2013年9月30日星期一

【地道英語】the skin of your teeth 險些錯過

  The script of this programme 本節目台詞

  Li: Hi, I'm 楊莉, and welcome to Authentic Real English. I'm here today with Jen.

  Jennifer: Hi!

  Li: 你怎麼…這麼慌慌張張的…? Are you ok?

  Jennifer: I woke up late and had to run to the train station.


 

There's only one train an hour. I ran all the way there and made it by the skin of my teeth, just as the doors were closing. Phew! Is there any coffee…?

  Li: Hang on… 你說你的牙幫你趕上了水車?

  Jennifer: Sorry?

  Li: You said "I made it by the skin of my teeth" – "您牙齒的皮膚幫了閑". 那我能能看看你的牙是什麼樣的,華碩翻譯社! Show me your teeth! When did they grow skin?

  Jennifer: There's no skin on my teeth. That would be disgusting. Yuck.

  Li: So what did you mean?

  Jennifer: If you do something "by the skin of your teeth" it means that you did it by a narrow margin – so you just managed to do it, or almost failed.

  Li: 本來這是一個坚固的短語意义是險些錯過了什麼,幾乎失落敗。這麼說,如果你差點兒誤了火車那就可以夠說, You caught the train by the skin of your teeth.

  Jennifer: That's exactly right. Let's hear some more examples of the phrase in action:

  · My brother's so lucky – he never does any revision for exams but always manages topass by the skin of his teeth!

  · Hi, I'm stuck in a traffic jam – I might still make it to the presentation, but it'll be by theskin of my teeth.

  Li: So when you just manage to do something, you can say you did it by the skin of your teeth?

  Jennifer: That's it.

  Li: 這是個念像力很豐富的短語。 I like it.

  Jennifer: It's good to be able to get your teeth into English phrases like this.

  Li: 你說我的牙齒嗎? What about my teeth,英漢翻譯?

  Jennifer: It's just another phrase, silly. If you get your teeth into something, it means that you become really involved in it.

  Li: Well in that case, I do love getting my teeth into a new phrase – 好好啃一啃意義即是鑽研新短語。等等我想起來,糟了。Oh no! 我剛唸起來我来日十兩點有牙科預約 – but look, it's ten to twelve now, I'll never make it!

  Jennifer: You go, I'll finish the programme – if you run you might make it, but by the skin of your teeth!

  Li: Thanks Jen – bye…

  Jennifer: Join us again for another edition of Authentic Real English and visit our website, bbcukchina.com. Bye!

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