Donny 在北京学汉语,他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教他。今天是吴琼要问的:毛骨悚然。
Donny: 吴琼,昨天的电影好不好看?
吴琼: 别提了,讲吸血鬼的,吓死我了。怎么说来着,I was scared to death!
Donny: I told you you would be scared to death and you didn’t believe me.
吴琼: 早知道听你的就对了。特别是女主角被变成吸血鬼那段,简直毛骨悚然,吓得我汗毛都立起来了! 对了,美语里有类似的说法吗?
Donny: Yeah. We say the scene made my hair stand on end.
吴琼: hair, 是毛发,stand on end 立起来。连在一起,to make one’s hair stand on end 吓得人毛发都立起来了。所以要说那一幕吓得我汗毛都立起来了,就可以讲 the scene made my hair stand on end.
Donny: Right. Speaking of blood-sucking vampires, there is another way of saying you are scared to death. You can say it made my blood run cold.
吴琼: blood 是血,cold 是寒冷。to make one’s blood run cold 让血都变冷了,也就是中文里说的吓得我浑身冰凉吧?
Donny: Exactly. I am taking my girlfriend Rachel to see the movie tonight.
吴琼: 什么?Rachel 不是特别胆小吗?The movie will make her hair stand on end.
Donny: I know…. When she is scared to death, I will be there to comfort her. She will think I am her knight in shining armor.
吴琼: 啊,你想让 Rachel 觉得你是 her knight in shining armor 身穿闪亮盔甲的骑士?保护她的英雄?我看你啊,八成是别有用心。
Donny: (haha) 言归正传,还是说说你今天都学了什么吧!
吴琼: 第一,吓死了是 scared to death;
第二,吓得毛发倒立是 to make one’s hair stand on end;
第三:吓得浑身冰凉是 to make one’s blood run cold.