The english we speak(BBC教學)第77期:By the skin of your teeth勉強做成某事
Li: Hi, I'm Li, and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm here today with Jen.
李:大家好,我是李,歡迎來到我們說的英語節目。今天我們請到了珍。Jennifer: Hi!
珍妮弗:大家好!Li: You look a little… flustered? Are you ok?
李:你看上去有點兒……慌亂,你還好吧?
Jennifer: I woke up late and had to run to the train station. There's only one train an hour. I ran all the way there and made it by the skin of my teeth, just as the doors were closing. Phew! Is there any coffee…?
珍妮弗:我起晚了,只能趕緊跑去火車站。因爲火車一小時只有一趟。我一路跑去火車站,勉強趕上了火車,火車門馬上就要關了。呼!有沒有咖啡……?Li: Hang on… how did your teeth help you to run for the train?
李:稍等……你牙齒上的皮膚是怎麼幫你趕上火車的?Jennifer: Sorry?
珍妮弗:你說什麼?Li: You said "I made it by the skin of my teeth." I've got to see this! Show me your teeth! When did they grow skin?
李:你剛剛說“我用我牙齒上的皮膚趕上了火車。”我一定要看看這個!讓我看看你的牙!它們是怎麼長出皮膚的?Jennifer: There's no skin on my teeth. That would be disgusting. Yuck.
珍妮弗:我牙齒上沒有皮膚。那樣會很噁心的。呸。Li: So what did you mean?
李:那你是什麼意思?Jennifer: If you do something 'by the skin of your teeth' it means that you did it by a narrow margin – so you just managed to do it, or almost failed.
珍妮弗:如果你“用你牙齒上的皮膚”做某事,意思是你以微弱的優勢做成了某事——你勉強完成了這件事,差點就要失敗了。Li: So, if you got to the train by the skin of your teeth, it means that you nearly missed it?
李:你說你勉強趕上了火車,意思是你差點就要錯過火車了?Jennifer: That's exactly right. Let's hear some more examples of the phrase in action:
珍妮弗:完全正確。下面我們再來看一些這個短語的例句:My brother's so lucky – he never does any revision for exams but always manages to pass by the skin of his teeth!
我哥哥非常幸運——他考試從來沒複習過,而每次考試都能將將及格!Hi, I'm stuck in a traffic jam – I might still make it to the presentation, but it'll be by the skin of my teeth.
你好,我堵在路上了——我可能會趕上展示會,但也就勉強能趕上。Li: So when you just manage to do something, you can say you did it by the skin of your teeth?
李:那當你說勉強做成某事的時候,就可以用這個短語了?Jennifer: That's it.
珍妮弗:沒錯。Li: That's a really funny phrase. I like it.
李:這真是個有趣的短語。我喜歡。Jennifer: It's good to be able to get your teeth into English phrases like this.
珍妮弗:你能像這樣專注於英語短語真好。Li: My teeth? What about my teeth?
李:我的牙?我的牙怎麼了?Jennifer: It's just another phrase, silly. If you get your teeth into something, it means that you become really involved in it.
珍妮弗:笨蛋,這是另一個短語。把你的牙齒放進某件事中,意思是你真正投入到一件事中。Li: Well in that case, I do love getting my teeth into a new phrase… Teeth… hang on… Oh no! I've just remembered, I have a dentist's appointment at twelve o'clock – it's ten to twelve now, I'll never make it!
李:那這樣的話,我真的很熱衷於學習新短語……牙齒……稍等……哦,不!我剛剛想起來,我12點約了牙醫——現在已經11點50了,我肯定趕不及了!Jennifer: You go, I'll finish the programme – if you run you might make it, but by the skin of your teeth!
珍妮弗:你去吧,我來結束今天的節目——如果你跑着去的話可能會趕上,不過肯定是勉強趕上!Li: Thanks Jen – bye…
李:謝謝你,珍,再見……Jennifer: Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak and visit our website, . Bye!
珍妮弗:這裏是我們所說的英語節目,我們下期見,歡迎大家訪問我們的網站。再見!重點講解:
1. by the skin of one's teeth
僥倖;好不容易纔;險些兒沒有;
eg. He won, but only by the skin of his teeth.
他贏了,但是贏得十分勉強。
eg. He escaped by the skin of his teeth.
他險些沒逃掉。
2. make it
成功;
eg. He poured in every ounce of power but couldn't make it.
他竭盡了全力卻無濟於事。
eg. I believe I have the talent to make it.
我相信自己有成功的天分。
3. manage to do sth.
設法做到;成功完成某事;
eg. I'll manage to reach some sort of arrangement with him.
我要設法與他達成某種協議。
eg. I wonder how he could manage to possess himself of that secret.
真不知道他是怎樣把那個祕密弄到手的。
4. be involved in
專心於…的;忙於…的;
eg. The family were deeply involved in Jewish culture.
這家人非常注重學習猶太文化。
eg. They have long been involved in a crusade for racial equality.
長期以來他們一直致力於爭取種族平等的運動。
5. get one's teeth into
潛心專注於;全力投入;
eg. This role gave her something to get her teeth into...
這一角色讓她全情投入其中。
eg. They have to get involved and get their teeth into some police work.
他們必須參與進來,全力投入到一些警務工作中。