【学习笔记】Yes, Minister 台词精读之 Party Games

First of all, as a sufferer of OCD it pains me deeply to start from S03E08, but alas, this is just the way things goes. 嗯，其实在我的个人笔记里是从第一集开始做起的，但是我却不知被一股什么力量驱使了决定从 S03E08开始好好修改。（这还是唯一一集超过一小时的，_(:з」∠)_

闲话不多说，现在来说下我的计划。我打算从这集开始总结一下 Yes Minister 里面的各种地道表达（这集结束后会从头开始）。笔记形式大概是：列出剧中原句，然后把牛津英汉词典或（和）Oxford Dictionary of English 里面的释义、例句摘录下来。（有些 idioms 这两本词典也都没有收录的话，我会从网页版的Cambridge Dictionary 摘取释义）有些特别精彩的台词我也会收录。

总得来说，不算是什么原创内容，我只是一个 compiler 而已。

S03E08 Party Games

一开场Hacker 和 小Bernard 的对话是关于 Christmas Cards 的，然后很快地对话又无缝连接到 'standardising euro sausage':

We shall just have to grit our teethand bite on the bullet.

一说完这句话我们的Hacker 又被小 Bernard 挑刺了 hhhhh

▸ to grit one's teeth literal 咬紧牙关 figurative 下定决心

grit one’s teeth clench one’s teeth, especially when faced with something unpleasant: grit your teeth and splash yourself with cold water! •resolve to do something difficult or unpleasant: Parliament must grit its teeth and take action.

▸to bite (on) the bullet figurative 硬着头皮接受

I’m sure any successor worth his salt could arrange these.

以下是关于 salt 的各种 expressions：

▸the salt of the earth figurative (person)诚实可信的人 (group)社会中坚 ▸to take sth with a pinchorgrain of salt figurative 对某事将信将疑(O..O) ▸worth one’s salt figurative称职的 ▸to be above/below the salt figurative属于上层/下层社会的 ▸his work is salted with slogans and phrases in capital letters 他的作品中穿插了大写的口号和短语

Arnold 向 Humphrey 提到一些对他自己不利的文件，Humphrey 机智地答道

And I’m sure that the right successor would keep those files under wraps.

Wraps

▸to be under wraps 处于保密状态 ▸to keep sth under wraps 对某事保密 ▸to take the wraps off sth 揭开某事的内幕

- some extras

▸a baby wrapped (up) in a blanket 裹在毯子里的婴儿 ▸the hills were wrapped in mist 山峦笼罩在薄雾之中 ▸an affair still wrapped inmystery 一个仍然扑朔迷离的事件

▸let’s get the whole thing wrapped up 我们来把这一切都了结了吧 ▸the team wrapped up the series 4:0 该队以4:0的比分获得该项系列赛的胜利 ▸to wrap up the evening’s news (especiallyUS)总结夜间新闻

▸figurative informal(involve)to be wrapped up in sb/sth; 注意力集中在某人身上/某事物上 ▸to be totally wrapped up in one’s work 完全沉浸在工作中 ▸there is a lot of money wrapped up in theproject 有许多钱投入到了这个项目中 ▸to be wrapped up in oneself自闭

▸wrap up well or warm(ly)! 穿得暖和点儿！ ▸to wrap oneself up (well or warm(ly))穿得暖和

当 Sir Arnold 被问到为什么要出任 Campaign for Freedom of Information 的主席的时候他这样回答

Today’s Opposition is tomorrow’s government.

也没有什么特别的，只是觉得这句话挺妙的。

然后他又提到：

and it will mean one can ensure that the freedom is not abused.

Arnold 真的是 Yes Minister 里面最最老奸巨猾的啊！

Oh, I don’t think there’s anyone else who’s up to scratch.

▸(standard)up to scratch 达标的 ▸to beorcome up to scratch 达标 ▸to keep sb/sth up to scratch 使某人/某事物符合标准 ▸to bring sb/sth up to scratch 使某人/某事物达标

I have faith, somehow I’ll muddle through.

▸to muddle along from day to day 一天一天混日子

muddle through intransitive verb胡乱应付过去

▸to be muddle dup; 被弄糊涂 ▸to get muddled up 被弄糊涂 ▸you've got me(all) muddled up!你彻底把我弄晕了 ▸to muddle AandB up, to muddle A up with B;分不清A和B

Oh, Minister, don’t take on so!

▸don't take on so! 别这么紧张！

这个表达是我以前没有注意到的，以后除了说 'Take it easy' 又多了一种新的说法啦。

这句话是 Hacker 意识到自己理解错了 Humphrey 的意思以后说的

I’m not myself today, a little tired. Overwrought.

▸I’m not (feeling) myself today 我今天感觉不舒服

印象中这个表达好像还挺初阶的，但是因为比较常用我还是把它算上了。

在 Christmas drinks party Hacker 又喝醉了，然后竟然还撩了一下女下属的头发？？？（哇？小手这么不老实的吗？

Always good to let your hair down.

关于 hair 的各种 expressions（总感觉这是老早就该学会的了，人啊，总是要为自己马虎潦草的态度付出代价的...

▸ to get in sb's hair informal 把某人惹毛 ▸ to let one's hair down informal 放松一下 ▸ to make sb's hair stand on end informal 令某人毛骨悚然 ▸ to tear one's hair (out) informal (in anger) 气得吹胡子瞪眼 (with anxiety) 急得抓耳挠腮 ▸ keep your hair on! British informal 保持冷静！

▸ not a hair out of place 十分整洁 ▸ by a hair or a hair's breadth 以极小量 ▸ to win a race by a hair 以微弱优势赢得比赛 ▸ to escape death by a hair's breadth 险些丧命 ▸ not to turn a hair 面不改色 ▸ to split hairs 斤斤计较 ▸ the hair of the dog (that bit you) informal 解醉酒 ▸ to not harm or touch a hair on sb's head 不伤某人的毫发

You’re not trying to tick me off or anything, are you?

