迷你對話學地道口語第891期:放人一馬

A: I don’t like this girl. She is always toying with the idea of asking other people to cut her a break in everything.

我不喜歡這個姑娘，她總是盤算着讓別人事事照顧她。

B: She should have another thought. And she does not have the bargaining chips for asking for the odds.

她應該反思一下了，她沒有要求比人照顧她的資本。

A: Of course she doesn’t.

她當然沒有了。

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cut sb. a break

1. 解詞釋義

Cut sb. a break的定義是：to not judge someone as severely as you usually would because they are having problems at the present time。也就時說當某人表現不好或者犯錯的時候，如果情有可原，就可以cut him/her a break，類似中文裏的“放某人一馬”“饒了某人”。

2. 拓展範例

e.g. Tom is often late for work these days, but I’m sure boss will cut him a break. After all, his wife just died.

Tom最近老遲到，不過我相信頭兒一定不會追究。畢竟，他的妻子剛去世。

e.g. I know you’ve been through a lot, so I’m willing to cut you a break here. But, don’t you yell at me again, okay? Enough is enough.

我知道你最近不好受，所以我願意放你一馬。但是以後別再對着我大吼大叫了！適可而止，別太過分。

3. 同意短語：cut someone some slack

e.g. Cut me some slack and I’ll be sure to pay you all I owe in a Month.

放我一馬吧，我一定在一個月後把欠你的債務全無還完。

e.g. Come on! Cut me some slack! I won’t do it again!

好啦，饒了我吧，我下回不再做了。

1. toy with：隨便對待；不很認真地考慮

e.g. He toyed with the idea of going to China.

他動過去中國的念頭，但並沒當真。

e.g. For a time he had toyed with the notion of becoming a doctor.

有一段時間他還不大當真地有過做醫生的念頭。

e.g. Indeed, he began to toy with the idea of going for broke.

實際上他還開玩笑似地談到豁出去幹一場的念頭。

2. in everything：在每件事情上

e.g. He aims at perfection in everything he does.

他做任何事情都力求十全十美。

e.g. He is fond of having a hand in everything.

他什麼事都喜歡插上一手。

e.g. He crossed me in everything I wanted to do.

無論我做什麼他都從中作梗。

3. a bargaining chip：討價還價的籌碼，談判的籌碼

e.g. Rubio suggests that oil be used as a bargaining chip in any trade talks.

魯比奧建議把石油當作所有貿易談判的籌碼。

e.g. He reiterated his position that nuclear weapons could not be used as international bargaining chips.

他一再重申他的立場——認爲核子武器不可以用來當作國際談判的籌碼。

e.g. Beijing and Moscow are using their close ties as a bargaining chip vis-a-vis Washington.

北京與莫斯科正利用雙方緊密的聯繫作爲對華盛頓的談判籌碼。

4. of course：（尤用於同意或不贊同某人時強調自己的陳述）當然，自然

e.g. "I expect you're right." — "Of course I'm right."

——“我想你是對的。”——“我當然是對的。”

e.g. "You will strictly observe your diet: no wine or spirits, very little meat." — "Of course."

——“你要嚴格控制飲食：禁酒，少吃葷。”——“這個自然。”

1. She is always toying with the idea of asking other people to cut her a break in everything.

要點解析：句中的謂語是is always toying with the idea of……。這個結構是be + always + 現在分詞表示對某人經常的這種行爲一種厭惡，憎恨的情緒。

2. And she does not have the bargaining chips for asking for the odds.

要點解析：表示沒有做某事討價還價的籌碼或資歷，在have the bargaining chips的後面的介詞要用for。