The english we speak(BBC教學)第52期: know your onions精通某事

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Li: Hello, I'm Li and welcome to The English We Speak, and today I'm here with Rob. Hi Rob.

李：大家好，我是李，歡迎來到我們所說的英語，今天和我一起的是羅伯。你好羅伯。

Rob: Hello Li. Now come on Li, concentrate, I need you to help me finish this quiz in the newspaper. If I get all the questions right, I might win a holiday.

羅伯：你好李。現在來李，集中注意，我需要你幫我完成這個報紙上的謎語。如果我答對了所有這些問題，我也許能贏得一個假期。

Li: Oh right. I love quizzes, especially if it means you can win a holiday! OK Rob, what's your next question?

李：哦好的。我喜歡謎語，特別是當它意味着你可以贏得一個假期！好的，羅伯，下個問題是什麼？

Rob: Right. It says here, what is the capital city of Chile?

羅伯：好的。這裏說，智利的首都是哪裏？

Li: Easy. Santiago.

李：簡單。聖地亞哥。

Rob: Good. Next, what is the name of the world's largest ocean?

羅伯：太棒了。下一個，世界上最大的海洋叫什麼？

Li: The Pacific – of course!

李：大西洋——毋庸置疑！

Rob: Wow – you're good Li. You really know your onions.

羅伯：哇——你很棒啊李。你的確精通這些啊。

Li: I know my onions? Err, was there a question about onions?!

李：我知道我的洋蔥？額，有關於洋蔥的問題嗎？

Rob: No Li!

羅伯：不是李！

Li: Good, because that is one thing I don't know anything about, onions – except that they make me cry.

李：很好，因爲這是個我一點都不懂的東西，洋蔥，我只知道它們會讓我流淚。

Rob: Don't cry Li. It's a compliment. If someone says you know your onions, it means you are experienced in something or you know a lot about a particular subject. So really, it means you're clever!

羅伯：不要哭李。這是一句恭維。如果有人說你知道你的洋蔥，意思是你精通某事或你在某一個話題上知道的很多。所以的確，這意味着你很聰明！

Li: Oh really?! But why 'onions'?

李：哦真的嗎？但是爲什麼是洋蔥？

Rob: It is a strange term and some people say it comes from a man called S.G. Onions who made fake coins to help teach children about money. If they learnt about money they would know their onions.

羅伯：這是個很奇怪的說法，有些人說這來自於一個名爲洋蔥的製作假幣來教授孩子關於金錢的知識的人。如果他們學會了金錢就知道了他們的洋蔥。

Li: I see. But I suppose now we just use it as a silly expression.

李：我懂了。但是我猜現在我們只是把它當做一個愚蠢的短語來用。

Rob: We do. Like this...

羅伯：是的。比如：

If you ever need someone to fix your computer, ask Bob, he really knows his onions!

如果你需要人來修你的電腦，問羅伯，他確實精通電腦。

Look, you got full marks in the maths test – you really do know your onions.

看啊，你在數學考試中拿了滿分——你的確精通數學啊。

That tour guide really knew her onions, didn't she?

那個導遊很精通啊，不是嗎？

Li: So knowing your onions means knowing a lot about something. Well that describes me very well then!

李：所以知道你的洋蔥意思是精通某件事。那麼這很好的形容了我！

Rob: Hmm. Now another way of saying it, is that you really know your stuff.

羅伯：嗯。現在另一種用法是，你確實對這個很在行。

Li: Stuff. You mean like this...

李：事物。你的意思是這個：

When it comes to making cakes, my mum really knows her stuff.

在做蛋糕方面，我的媽媽很在行。

Rob: Well, knowing your onions or knowing your stuff, is very useful when you're doing a quiz like this. So Li, here's another question Li. Complete the name of this flavour of crisp... 'cheese and something...?'

羅伯：那麼精通或很在行，在做像這種謎語的時候很有用。那麼李，這裏有另一個問題。補充這種口味的薯片名稱——“奶酪和什麼”？

Li: Oh, that's tricky... cheese and ham? Cheese and apple? I've got it! It's cheese and onion crisps!

李：哦，這題很狡猾。奶酪和火腿？奶酪和蘋果？我知道了！這是奶酪和洋蔥薯片！

Rob: Brilliant Li. You really do know your onions. And now I might win a holiday.

羅伯：太棒了李。你的確精通啊。現在我或許贏得了一個假期。

Li: That's great but who are you going to take with you?

李：這太棒了但是你打算帶上誰呢？

Rob: Probably my girlfriend.

羅伯：或許是我的女朋友。

Li: Oh right. I didn't want to go with you anyway – you have got onion breath!

李：哦對的。反正我也不想和你一起去——你有洋蔥味的口臭！

Rob: Oh dear. Join us again soon for another programme about everyday English sayings.