先举几个年轻人常用的「口头禅」:
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. (过去他在高中时是位书呆子)
Many Chinese students are(或 have been)considered nerds.
至於 geek 这个字,虽然与 nerd 相似,年轻人也常用,但 geek 是指在某一方面有很高的 IQ。我们可以说:
He is a computer geek. (意思是:虽然他是书呆子,但电脑很棒)
另外,年轻人还用 jerk 这个字,通常是指没有社交技巧,头脑简单或古怪,令人讨厌的家伙(annoying person),如果你不喜欢一个人,就可以说:
I don't like him because he is a jerk.
也可以用复数:
Many jerks are working in our company.
主词也可以用其他人称,动词也可用其他时态:
They are jerks; He was a jerk in the past; Mr. A has been jerk for years.
(注:有时年轻人也用 dork 这个字,但不如 jerk 流行)
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