英语常用口头禅
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,有什心事吗?
“Yo baby"後面可跟任何可以「打开话匣」的句子。诸如:May I help you with something? I think I
have met you somewhere before. 同理,如果年轻女子看到帅哥,有吸引力,很想与他交谈,那就用:
“Hey, hey, hey"後跟任何可以「打开话匣」的句子。诸如:
Hey, hey, hey, what''s going on?“what is going on?”就是年轻黑人打招呼的用语(a form of
greeting or open statement)或Hey, hey, hey, are you going to the movie?(帅哥,你是去看电影
吗?)
5. She is a ho:ho这个字,也是美国年轻人把whore字改变而成的一种口头禅或俚语。意思是指一些年轻
女人,也许因为peer pressure或curiosity或enjoyment的心理,随便自愿与男子免费上床。(a girl or
woman gives sex freely without charge),也就是说:She is very loose.或She is a loose woman
(girl)。
ho也可用复数:
They are (were) hos. There are quite a few hos in high schools.但是如果用whore,是指妓女,
男人需要付钱的。(a girl or woman is paid for sex.)
6. Catch you later!这是年轻人说「再会」的口语。(a form to say“good乡bye”)也就是说:现在
没有时间与你交谈,以後再谈吧!(I don''t have time to talk with you now, but we can talk later.)
因此,catch就是talk或contact的意思。catch後面,也可用其他人称代名词(him, her, them等)
有时年轻小伙子也用:I am off.意思就是:I am leaving now; I''ll talk to you again. (我要走
了,再谈吧!)