L: 哎，Michael，这家店看起来真好。我们能不能进去看看呀？我肯定他们有很好的衣服。
　　M: That"s Neiman-Marcus. They have nice stuff, but they"re really, really expensive. You have to pay through the nose to buy even a shirt there.
　　L: 我也猜想它们的衣服一定很贵。你说要在他们这里买件衬衣就要pay through the nose? 东西贵和鼻子有什么关系呀？

　　M: To pay through the nose is to pay a lot of money for something, usually way more than the item is worth. For instance, a shirt in a normal store costs about $40. However, a shirt in Neiman-Marcus easily costs $200. That"s paying through the nose.
　　L: 我懂了。To pay through the nose就是用高价买一样东西，往往要比原来的价值高很多。像普通店里一件衬衣要40美元，在他们这里就要200美元。可是，Michael, 我还是不懂，一个人的鼻子和钱有什么关系呀？
　　M: Yeah, it is a strange expression, but that"s the way it is. Do you still want to go into that store?
　　L: 不要，不要，我不进去了。我只是个学生，没那么多钱，I can"t afford to pay through the nose for things. 我啊，付不起这么高的价钱。
　　M: I agree. I don"t want to pay through the nose for anything either. It"s stupid to waste so much money on something you can buy cheaper somewhere else.

　　L: 就是呀，能够用便宜的价钱买到的东西为什么要浪费那么多钱去买呢？对了，Michael, 那什么时候我们还可以用to pay through the nose这个说法的呢？
　　M: Well, some people are willing to pay through the nose to buy tickets to see their favorite singers.
　　L: 噢，花好多钱买票去听他们喜欢的歌手唱歌。我就有几个朋友爱买名牌的东西。她们就愿意pay through the nose。
　　M: I don"t understand paying through the nose to eat at fancy restaurants either. Food is food. Li Hua, I"m getting hungry. Can we go eat first?
　　L: I"m down with that. 我也有点饿了。但是，I don"t want to pay through the nose.

　　李华今天学到了两个常用语。一个是：down with that, 意思是“同意”，或者是“愿意”。另一个是：to pay through the nose, 意思是“出高价买东西”。

日期：2007-9-12　9:48:23

　　「美国习惯用语」第八十讲
　　lame duck
　　golden parachute
　　美国民主党总统候选人克林顿在一九九二年十一月三号当选为美国第四十二届总统。这一结果使好些官员都处于即将下任的境地，包括布什总统在内。美国人给这些竞选失败、即将下任的官员起了一个名字，叫做: lame duck。Lame的意思就是“走起路来一瘸一瘸的”。duck就是“鸭子”。从字面上来解释lame duck就是：一只瘸的鸭子。但是，我们这儿指的不是鸭子，而是一个经选举产生的政府官员竞选连任失败，可是他的任期还有几个星期或几个月。

　　任何政府官员都可能成为lame duck。从总统、参议员、一直到州长和市长。就拿布什总统来说吧，他的总统任期一直要到明年一月二十号克林顿宣誓就职为止。
　　克林顿在当选后的第二天发表讲话时说：During the transition..., I urge America"s friends and foes alike to recognize...that America has only one President at a time...
　　克林顿说："在过渡时期内......，我要敦促美国的朋友和敌人都认识到...，美国在任何时候只有一位总统......”也就是说，在明年一月二十号之前，美国的总统仍然是布什。"
　　然而，一个任期只剩下几个星期的官员很自然地会失去很多权力。这就是为什么把他们称为lame duck，因为他只能像一只瘸的鸭子那样，一拐一拐地走，再也飞不起来了。下面我们给大家举一个例子：
　　例句-1: The governor of our state ended up as a lame duck when he lost the election. He still has six weeks left in office but there"s nothing to do except to pack up his papers.
　　这是说：我们州的州长竞选连任失败，因此即将下任。他的任期还剩六个星期，不过他除了整理办公室以外也没有什么事情可干了。
　　******

　　那么这些lame duck今后怎么办呢？在这些人当中，有许多都能找到一个golden parachute。Golden的意思是“金的”，parachute指的是“降落伞”。作为一个俗语，golden parachute就是那些下任的官员在失去他们原来的工作以后在经济上提供保障的安排。当布什总统明年一月卸任的时候，他将和其他总统一样在他有生之年享受一份优厚的退休金。按照美国法律，国家还为他提供保安人员和为维持他办公室的一笔资金。美国当前还在世有四位总统。他们是尼克松，福特，卡特和里根。

