English Sentences Noted (041--050)

---- The following English Sentences are noted by Warren Sevander in English and Jerry Liang in Chinese, which have been put onto the website of St. James' Language Institute.

41. This is not difficult, it's easy as pie.


The words in red are an American phrase that dates back to the middle of the 20th Century. The "easiness" does not come from making the pie, but in eating the pie. This phrase is used to describe a simple task. The contraction "It's" combines the words "it" and "is."

這個不難；小事一樁！（舉手之勞）

片語 easy as pie 源自美國鄉村搖滾歌手 Billy "Crash" Craddock (生於1939年) 於1975-1976年所發行的同名專輯 (Easy as Pie)。歌名的意思：「像吃餅一樣容易」。


42. It's a piece of cake.

The words in red are another phrase used to describe how easy it is to do something. Someone might ask "Do you think you will be able to finish your work on time?" If the work is easy, and it will be easy to complete, a typical casual reply could be "It's a piece of cake." The contraction "It's" combines the words "it" and "is."

是輕而易舉的事！（小事一樁；舉手之勞）

比方說，被問到：「你能準時完成任務嗎？」如果你覺得毫無困難，必能準時交差，則答案便是：A piece of cake!（比吃一碗雞絲麵還容易！易如反掌折枝啊！）


43. That job was as simple as 1-2-3.

Many times we all have tasks to do. When a job goes smoothly, without any problems or unexpected difficulties, it can be said to have been "as simple as 1-2-3."

那工作簡單到不行，極容易上手！

有什麼事比數 1, 2, 3 還容易呢？時下流行「簡單到不行」的說法，無非就是：簡單到了極點；非常容易；易如反掌折枝；小事一樁，舉手之勞。A piece of cake!


44. No news is good news.

This is a popular expression used in English. It means that even though a person has not heard from another person for a long time, everything is probably OK. It is thought that this expression goes back to King James I of England, in approximately 1616.

沒有消息就是好消息。

此種說法據信可追朔到西元1616左右，英王詹姆士一世的年代。中文「好事不出門，壞事傳千里」的諺語，似乎為 No news is good news 做了明確的註解。


45. I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached.

This popular expression is said by persons who have too much to do and who keep forgetting things they need to take with them. Sometimes, they repeatedly forget to take the same thing with them when they go out.

我忙得昏頭轉向；要是頭不連身，恐怕早被我給遺忘了。

本句形容一個工作繁忙，忙到忘東忘西（忙昏了頭）的人；頭跟頸，若不是緊緊相連，恐怕老早忘了隨身攜帶，或者忙得「團團轉」而把它給「轉」飛了！


46. Getting my hair cut was a spur of the moment decision.

When a person decides to do something, or go somewhere, without any planning, it is said to be a "spur of the moment" decision. To think of this expression literally, try understanding it like this: A moment is an instant in time. A spur is something small which grows from something that is larger.

心血來潮，我去理了個頭。

On the spur of the moment (作副詞片語用) 指事先沒有計畫，卻突然想到就做。本句的 a decision 用 spur of the moment 加以形容，就是「一個衝動的決定」。


47. Get out of my hair.

There are a variety of uses for this expression, but all of them involve something or someone that is bothering you. Sometimes a parent will say this to a child who bothers them when something important needs to be done. Sometimes a person has an unfinished task which finally is completed. I finally got that out of my hair.

離開我；別來煩我！

本句有多種用途，卻都跟「造成麻煩」的人、事、物有關。例如：父母有事要忙，可能跟小孩說：「別纏著我」(get out of my hair)；而好不容易做完一件苦差事之後，可能說：「啊！終於將它擺平了」 (I finally got that out of my hair)。


48. I can't carry a tune in a bushel basket.

A bushel basket is used many times to carry a large amount of fruit or vegetables. A person who cannot sing well is said to not be able to carry a tune (melody) in a bushel basket.

我五音不全（歌不成調）。

Bushel basket 是用來裝蔬果的大籃子。形容一個人唱歌難聽，就說：他用大菜籃（或水果藍）裝不了什麼好旋律！本地人則說：「牛車下坡！」（吱嘎吱嘎響）


49. We decided to strike while the iron was still hot.

Hot irons leave marks on what they touch, if they stay in that place for some time. In the old American west, branding irons were used to mark the hip of an animal to show that the animal belonged to a certain person. Today, if a person wants to do something at the best time, they do it when the iron (idea) is hot (ready to use).

我們決定打鐵趁熱（馬上做）。

從前鐵匠以手工打鐵，須把鐵塊放入爐中燒紅，取出後立即捶打；否則鐵冷了、變硬了，就打不動了。對於「打鐵趁熱」的由來，另一種見解，請參考英文說明。


50. I think it's time for me to get some new threads.


"Get some new threads" are a slang expression that means "buy some new clothes."

該是我添購新衣的時候了，我想。

Threads 為「(絲)線」的複數形；片語 get some new threads 就是「買新衣服」的俚語說法。句中 it's time for (某人) to (做某事) 之句型，乃英語人士最常用句型之一，值得你我細加揣摩及運用。

 
---- The above English Sentences are noted by Warren Sevander in English and Jerry Liang in Chinese, which have been put onto the website of St. James' Language Institute.

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