JESSICA在北京学汉语,她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教她。今天是怡茹要问的:抢风头。
YR:Hey Jessica!! 你听说那个大新闻了么?
JESSICA:What? What happened?
YR:就是上礼拜话剧社的演出啊! Anna完全不顾原来话剧的剧本,使劲抢戏,女主角的风头全被她抢去了! 听说她们俩在后台因此大吵了一架! 对了,这个“抢风头”用美语要怎么说啊?
JESSICA:Hmm...抢风头就是“steal someone's thunder". Steal is spelled s-t-e-a-l; and thunder, t-h-u-n-d-e-r, thunder. Basically, steal someone's thunder means to do something that takes attention away from what someone else has done.
YR:没错! Anna 把本来属於女主角的戏份都抢去了,She totally stole her thunder! 现在学校里人人都在说这事儿。
JESSICA:Ha! I think Anna is getting her 15 minutes of fame here!
YR:15 minutes of fame? 出名15分钟?.....这是什么意思?
JESSICA:15 minutes of fame means that she's only famous for a very short period of time.
YR:哦...我明白了,这也就是短暂出名的意思吧! 就像上回电视真人秀单身女郎里的女主角,那会儿人人都在谈论她,现在节目结束了,她也就销声匿迹了。
JESSICA:Yep! Reality shows definitely give a lot of people a chance to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame!
YR:嗯,没错! 听说Anna原来都没被选进剧本,可后来她就一直巴结男主角Andy,这么才慢慢得到角色的!
JESSICA:Hmm. Sounds like she's riding on Andy's coattails! Coattail is spelled c-o-a-t-t-a-i-l, coattail. To ride on someone's coattails means to use someone else's success to get ahead.
YR:哦,就是趋炎附势的意思喽! So, Anna would not get a role in the drama without riding on the leading man's coattails! 这么说对吗?
JESSICA:Exactly! Now tell me what you've learned today!
YR:第一:抢风头是steal someone's thunder.
第二,短暂出名可以说15 minutes of fame ;
第三:趋颜附势叫ride on someone's coattails!