B.[ticksb off,tickoff sb]transitive verb ①British informal(reprimand)斥责 ②US informal(annoy)使恼火

▸he was a little ticked off about the news 他听到那个消息有点生气

I gather he was drunk as a lord, so after a discreet interval, they’ll probably make him one.

▸drunk as alord 酩酊大醉的

这句话里的双关也很妙，有了 peerage 就是 end of political life. （从前面 Hacker 对授勋的反应来看？本人政治小白，如有错漏请大家指正。

So the resignation is to give time for the new leader to be run-in before the next election?

Now that the Home Secretary has been run in already.

这里的又是一个双关，前面的 run-in 指的是候选人的准备，后面的 run in 是指 Home Secretary 被拘留

① [run sth in, run in sth] British Motor Vehicles 磨合 ‹car, engine› ▸ ‘running in — please pass’ “磨合驾驶──请先行” ② [run sb in] informal (arrest) «person, police» 拘留

这段对话使 Arnold 和 Humphrey 想到了 Hacker，于是他们两人发出了一阵爆笑，也是本集的一个亮点。

So we need a compromise candidate. Hmm. Malleable. Flexible. Likeable. No firm opinions. No bright ideas. Not intellectually committed. No strength of purpose to change anything. Someone who can be manipulated, professionally guided. Leave the business of government in the hands of the experts.

Doesn't the futility of it all depress you?

Not really. I’m a civil servant.

But non of them made any categorical promises to me.

此处是夹带私货了，以前见到 categorical 偷懒没有查字典，把它当成 category 的形容词了，然而 category 的形容词是 categorial

categorical 绝对的‹assurance›;明确的‹denial,statement›

To be a success in politics, you have to be in the limelight. You have a very high political profile as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Chancellor is Mr Killjoy. Raising taxes on beer and cigarettescutting down on public expenditure goes awfully badly with the electorates.

Killjoy 令人扫兴的人

We’ve no real power. We’re just an American missile base, that’s all.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea.

非常常用、实用的一句话。

Humphrey 对 Duncan 私生活的评价，很辛辣了：

I've found that people who are highly active in one area, tend to be equally active in all the others.

We don’t want to be caught with our trousers down.

▸to wear the trousers (in the house or family) figurative informal（在家里）说了算 ▸to catch sb with their trousers down figurative informal把某人逮个正着

There's only one fly in the ointment. You're a bit of an outsider.

fly in the ointment a single thing or person that is spoiling a situation that could have been very positive or enjoyable: I’m looking forward to Sunday, the only fly in the ointment being the fact that I’ll have to sit next to my mother-in-law.

例句来自 Cambridge Dictionary，婆媳不和真是个世界性问题。

A tall order. I'm up to my neck in the Euro sausage!

如果大家根据这句话想象一下那个画面哈哈哈哈哈哈

▸ a tall order figurative 离谱的要求 ▸to be up to one’s neck in sth(be overwhelmed by sth)埋头于某事 (be deeply involved in sth)深陷于某事

While one does not seek the office one has pledged oneself to the service of one's country,

and if friends were to persuade one that was the best way to serve

one might reluctantly have to accept the responsibility

whatever one’s own private wishes might be.

又是一句很妙的台词，简直是 hypocrisy at its finest.

我发现这集加长版没有稀释掉原本的幽默程度反而是更浓缩了，只能用妙语连珠来形容。

面对Humphrey 和另一位 civil servant (对不住了忘了名字 hhh） 逼自己向 Duncan & Eric逼宫，Hacker 的回应：

I don’t think I’ve got the stomach for the task.

stomach的各种用法

▸he had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach 他内心深处突然涌起一阵不祥之感 ▸to have a strong stomach (have good digestion)胃口好 (not be squeamish)能忍受恶心事物 ▸to turn sb’s stomach 使某人恶心 ▸an army marches on its stomach proverb 兵马未动，粮草先行 ▸I can’t stomach violent films 我不喜欢暴力影片 ▸I find him very hard to stomach 我发现很难和他相处

Humphrey 再次出击：

Greater love hath no man than he should lay down his career.

原版 John 15:13 King James Version (KJV)

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

在英剧里，他们的 common market friends 永远被黑：

But that would be intolerable! Even the Italians wouldn't stoop that low!

▸to stoop to do sth; 降低身份做某事 ▸to stoop so low as to do sth 卑鄙到做某事的程度

这句话是 Hacker 和 Bernard 在车上听广播听到的，其实个人觉得这句话的实际意义没啥好笑的，反而是字面意思比较搞笑。

Westminster say the sausage could be another banana skin.

banana skin a sudden unexpected situation that makes a person appear silly or causes them difficulty: The new tax has proved to be a banana skin for the government.

很巧的是 Cambridge Dictionary 上的例句也是和 politics 有关的，或许这就是 banana skin 常用的地方？

来自 Hacker 关于 emulsified high fat offal tube 的演讲：

Europe is here to stay. But this does not mean we have tobow the knee to every directive from every little bureaucratic Bonaparte in Brussels.

bend(or bow) the(or one's)knee submit: a country no longer willing to bend its knee to foreign powers.

这集就这么多啦，欢迎大家补充~