流行美语 第132课 - to tie the knot / drop-dead gorgeous

Larry和李华今天去给他们的朋友Jim买结婚礼物。Jim下个周末就要结婚。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to tie the knot¹和drop-dead gorgeous².

LL: I can't believe Jim is going to tie the knot! He seems too young to get married.

LH: Jim已经25岁啦。25岁结婚还算早啊！你说Jim要tie the knot. Tie是绑的意思，knot是结，“打个结”和结婚有什么关系？

LL: "To tie the knot" is slang³ for "to get married."

LH: 噢！to tie the knot就是结婚的意思啊！好奇怪噢！为什么要用打结来形容结婚呢？

LL: As far as I know, a very old type of wedding ceremony involved tying a knot to symbolize⁴ the joining of the couple's lives and now "tying the knot" has become a synonym⁵ for marriage.

LH: 噢，以前的结婚典礼上要打结，表示新郎新娘的生活从此结合在一起。所以才会用tie the knot 来表示结婚。这真有意思。对了，Larry, 你想你大概什么时候会结婚哪？

LL: Whoa, slow down. I need to find a girlfriend first. At this point, I honestly have no idea when I'll get married. What about you?

LH: 我和你也差不多啦！你得找个女朋友，我呢，得先找到一个男朋友哪！

LL: Well, hopefully, someday we'll both find someone really nice to tie the knot with.

LH: 嗯！我也希望我们两个都能找到满意的对象！对了！ Larry，你认识Jim的未婚妻吗？

LL: No, I've actually never met her. I'm really curious to see what she's like. According to Jim, she's the most beautiful woman in the world.

LH: 嗯，我明白Jim为什么这样说，每个人都认为自己的另一半是世界上最美最帅的人！

LL: Love does have that effect on people. I certainly hope I tie the knot with someone beautiful.

LH: 其实，只要你是真心爱她，你就会认为她是世界上绝无仅有的大美人！

******

LL: Li Hua, Jim just showed me a picture of his fianc业. She's drop-dead gorgeous!

LH: 你看到Jim未婚妻的照片啦？你说她drop-dead gorgeous? 那是什么意思？是不是说她很丑？

LL: No, she's beautiful. "Drop-dead gorgeous" is a way to describe someone who is incredibly attractive.

LH: 原来drop-dead gorgeous的意思是非常漂亮，美极了。所以你认为Jim的未婚妻是个超级大美女喽？那她到底长什么样？

LL: She looks like a super model.

LH: 哇！像个超级模特啊！那真是美得不得了了！Larry, 我有个问题。我能不能用drop-dead gorgeous来形容很帅的男人呢？

LL: Well, I probably wouldn't call another man drop-dead gorgeous, but you can. Why? Who do you think is drop-dead gorgeous?

LH: 嗯，我也不知道谁可以称得上是drop-dead gorgeous的大帅哥。哎，不过经过你这一问，我想电影明星Brad Pitt应该可以算是drop-dead gorgeous的帅哥吧！

LL: Yeah, I'm sure there are a million other women who agree with you.

LH: 好啦！现在该你了！你觉得谁算得上是drop-dead gorgeous的大美人啊？

LL: Besides Jim's fianc业? I think that Lisa from our history class is pretty close to being drop-dead gorgeous.

LH: 你是说历史课的那个Lisa？我从来没注意过。哎！既然你觉得她很漂亮，为什么不约她出去呢？

LL: She has a boyfriend. Unfortunately, most drop-dead gorgeous girls I meet already have a boyfriend.

LH：她已经有男朋友了！Larry，你动作太慢了！

今天李华学到两个常用语是to tie the knot。就是指结婚。另一个常用语是drop-dead gorgeous，是形容一个人非常美丽，非常好看的意思。

1 knot   

n.结，难题，一小群；vi.打结；vt. 把...打成结，系牢，捆扎

参考例句：

• He made a knot in the rope.他在绳子上打了个结。
• The knot has come untied.扣儿开了。

2 gorgeous   

adj.华丽的，灿烂的，美丽的，宜人的，棒的

参考例句：

• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。
• What a gorgeous day it is today!今天天气多好啊！

3 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。

4 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

5 synonym   

n.同义词，换喻词

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• The term 'industrial democracy' is often used as a synonym for worker participation. “工业民主”这个词常被用作“工人参与”的同义词。