Gender of Inanimate Objects
非生命物体的性别
跟中文一样,英语里也有许多的双关语或本意别用,当词汇被借来描述不相关的事情时, 很能显出语言的巧妙。当然这种情况下语言的文化背景很重要。就象下面中文翻译,许多不仅失去了隐喻而且一点都不可笑了。
You may not know that many non-living things have a gender.
你大概没想到许多东西是有性别的吧。
For example:
- Ziploc bags – They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
封口塑料袋 – 是男性,因为什么都装的进,可你什么都能一样看得透
注:封口的塑料袋的确有这个特质。 Can you see right through( 一眼看透 ) men? 好像中国男人挺深沉的。
- Copiers – They are female, because once turned off, it takes a while to warm them up again. It’s an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can wreak havoc if the wrong buttons are pushed.
复印机-女人, 因为如果被关掉了,要预热好一阵子才能在热起来。它是个有效的再生产机器,如果按对按钮的话。 如果按错了按钮,那就大难临头了。
注 : turn off- 用在机器上是关掉。用在人身上,是说让人感情上对人或事不感兴趣了,或者感官上没有性趣了(这个非常常用)。
Push-button: 用在机器上意思是明摆的,机器多是按钮操作的。用在人身上是一个意思,按一个人的敏感点。
- Tires – Male, because it goes bald and it’s often over-inflated.
轮胎-男人,因为轮胎会变秃,而且经常是过分膨胀。
注: inflate :充气。人这样时是指自大。
- Hot air Balloon – Male, because, to get it to go anywhere, you have to tight a fire under it and, of course, there’s the hot air component.
热气球-男人,因为,不论你要他去哪儿,你总得在底下加上一把火。 而且,当然,热气总是在那儿。
注: hot air -热气。 也可是说人的情绪或者是这人的情绪给周围带来的一种气氛。这总让我想起有些男的干活时的情景。骂骂咧咧的
- Sponges – Female, because they’re soft, squeezable and retain water.
海绵-女人,因为软和,适揉捏,且充水。
注: retain water -保留水份。笑话是说比如一个女的开始有小肚子了,她会说,哦,那只是蓄了些水。
- Web page – female, because it’s always getting hitting on.
网页-女人,因为总被点击
注: hitting on -当 hitting on 一个人时,那是向人示好,多跟性吸引有关
- Subway – Male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.
地铁-男人,因为它总是用同样的路线接乘客。
注: same old lines -也可以是老调重弹,总用同样的句子
pick up -用在人身上时,是说男的在社交场合能吸引上个女的。当然反之亦然。
- Hourglass – Female, because over time, the weight can shift to the bottom.
滴漏-女人,因为随着时间推移,它的重量向底部转移。
注: bottom - also rear end, also ass. 臀部
- Hammer – Male, because it hasn’t changed much over the last 5000 years, but it’s handy to have around.
榔头-男人,因为它在过去5000年里没改变多少,不过身边有一个时很方便。
10. Remote Control – Female. Ha! You thought it’d be Male. But consider this – it gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying.
遥控器-女人。哈, 那大概想着是男人吧。可是这么想想-它给男人愉悦,若没有它男人会失落,而且尽管他不是总知道该按哪个按钮,可他总是在不停的按!
注:跟前面的一样, 这里的关键词是 the right buttons to push
:)) :)) :))