。后来老外不轻易相信别人时,就使用这句话。(也有半开玩笑性质) 例如:
He is not easily convinced because he is from Missouri. (他是来自密苏里州,所以不容易说服他。)
Don’t try to fool me; I am from Missouri.(You have got to show me.) (别愚弄我,我是来自密苏里州。)
We are all from Missouri; we need to be shown.
As Mr. Smith is a tough guy; he must be from Missouri. (Smith先生是位倔强的人,他一定是来自密苏里州。)