英文笑话：Settle Down and Settle Up 一字之差

When my brother, a notorious¹ spender, came home for a visit, he told my father he was going to get married and settle down. Dad said, "Why don't you stay single and settle up."

我的哥哥是个有名的挥霍者。他回家来时，告诉父亲说他要结婚了，要安定下来。父亲说：“你为什么不实行独身主义，先把欠债还清呢？” 注：settle down是“安定下来”，而settle up 是“还清欠债”意思，二者虽只是up与 down不同，但意思却完全不同。

1 notorious   

adj.臭名昭著的，声名狼藉的

参考例句：

• He was notorious as a gambler.他是臭名昭著的赌徒。
• His short temper had become notorious.他的臭脾气是出了名的。