VOA慢速英语2013 这个想法“不行”，我们再“认真谈谈”吧

 

Your Idea Will Not Wash. And, Let's Talk Turkey! 这个想法“不行”，我们再“认真谈谈”吧

I’m Susan Clark with the Special English program Words and Their Stories.

现在是慢速英语《词语掌故》节目，我是苏珊·克拉克。

Young Mr. Smith had an idea for his employer¹. It was an idea for saving² money for the company by increasing prices. At the same time, Smith suggested that the company  sell goods of less value.

年轻的史密斯想出了个点子讨好老板。就是通过提高价格帮助公司赚钱。同时，他建议销售一些低价值的产品。

If his employer liked the idea, Smith might be given more pay. Perhaps he might even get a better job with the company.

要是老板喜欢这个主意，史密斯就会得到更多的报酬。很有可能他会得到个更好的工作。

Business had been very slow, so Mr. Smith’s employer thought a few minutes about the idea. But then she shook her head. “I am sorry, Smith,” his employer said. “It  just will not wash.”

公司生意一直都不景气，史密斯的老板考虑了几分钟。然后她摇了摇头，“抱歉，史密斯”她说。“It just will not wash.”

Now, the meaning of these English words should be “it will not get clean.” Yet Smith’s idea did not have anything to do with making something clean. So why did his  employer say “It will not wash?”

现在，这个短语的意思是“这个弄不干净”。但是史密斯的主意和干不干净没什么关系。那么为什么老板要说“It just will not wash.”？

Most word experts agree that “it will not wash” means³ "it will not work." Eric Partridge wrote that the saying probably developed in Britain in the 1800s. Charlotte  Bronte used it in a story published in 1849. She wrote, “That wiln’t wash, Miss.” Ms. Bronte seems to have meant that the dyes⁴ used to color a piece of clothing  were not good. The colors could not be depended on to stay in the material.

大多数词汇专家认为“it will not wash”意思是“这个行不通”。艾瑞克·帕特里奇写到这个说法很可能在19世纪的英国发展来的。夏洛特·勃朗特1849年出版的一个故事里用过这种表达 。她写道“That wiln’t wash, Miss.”勃朗特似乎是说染料不大好用，布料无法上色。

In 19th century England, the expression came to mean an undependable statement⁵. It was used mainly to describe an idea. But sometimes it was used about a person.

在19世纪的英国，这是对不靠谱状态的表达。这个短语主要用于形容一种想法，但是有时可用来指人。

A critic⁶ once said of the poet Robert Browning: “He won’t wash.” The critic did not mean that the poet was not a clean person -- he meant that Browning’s poems  could not be depended on to last.

一位评论家评论诗人罗伯特·布朗宁“He won’t wash.”，不是指他不爱干净，而是说布朗宁的作品不会流传很久。

Today, we know that judgment⁷ was wrong. Robert Browning still is considered a major poet. But very few people remember the man who said Browning would not wash.

现在我们知道了这个评价不正确。罗伯特·布朗宁依然被认为是一个伟大的诗人。但是几乎没有人记得那个说布朗宁不行的评论家。

Happily for the young employee⁸ Smith, his employer wanted him to do well in the company. So the employer “talked turkey” to him. She said: “Your idea would be  unfair to our buyers. Think of another way to save money.”

让年轻的雇员史密斯庆幸的是，老板希望他在公司出色表现。所以老板认认真真地对他说，“这个主意对顾客不公平。试试另一种赚钱的方法。”

A century ago, to “talk turkey” meant to talk pleasantly. Turkeys in the barnyard were thought to be speaking pleasantly to one another. In recent years, the saying  has come to mean “an attempt to teach something important.”

一个世纪前，“talk turkey”意思是开心得交谈。谷仓院子里的火鸡被认为是相互谈论得很愉快。最近几年，这种说法变成“认真地说些重要的事”。

Word expert Charles Funk tells how he believes this change took place.

语言学家查尔斯·冯科讲诉了语意变化的过程。

He says two men were shooting⁹ turkeys together. One of them was a white man. The other was an American Indian. The white man began stating reasons why he should get  all the turkeys for himself. But the American Indian stopped him. He told the white man “Now, I talk turkey to you.”

两个人正在一起狩猎火鸡。一个白人，一个印第安人。白人开始讲述一些他该拿走全部火鸡的原因。印第安人打断了他说，“现在我们说说火鸡”。

Mr. Smith thought of a better idea after his employer “talked turkey” to him -- he was given an increase in pay.

在老板认真地和他谈话之后，史密斯想到了个更好的点子，结果他涨了工资。

So if your idea “will not wash,” try “talking turkey” to yourself and come up with a better idea.

所以如果这个点子“行不通”，那就“认真地对自己说”，再想个更好的点子。

This Words and Their Stories program was written by Jeri Watson.

本集词语掌故由杰瑞·华森撰写。

I’m Susan Clark.

我是苏珊·克拉克。

1 employer   

n.雇用方，雇主

参考例句：

• My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
• His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。

2 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 dyes   

染料，染色( dye的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This cloth dyes easily [quickly; readily]. 这种布好染。
• This material dyes easily. 这种材料容易上色。

5 statement   

n.陈述；声明；综述

参考例句：

• The government will put out a new statement tomorrow.政府将于明天发布一项新声明。
• Put down your statement in black and white.把你的话用白纸黑字写下来。

6 critic   

n.批评家，评论家；爱挑剔的人

参考例句：

• The critic classed him with the best writers of the age.评论家把他列入当代第一流的作家的行列之中。
• He became a fierce critic of the tobacco industry.他成了烟草业的强烈反对者。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

8 employee   

n.职员，员工，受雇人员

参考例句：

• Each employee received a like bonus.每个雇员都得到了相同数目的奖金。
• They brought around a new employee this morning.他们今天早晨请来了一位新雇员。

9 shooting   

n.射击，发射；猎场，狩猎场

参考例句：

• The soldiers began shooting away at the enemy positions.战士们开始朝敌人的阵地不断地射击。
• I was in the act of shooting him when I suddenly recognized him.我正要向他开枪时，突然认出了他。