流行美语第326课

Larry跟李华在星巴克咖啡馆见面。今天我们要学两个常用语：for the birds和way out in left field.

LL: Hey, Li Hua, it`s good to see you. It`s been awhile since we last talked. How are you doing?

LH: 还可以，不过这天气真让人受不了。都二月底了，还没完没了地下雪，今年冬天实在是太漫长了。

LL: Yeah, this winter has been crazy. I don`t think we`ve ever gotten so much snow. And the last three winters before this one were so mild. We hardly got any snow at all.

LH: 就是！我记得去年二月底有几天六十多度，咱俩穿着T恤衫在外面打网球。太爽了。我刚听天气预报说，又要下雪。

LL: Aigh...this weather`s really for the birds.

LH: The weather is for the birds? 这是什么意思啊？

LL: Oh, I just mean that it is undesirable..."for the birds" is an idiom we use to mean that something is undesirable, for the birds.

LH: 我还是不明白，为什么不喜欢的东西要说or the birds呢？

LL: Well, it comes from the fact that birds usually eat seeds, and seeds are considered worthless and undesirable.

LH: 所以，毫无价值的，不喜欢的东西就可以说是for the birds。那如果是我不喜欢的天气，我就可以说It`s for the birds.

LL: Exactly...but you could also say it for things other than the weather. For example, say I don`t like the chicken sandwich I made for lunch...I could say that the chicken sandwich is for the birds.

LH: 你看，外面的天阴冷阴冷的，I definitely think it`s for the birds.

LL: I hear you, Lihua. Hey, how about we go and grab some lunch?

LH: 好，我们去麦当劳。

LL: No, McDonalds is for the birds.

LH: 怎么可能！麦当劳的薯条是最好吃的。Burger King is for the birds!

******

Larry和李华在麦当劳吃东西。

LH: Larry, 你这两天怎么样？

LL: I`ve been good. Just trying to forget about what happened at work yesterday. It`s been really frustrating.

LH: 发生什么事情了吗？

LL: Well, it`s my boss. He keeps on giving me assignments and telling me to do things and then not giving me any time to complete the assignments. I`m getting so tired of it. I need a break. Maybe I`ll take tomorrow off.

LH: 一定是因为你太能干了。中文里说，能者多劳。正因为你效率高，做事让老板放心，所以他才愿意把工作交给你。如果你觉得压力太大的话，应该直接跟他讲。

LL: How would I do that, Lihua. He`s so busy. It`s like he never has time for me, and he`s always busy with other people.

LH: 那你不如跟他约个时间，好好坐下来谈，而且越快越好。

LL: I think you`re right, Li Hua. Thanks for your help. You give such good advice. Sometimes other people`s advice can be way out in left field.

LH: Way out in left field? 这是什么意思？

LL: Oh, "way out in left field" is an American idiom. It`s used to describe an idea that`s really strange or completely out of touch with reality. Like I could say your idea of taking showers seven times a day is "way out in left field."

LH: 哦，说一件事情way out in left field意思就是太不靠谱，不着边际。那这种说法，way out in left field可以用来形容人吗？

LL: Sure you can, Li Hua. The expression "way out in left field" isn`t only limited to describing ideas, you can also use it to describe people.

LH: 太有意思了。你能给我举个例子吗？

LL: Say, for example, a journalist is always coming up with crazy story ideas, You could just say that that journalist is way out in left field.

LH: 那你说Larry, 为什么要用way out in left field来形容一个人或一件事不靠谱呢？

LL: Well, "way out in left field" actually comes from baseball. In baseball, left field is away from the action, so that`s why it`s used to describe people, plans, or ideas that seem distant and strange or out of touch with reality.

LH: 那你下次再拉我去蹦极、跳伞、赛车什么的，我就告诉你，you are way out in left field.

天李华学了两个常用语。一个是for the birds, 意思是毫无价值的，没人喜欢的。另一个是way out in left field，意思是离谱的，不着边际的。