　　在那些下任的官员中，有些运气好的将担任一些企业的执行总裁，到一个律师事务所去工作，或者为一些企业进行游说，设法影响他们以前在政府工作时的同事。下面我们来举一个例子：
　　例句-2: Congressman Blank lost the election. But he has a golden parachute--he"s been offered a job as a senior vice president in a big company in his home state of New York.
　　这是说：布兰克议员竞选连任失败。但是他运气很好，经济上都已经有了安排，因为他家乡纽约州的一家大公司请他去担任副总裁。
　　******
　　今天我们讲了两个和选举有关的俗语：lame duck和golden parachute。Lame duck是指竞选连任失败，即将下任的官员。Golden parachute是那些lame duck在经济方面的安排。

日期：2007-9-12　9:51:22

　　流行美语第80课
　　今天Michael和李华正在谈论有关买汽车的事。李华会学到两个常用语：to kick oneself和raw deal。
　　L: Michael, 你没有买Jerry的车啊？我以为价钱很公道啊！怎么回事啊？
　　M: Please don"t mention that! Jerry sold the car to someone else yesterday. I"m still kicking myself for not buying it when I had the chance.
　　L: Kicking yourself, kick不就是k-i-c-k，踢球的踢吗？你为什么要踢你自己呢？
　　M: No, no Li Hua. "To kick oneself" means to feel regret for missing an opportunity, or making a mistake that could have been avoided.

　　L: 噢，to kick oneself不是真的踢自己，意思是：自己失去了一个好机会而埋怨自己太笨。Michael, 那到底是怎么回事啊？
　　M: Well, I told Jerry that I wanted to check out some other cars before I made a decision. Someone else bought the car before I had a chance to decide. I"m still kicking myself for waiting too long.
　　L: 原来你是想等看看别的车以后再做决定，结果Jerry就把车卖给别人了。哎哟，Michael, 你不用埋怨自己啦。不管做什么交易，作决定前仔细考虑清楚总是好的。
　　M: Well, I guess you"re right. When I bought the car I have now, I wasn"t careful enough. Later, I found out the car was in very poor condition, and I have been kicking myself ever since.
　　L: 你看，我说得没错。你买现在这辆车的时候不小心，所以现在老要出问题。哎，Michael, 你呀，买得不好也怨自己，没有买到也埋怨自己。你累不累呀！
　　M: Hey, speaking of regret, I heard that your ex-boyfriend Ding Yu is doing really well these days. I bet you are kicking yourself for dumping him, huh?

　　L: 你在说我以前的男朋友丁余？告诉你，不管他现在多有钱我都不会因为跟他分手而后悔。
　　M: Hmm, I know, when you"re a famous professor at a top U.S. university, Ding Yu will be kicking himself for not being nicer to you when you were together.
　　L: 我要是在美国当了名教授，他再捶胸顿足地后悔也没有用。
　　******
　　L: Michael, 你没有买Jerry的车，那你是不是还想找一辆旧车呢？

　　M: Yes, I still want to replace my car. But I"m sort of afraid... The last time I bought a car, I got a really raw deal!
　　L: 你上回买车怎么啦？什么是raw deal？是不是不好的意思？
　　M: That"s right! A raw deal. Raw. A "raw deal" means an unfair deal, or to be treated roughly and unfairly by someone.
　　L: A raw deal就是吃了亏的交易。你的意思是，你上次买这辆车的时候，卖车的人让你吃了大亏？
　　M: That"s right. The week after I bought the car, the engine broke down, and I had to completely replace it! The guy I bought it from refused to pay for it.
　　L: 车才买了一个星期就出问题。这实在是太倒霉了。这就是所谓的a raw deal。那么，Michael, raw deal是不是只能用在买卖方面的？

　　M: No, not necessarily. For instance, my Uncle George worked at a factory for over twenty years. Unfortunately, the factory was shut down and George lost his job right before he had a chance to retire. That was a raw deal!
　　L: That"s really a raw deal! 我听到好几个这样的例子了。一个人在一个公司做了几十年，还没来得及退休公司就关门了。退休金全完了。我舅舅的工厂关门前，他工作了八个月，到现在还没拿到工资呢！
　　M: That"s really a raw deal!