JESSICA 在北京学汉语,她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教她。今天是怡茹要问的:抢风头。
YR: Hey hey Jessica!! 你听说那个大新闻了么?
JESSICA: What? What happened?
YR: 就是上礼拜话剧社的演出啊! Anna完全不顾原来话剧的剧本,使劲抢戏,女主角的风头全被她抢去了! 听说她们俩在后台因此大吵了一架! 对了,这个“抢风头”用美语要怎么说啊?
JESSICA: Hmm...抢风头就是"steal someone's thunder". Steal is spelled s-t-e-a-l; and thunder, t-h-u-n-d-e-r, thunder. Basically, steal someone's thunder means to do something that takes attention away from what someone else has done.
YR: 没错!Anna 把本来属於女主角的戏份都抢去了,She totally stole her thunder! 现在学校里人人都在说这事儿。
JESSICA: Ha! I think Anna is getting her 15 minutes of fame here!
YR: 15 minutes of fame? 出名15分钟?……这是什么意思?
JESSICA: 15 minutes of fame means that she's only famous for a very short period of time.
YR: 哦……我明白了,这也就是短暂出名的意思吧! 就像上回电视真人秀单身女郎里的女主角,那会儿人人都在谈论她,现在节目结束了,她也就销声匿迹了。
JESSICA: Yep! Reality shows definitely give a lot of people a chance to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame!
YR: 嗯,没错! 听说Anna原来都没被选进剧本,可后来她就一直巴结男主角Andy,这么才慢慢得到角色的!
JESSICA: Hmm. Sounds like she's riding on Andy's coattails! Coattail is spelled c-o-a-t-t-a-i-l, coattail. To ride on someone's coattails means to use someone else's success to go ahead.
YR: 哦,那就是趋炎附势的意思喽!So, Anna would not get a role in the drama without riding on the leading man's coattails! 这么说对吗?
JESSICA: Exactly! Now tell me what you've learned today!
YR: 第一,抢风头是steal someone's thunder.
第二,短暂出名可以说15 minutes of fame;
第三,趋颜附势叫ride on someone's coattails!
A: We all want our 15 minutes of fame. Better yet, make it 15 years!
B: You're greedy!
A: 哈哈,说起抢风头,这可是招人讨厌的事儿。咱们在以前的节目中讨论过参加婚礼时的打扮,还记得么,女宾的原则是,不能太抢眼,you shouldn't steal the bride's thunder!
B: 没错! Brides be warned: when you pick your bridesmaids, skip those who are cuter than you!
A: 对,伴娘可不能比新娘漂亮! Wait, I wonder why I got invited to be a bridesmaid so many times!
B: 呃…… I'm sure it's not because you're not as cute as the brides.
A:哼! 今晚我要打电话问问她们! 难道觉得我丑才让我当伴娘的?气死我了!
B:Ah...why don't we move on and not talk about this, and listen to a couple discussing their wedding plans.