The english we speak(BBC教學)第191期:Butter up 阿諛奉承
(Feifei and Finn bump into each other at the supermarket)
（菲菲和芬恩在超市偶遇）Finn: Hello Feifei. I didn't know you shopped at this supermarket too.
芬恩：你好，菲菲。我不知道你也在這家超市購物。Feifei: Hi Finn. Usually I don't. But it's close to the office and I have to rush home to welcome an important guest.
菲菲：你好，芬恩。一般我不在這裏買東西。但是這裏離辦公室很近，我要馬上回家去接待一位重要的客人。
Finn: Who is it? Someone I know?
芬恩：客人是誰？我認識的人嗎？Feifei: No, it's my landlady. She's coming to collect some of her post and... well, I want to make her like me because next month, the contract on my flat is due to be renewed and she might want to increase the rent.
菲菲：你不認識，客人是我的房東。她要過來取郵件……嗯，我想給她留個好印象，因爲我下個月要續簽公寓的合同，她想漲租金。Finn: Yeah, I see what you mean. So you'd better butter her up then!
芬恩：我明白你的意思了。所以你最好去奉承一下她！Feifei: Butter? Oh, yes. But I'm a pretty bad cook. If I baked a cake it would probably be horrible!
菲菲：黃油？哦，對。不過我廚藝不好。如果我烤蛋糕可能會很可怕！Finn: No. I don't mean butter for a cake. In English, when you say you'll 'butter someone up', you mean you'll be especially nice to them in the hope they'll do something good for you in return.
芬恩：不是。我不是說蛋糕裏的黃油。在英語中，butter someone up的意思是你要對某人特別好，希望他們做好事來回報你。Feifei: Oh, I see. So I'll be nice to her and pay her compliments so that she likes me and keeps the rent low. I'll 'butter her up'! But isn't it a bit insincere?
菲菲：哦，我明白了。所以我要對她好，稱讚她，這樣她就會喜歡我，然後她就會繼續給我低房租。我要去討好她！但是這樣會不會有點虛僞？Finn: Well, it can have a negative connotation, yes. Let's hear some examples of how to use 'to butter someone up' or 'to butter up someone', which is today's expression in The English We Speak.
芬恩：嗯，這個短語可能會有負面含義。to butter someone up或是to butter up someone就是今天地道英語節目要學的表達方式，我們來聽些例句，看看這個短語如何應用。Johnny: I was very impressed with your presentation, Mrs Beany. You are really intelligent and perceptive and...
約翰尼：我對你的展示會印象深刻，比尼太太。你真是既聰明又思維敏捷……Mrs Beany: Don't waste your time buttering me up, Johnny. I'm not raising your salary anytime soon.
比尼太太：不要浪費時間來巴結我。我近期內是不會給你漲工資的。The director was always ready to butter up Angelina Jolie. He knew she was looking for her next role and he wanted her in his movie.
這名導演總是樂於去討好安吉麗娜·朱莉。他知道她正在物色下一個角色，而導演想讓她出演他的電影。Feifei: Oh, look. It's 6pm already. I'm very late. I might not be on time to meet my landlady and she'll be angry with me. She's a very busy woman.
菲菲：哦，看啊。現在已經下午六點了。我真的太遲了。我可能不能準時回家去見房東了，她會生我氣的。她是個非常忙的女性。Finn: Yeah, well, then you are in a jam!
芬恩：那你有麻煩了！Feifei: Jam?!
菲菲：果醬？Finn: In English, when you say someone 'is in a jam', you mean they are in a difficult situation — but that's a different kind of jam!
芬恩：在英語中，我們說某人in a jam的意思是他們遇到了困境，又是種不同的果醬！Feifei: All these expressions about food!
菲菲：這些表達方式都是和食物有關的！Finn: I know. We have a huge appetite for food expressions. But let's leave some for another day. Bye!
芬恩：我知道。我們對與有食物有關的表達方式很感興趣。不過我們把其他的表達方式留在以後講吧。再見！Feifei: Bye!
菲菲：再見！
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重點講解：
into
偶然遇見；意外碰到；
eg. Just last night I ran into two friends, Ken and Barbara, at a restaurant.
就在昨晚，我在餐廳裏巧遇兩位朋友阿肯和芭芭拉。
eg. You have to be sensible especially when you bump into difficulties.
你必須理智點，尤其是當你遇到麻煩的時候。
2. butter up
奉承；巴結；討好；
eg. The bank has to butter up investors because it is in a fiercely competitive market.
由於市場競爭激烈，銀行不得不去討好投資者。
eg. I tried buttering her up. 'I've always admired people with these sorts of talents.'
我拼命奉承她：“我一直欽佩有如此才能的人。”
3. in the hope
懷着（…發生的）希望；
eg. We will be analysing all the things she has told us in the hope that we can locate the person responsible.
我們將分析她告訴我們的所有事情，希望能找出罪魁禍首。
eg. I went there in the hope that I might see her.
我抱着或許可以看到她的希望而到那裏。
4. in return
作爲回報；作爲交換；
eg. He was always ready to help others, in return, he was liked by everyone.
他總是樂於助人，作爲回報，大家都喜歡他。
eg. These are gestures of genuine friendship with no favours expected in return.
這是友誼的真正表現，不期待任何回報。
5. be impressed with
留下深刻印象；印象不錯；
eg. We were deeply impressed with this sight.
這風景給我們留下了深刻的印象。
eg. I was impressed with his deep sincerity.
他的無比真誠讓我印象深刻。
6. in a jam
陷入困境；
eg. They were in a real jam, Bob thought glumly.
他們確實遇上麻煩了，鮑勃悶悶不樂地想。
eg. Because I lost my money I was in a jam.
我因爲丟了錢而陷入困境。
