又中又英 | Out with the old, in with the new | 褚簡寧

　　Out with the old, in with the new. This expression means new things should replace old ones. It can be used to replace old furniture, clothes, and ideas with new ones. Many do this during the New Year or Lunar New Year. The expression can be used to replace older people with younger ones. Warren Buffett, the world’s fifth richest person, is 95 and has finally decided to step down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. But US politician Chuck Grassley, a Republican who is 92 and has been a senator for 44 years, said recently he may run again in the 2028 elections.

　　He obviously doesn’t believe in out with the old, in with the new! California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat aged 85, has started to believe in it. After serving nearly 40 years in the House of Representatives, she has decided not to run again in next year’s mid-term elections. Pelosi broke the glass ceiling in 2007 when she became the first and only woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. A glass ceiling is the point when you cannot rise any further at work. To break the glass ceiling means women and minorities overcoming the invisible barriers that prevent them rising further.

　　I knew Pelosi during the 1990s when I worked as a journalist in Washington DC. She was an ordinary congresswoman at the time, not the Speaker. I don’t think she remembers me now! Most Californians eat healthy food, but I read a recent news article that said Pelosi’s daily lunch is a hot dog with mustard, her breakfast often includes ice cream, and she eats plenty of chocolates!

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　　Out with the old, in with the new. 這句習語的意思是舊的不去，新的不來，舊事物應被新事物替代。它可以用來形容以新的傢俬、衣物和想法去替代舊的。許多人在新年或農曆新年的時候都會這樣做。這個習語也可以是在年輕新人替代舊人的時候用的。全球富豪排名第5的禾倫．巴菲特已年屆95，終於決定退下來，卸任巴郡．哈薩威行政總裁之位。然而，當了參議員44年的美國共和黨政客查克．葛雷斯利已92歲，最近說他仍想參選2028選舉，角逐連任。

　　很顯然，他完全不相信去舊迎新（out with the old, in with the new）這一套！85歲的民主黨加州國會議員蘭茜．佩洛西，卻開始相信了。在眾議院供職近40年的她，決定不再參選明年的中期選舉。佩洛西於2007年成為首位及唯一一位女眾議院議長時，打破了「玻璃天花板」（broke the glass ceiling）。A glass ceiling是指你在職場上到了一個階層，不能再向上晉升。To break the glass ceiling則是指女性和少數族群克服了那些阻止他們更上一層樓的無形障礙。

　　我在1990年代於華盛頓特區擔任新聞工作者的時候，就認識佩洛西。當時她只是普通一名眾議員，還不是議長。我不認為她現在還記得我了！大部分加州人都吃健康的食物，但我最近卻看到一則新聞報道，說佩洛西每天的午餐是塗了芥末的熱狗，早餐常常包括雪糕，而且還吃許多朱古力呢！

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