English Sentences Noted (021--030)

---- 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.

21.  He was out by a mile.


The words in red are used by persons who watch the sport ‘baseball’. It is used when a runner clearly does not reach the base before the ball arrives.

他還差得遠呢！

本句源自棒球觀眾的說法，意思是，大家都看得一清二楚，當跑壘者還沒抵達壘包前，球早已傳到該壘了。



22.  I think you're really off base about that.

The words in red use part of the sport ‘baseball’ to describe a mistake in real life. It means that one person thinks the other person is certainly wrong in how they think about something. The contraction combines the words ‘you’ and ‘are’.

關於那點，我認為你真的錯了。

美語的 off base，源自棒球用語，是「完全錯誤」的意思。



23.  I'll have to fly by the seat of my pants.

The words in red are a phrase that is used when a person must do something without much planning or training. The contraction combines the words ‘I’ and ‘will’.

我得憑經驗［或感覺］瞎碰。

由於事前沒有計畫，或缺少訓練，只能臨時憑感覺碰運氣，憑舊有的經驗去做，這就是片語 fly by the seat of my pants 的含義。



24.  I'd like to touch base with you when you are here again.

The words in red are used many times when a person tells another that he or she would like to talk, see, or keep in contact with the other person. The contraction combines the words ‘I’ and ‘would’.

下次您光臨時，我再跟您聯絡。

片語 tough base (with somebody) 有「再次聯繫」之意，其實，這是比較不拘禮節的「非正規用語」。



25.  Tell the cabbie to step on it.

A cabbie is the person who drives a taxicab. The words step on it, when used to discuss driving or travel, mean that you want to go faster.

告訴計程車司機開快點兒。

口語中，有人管出租汽車司機叫 cabbie (亦作 babby)。而片語 step on it 相當於美語口語 step on the gas (踩油門；加速) 的意思。



26.  We're running late.

The words in red mean that the persons have not accomplished as much of their project as they thought they would by a particular time. The words also can be used to mean that they have not travelled as far as they had planned by a particular time. The contraction combines the words ‘we’ and ‘are’.

我們進度慢了！

本句 running late 可指實際旅遊的進度，趕不上原先的行程規劃；其引申義，則表示做任何事情的實際進度，落後於預期進度。



27.  My eyes were bigger than my stomach.

This idiom can be said by a person who orders more food than they are able to finish eating. (The food looked so good, that they ordered, or took, too much.)

我的眼睛比胃還大！（我點太多菜了！）

台語有一種說法：「肚子飽了，眼睛（目啁）還未飽！」意義相近，通常是在吃飽了的時候講的，表示菜餚很好，雖然快吃撐了，還想再來一口。



28.  I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Many people understand that when a chicken has its head cut off, involuntary reactions cause it to run for a short time aimlessly in many directions before it dies. The words in red are often times used by a person if they have too much to do in a very short time. The contraction combines the words ‘I’ and ‘am’.

我像一隻無頭蒼蠅，亂飛亂撞一通！

原文字面義：我像被斷了頭的雞一般，盲目地奔跑著。本句俚語，通常用來形容：短時間內有太多事要做，忙得團團轉，不可開交。



29.  All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

This expression is oftentimes used to describe the unhealthy circumstance of a person who has so much work to do (or chooses to work so much) that they do not have time for personal matters in life.

只工作不玩耍，聰明的孩子也變傻。

時時刻刻，日復一日，唯有勤奮用功，而絲毫沒有娛樂或調劑，任誰都會受不了的，不單是 Jack (傑克) ---- Jack是常用英文名字，拿來做代表罷了。



30.  I'll get around to it when I can.

The words in red are used to let someone know that there may be something that needs to get done, but other things are more important at that time, and that the matter will be taken care of when enough time is available.

我會抽時間來處理。

本句主要用來告訴對方，此刻另有要事須處理，還沒法子做（或考慮）他所提的那件事；但是，只要時間許可，會馬上針對那事加以處理的。



---- 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.