【大纪元9月10日讯】
今天我们还要学几个美国总统大选中常用的习惯用语。我们曾经说过，英语词汇很多都来自体育运动。今天要学的第一个习惯用语就来自号称“皇家运动”的赛马: down to the wire。
这里的wire指赛马跑道终点拉的终点线。它在几乎不相上下的竞赛中有助于判断究竟谁先谁后。我们观看赛马时有时会见到领先的几匹马几乎不分前后，要直到冲过终点线的一刹那才定胜负。这就是这个习惯用语的出典。Down to the wire如今常用在政界，尤其是竞选运动中。
我们来听一名电台记者在评论在2000年大选中希望得到民主党总统侯选人提名的两个竞争对手戈尔和布拉德利。他还用了也来自赛马运动的另一个习惯用语: neck and neck。 Neck to neck意思是不分前后。好，我们来听这位电台记者怎么评论新罕普甚尔州初选即将举行前这两名对手间的战况:
例句-1：With only a week to go, the polls show that the two candidates are running neck and neck. The race is still so close it may go right down to the wire.
离开选举只有一星期了，民意测验结果显示两名侯选人不相上下，竞争如此激烈，所以可能要到最后一刻结果才见分晓。
这里的down to the wire用来描绘到最后一刻方见胜负的激烈竞争。
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再学个常用在竞选运动中的习惯用语: blow out。 Blow out这个短语有许多不同的解释。我们以前学过它可以指轮胎爆了，或者吹灭蜡烛火焰，也能用来说一个讲究排场的盛大宴会。但是blow out用在政坛斗争中有完全不同的意思。也许很多人都领教过强大台风的威力。它所到之处吹倒房屋，拔起大树，几乎是无坚不摧，扫清一切障碍。
Blow out这短语令人联想起台风这种压倒一切的威势。我们听个例子。说话的人在谈本州州长的竞选运动。
例句-2：I think our governor will blow out his opponents. He’s done a good job and people like him. Besides, the man running against him is someone voters never heard of.
他说：他们州长的工作很有成效，得到民众的爱戴。而他的竞争对手却是个默默无闻的人，可见州长会以压倒优势击败对手。
所以这里的blow out这个习惯用语的意思一定是以压倒优势击败对手，或者说是所向无敌。其实blow out这个习惯用语还有个比较长的形式: blow out of the water。 Blow out of the water来自海战：军舰被猛烈的炮火击中后，炸飞上天，随即沉入海底，无影无踪地从水面上消失了。这是blow out of the water这个习惯用语的出典。听个例子：
例句-3：Most experts in newspapers and TV are predicting our party will blow the other side out of the water in most of the country this fall.
这句话说: 报界和电视界的多数专家预计今年秋天我们的党将在全国大部分地区把对方打得一败涂地。
习惯用语blow out of the water是彻底击败的意思。
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我们再学个习惯说法。它只包括一个词: clobber。在二次大战中英国飞行员去德国执行轰炸任务凯旋而归时，常用clobber这个词来汇报自己如何命中攻击目标，并造成敌方严重损失。逐渐政界也借用clobber这个词了，表示什么意思呢? 我们听个例子吧，这是某党派的竞选干事在归纳目前的选战形势。
例句-4：In South Carolina our candidate clobbered the opponent. But in a couple of days, our opponent turned the table and clobbered our candidate in Michigan to stay in the race.
他说：在南卡罗莱纳州我们的侯选人重挫对手。但是几天后在密西根州，我们的对手却反败为胜沉重打击我方侯选人，保住了继续参选的地位。
这里的clobber意思就是沉重打击。 Clobber这个词不仅在选战中相当流行，它还常用在运动比赛里。大家一定知道一个习惯说法往往会有多种用途。
流行美语 第304课
李华在Larry办公大楼门口遇到他。Larry看上去十分疲倦。今天我们要学两个常用语： Back to square one和 hankering.
LH: Larry, 你昨天晚上是不是又熬夜加班了？看上去一脸疲惫。
LL: Did I ever! I was here all night doing work on this new marketing project, but ultimately I did not get anywhere. I may have to change the ad’s concept completely, even though that would mean going back to square one.
LH: 你要去square one出差？远吗？
LL: Square one is not an actual place. It means going back to the beginning.
LH: 我明白了，square one就是从头开始的意思。那上星期我写论文忘了存盘，结果电脑死机全丢了，只好从头再来，这种情况就可以说I was back at square one. 对不对？
LL: Yes, that’s right, Li Hua. Because you had to go back to the beginning and all of the earlier work was deleted, you had to go back to square one.
LH: 我手里还有一篇论文要写，但是还没有下笔，能不能说I am only at square one?
LL: You can use “square one” that way, but usually people say, “back to square one.” This means that they did a lot of work, but it did not help them get any closer to their goal.
LH: 这么说，我可不愿意go back to square one.
LL: Exactly, I’m very frustrated that all of my work last night did not get me anywhere. Even though I was here all night, I’m back to square one.
LH: 这么说，你的新市场营销计划如今又回到了起点，要从头开始，你下一步打算怎样办？
LL: You know, to be honest, I am really not sure. I think maybe I need some sleep to help clear up my head.
LH: 我对你深表同情。不过我比你还惨。上星期论文都快打完了，结果没存，I got sent back to square one. 更糟糕的是，第二天就要交。
LL: That does sound stressful, luckily I have still got a few weeks before this project is due, so I think that I am going to go home and get some sleep before starting again at square one.
LH: 你重新开始之前要不要一起吃点东西？
LL: That sounds great Li Hua, but first I need to get some rest. How about we meet here at noon, grab something to eat and then I get back to work?
LH: Sounds great!
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LH: Larry, 你一觉醒来，一定是精神饱满，干劲十足。
LL: Yes, I had a very good nap, and now I have a hankering for some Italian food.
LH: A hankering? 你是说你想吃意大利饭吗？
LL: Exactly, Li Hua! To have a hankering, for something means that you want that thing. Usually someone would say they have a hankering for a type of food or drink.
LH: 意大利饭也有很多种啊，你想吃意大利面，比萨饼，还是肉酱千层面?
LL: You know, lasagna sounds really good to me, but what do you have a hankering for Li Hua? What are you in the mood to have for lunch?
LH: 我也说不清楚想吃什么。要不吃个三明治，还是去吃中国饭？
LL: It doesn’t really sound like you have a hankering for anything in particular at all.
LH: 肚子饿的时候，当然是吃什么都香。
LL: Maybe you should compare the types of food that you have a hankering for to decide what you want to eat.
LH: 一方面，我特别想吃辣的，可另一方面，我又怕麻烦。
LL: Either food that you choose is fine by me. Italian, Chinese, sandwiches…
LH: 现在听起来，我好像又都不那么想吃了。
LL: No? Then it looks like we are back at square one then.
LH: Yes, we are back at square one. 不过，我已经知道要吃什么了。
LL: Well what do you want to have for lunch?
LH: Sushi! 快走吧，我已经在流口水了。
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是back to square one意思是回到起点。另一个是hankering，意思是特别想要。 (http://www.dajiyuan.com)
