LL: I know it’s your first time bowling, and if you just "put your best foot forward" you’ll be a great bowler.
LH: 我一直不明白，怎么才能把保龄球直直地扔出去，不让它掉进球沟里去呢！还有，你让我put my best foot forward, 哪只脚是best foot? 左脚还是右脚？
LL: When you’re told to "put your best foot forward," someone is giving you support to step up to the task and do your very best. Now, here is an 8-pound bowling ball, you should be able to do well with this.
LH: 哦，你是在鼓励我加油。好，把球给我！我先试试左脚。
(LH takes ball from LL and drops it on her foot)
LH: Ouch! 疼死我了。真倒霉，还没开始打，脚却先被球砸了。How can I "put my best foot forward" now? 看起来，左脚肯定不是我的“best foot.”
LL: Let me help you, Lihua. Take a seat right here and rest a while. You know, "put your best foot forward" is confusing to some people because one would think that "put your best foot forward" means to choose one foot and declare it the stronger one of the two. But that’s not true.
LH: 我好象有点明白了。你鼓励我"put my best foot forward"其实不是真让我选择左脚还是右脚。
LL: No, to "put your best foot forward" while you’re bowling, or in any other situation, is a way of encouraging someone to try hard and do a good job.
LH: 不管怎么说，现在脚疼得站不起来，看来今天我是打不了了。
LL: No problem. Just rest here for a while. Our pizza and beer should be here soon. Once we’ve eaten a little pizza and had a few beers, you’ll be ready to "put your best foot forward" and bowl your first game.
LH: 好，我就听你的。
******
LL: Lihua, I can’t believe we ate so much pizza, and the beer is almost gone. Are you ready to bowl your first game?
LH: 我的脚感觉好多了。酒足饭饱，我们开始吧！
LL: We’ve had a nice rest and a delicious meal. Go ahead and throw your first bowling ball down the alley! Break a leg!
LH: Break a leg? 你怎么能说出这种无情无义的话来？我砸了脚还不够，你还咒我摔断腿？没想到，打保龄原来这么危险！
LL: No, Lihua, I didn’t mean that you should literally break your leg. This is just a slang term that is used to encourage someone.
LH: Break a leg, 摔断腿怎么会是好运气呢？你应该祝别人“别摔断腿”才对啊！
LL: It is a very popular phrase that entertainers like to use. Although "break a leg" is typically used to support actors or singers before they perform on stage, "break a leg!" can also be used generally when wishing someone good luck.
LH: 我还是想不通。我朋友登台表演之前，我居然要说"break a leg"？这种说法是怎么来的呢？
LL: The term "break a leg" is an expression created by a superstition that all kinds of performers have. They believe that it is actually bad luck to wish someone good luck. If you tell someone to "break a leg," wishing them bad luck, this should actually create good luck for the performer on stage.
LH: 所以说，祝别人好运气会带来坏运气，坏运气反而会带来好运气。看来，语言这东西有时候还真不能深究。OK, I am ready. wish me luck!
LL: Break a leg!
LH: (Throws the ball down the alley, and knocks down all of the pins) Wow I got a strike! 全中。
LL: Congratulations, Lihua! You see? The phrase "break a leg" really gave you good luck!
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是put your best foot forward, 意思是尽最大努力。另一个是break a leg，意思是祝你好运。
美国习惯用语第441讲
上次我们学了几个由hair发展而来的习惯用语： win by a hair, lose by a hair, hair-raising。今天我们再要讲两个。第一个是：split hairs。 Slit意思是剖分。头发原本就相当纤细，再去剖分，那就不知有多繁琐了。
Split hairs作为习惯用语当然有它的比喻意义。我们听个例子来体会它的含义。这是个不耐烦的企业主管在开导正跟他谈一笔百万元大生意的另一方，劝他别再为细枝末节问题纠缠争辩，赶快在双方律师争论个没完的合同上签字吧。我们听听他是怎么说的：
例句-1：Look, let’s tell our lawyers to stop splitting hairs on things like whose name comes first in our ads. I don’t care! I’m ready to sign the contract right now if you feel the same.
他说: 哎！我们去跟各自的律师说说吧，别再纠缠广告上把谁的名字排第一之类的细枝末节的问题了。我才不在乎呢！要是你同意我的看法的话，我现在就准备在合同上签字了。
广告上名字排前排后跟这笔百万元的交易相比只是枝节问题，而双方的律师却在诸如此类的问题上争论不休，所以这里的splitting hairs含义就是缠住细枝末节问题不放。
******
我们再听个例子。这段话说的是全家人在老奶奶去世后聚在一起商量不再保留奶奶的住房；大家公分她屋子里的遗物。某些家庭成员开始为自己喜欢什么，想得到奶奶的哪些纪念品而争论起来了，于是一个家庭成员为了避免争吵提出一条合情合理的建议。我们听听他觉得怎么做才公平。
例句-2：Look, Granny would be upset to hear you arguing like this. Let’s not split hairs. We’ll take turns putting our names on plates, books, pictures. That’s the fair way.
他说：诸位！奶奶要能听到你们这样争吵也会生气的。我们别为这些小事争来争去纠缠不休了。还是大家轮流把自己的名字贴到自己想要的盘子，书和照片上吧。这样分才公平。
奶奶留下的是盘子之类的日用杂品或者书本照片等东西，听来并非贵重物件，而那些亲戚为了分这些东西而争吵，这近乎split hairs。所以这里的split hairs意思也是为区区小事斤斤计较。
******
我们再学个由hair这个词发展而来的习惯用语: bad hair day。 Bad hair day从字面解释是发型糟糕的一天。我们知道特别潮湿，或者刮大风又非常干燥的气候会破坏女士们的发型美观，于是人们就把这样的日子称为bad hair day。这就是这个习惯用语的出典。
Bad hair day近年来流传应用到和发型毫无关系的其它场合，并且也不限于说女性，也能说男性。我们要听的例子就是关于一位男士的。我们通过这个例子来体会bad hair day是什么意思吧。说话的人在一家企业工作。我们听他说说自己一个典型的bad hair day。
例句-3：Did I have a bad hair day! First, my car wouldn’t start so I was late for work. Next my computer crashed. Then I forgot a lunch date with an important client. So I went home with a terrible headache.
他那天真是处处碰壁。第一件倒霉事是车子发动不了，于是上班迟到了。接着他的电脑出了故障。随后他又忘了跟一位重要顾客有午餐约会，所以回家时他头疼得要命。
听到他一天的倒霉事儿接二连三，你一定明白bad hair day是什么意思了，就是事事不顺遂的一天。
******
Bad hair day可以说各种年龄身份的人，也包括年轻的学生。这就是接下来要听的例子。
例句-4：I knew it would be a bad hair day when I learned I’d failed my English exam. In history class I found I’d left the paper at home that was due today. At lunch I spilled a cup of coffee all over myself with no time to go back and change.
他说：当我听说自己英文考试不及格的时候，就知道今天是个倒霉的日子。在历史课上我发现把今天得交的作业拉在家里了。吃午饭的时候我又打翻了一杯咖啡，溅得满身都是却没时间回家去换衣服。
这段话里的bad hair day意思还是不顺利的倒霉日子。
礼节美语050讲
陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作，他跟美国同事Amy约好一起吃午饭。
(Office ambience)
C：对不起Amy，让你久等了，办公室有点事。
A：Nothing big, I hope.
C：一个客户在电话里给我留言，但她说得太快了，我反复听了五遍，才把她的电话号码记下来。
A：Many people don’t realize that they need to slow down when they are leaving their phone number on voice mail.
C：就是， 而且往往越是到最后讲电话号码的时候，有些人讲话的速度越快，真不知道他们是怎么想的。
A：Neither do I, but it is all too common. There is a simple solution which shows courtesy on your part.
C：What’s that?
A：You should give your name and phone number at the beginning of the message and repeat your number at the end.
C：你是说上来先说一遍电话号码，到留言结束前再重复一遍？这样做有什么好处呢？