又中又英——fight tooth and nail
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
2020-08-18 04:16 HKT
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Get ready for a down and dirty US presidential election now that President Donald Trump’s rival Joe Biden has chosen a running mate. Trump will fight tooth and nail to win re-election but opinion polls show voters prefer Biden by a large margin. Barack Obama became America’s first black president. If Biden wins, his running mate Kamala Harris will become America’s first black and Asian vice president. Even though I am a naturalized American and have lived in the US for many years, I still can’t make head or tail of why Obama and Harris are both described as black.
Obama’s late father was black but his late mother was white. That makes him half black, half white but he is always referred to as America’s first black president. Harris’ mother was an Indian immigrant, and her father, who is still alive, is an immigrant from Jamaica. That means Harris is half black, half Indian. Although some in the media refer to her as black, others describe her as a woman of colour. None in the media described Obama as a man of colour. That means anyone with one white parent and one black parent is called black. But someone with a parent who is black and a parent who is Asian is a person of colour. I can’t make head or tail of this.
The expression “down and dirty” when referring to an election means very competitive, vicious, or fighting without principles. A “running mate” in election terms means a lesser of two political partners competing in an election. To “fight tooth and nail” means to fight fiercely or to fight very hard to get what you want. As a businessman, Trump knows how to fight tooth and nail and to fight down and dirty. To “make head or tail of” something means to try very hard to understand something. If you “can’t make head or tail of” something, it means you can’t understand it.
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美国总统特朗普的对手拜登既已选好了竞选伙伴（running mate），大家现在要坐稳了，去迎接一场尔虞我诈的（down and dirty）美国总统大选吧。特朗普会奋力作战（fight tooth and nail）以求成功连任，但民意调查显示，选民倾向选拜登，其支持度大幅度抛离特朗普。奥巴马是美国史上首位黑人总统。要是拜登胜出，他的竞选伙伴（running mate）贺锦丽将会成为美国首位黑人与亚裔副总统。即使我是个归化入籍的美国人，也曾居住美国多年，但我仍然是一头雾水（can’t make head or tail of），为何奥巴马和贺锦丽会同时被形容为黑人呢？
奥巴马的父亲是黑人，可他的母亲是白人，这令他一半是黑人，一半是白人，但他仍经常被指称为美国首位黑人总统。贺锦丽的母亲是为印度裔移民，而她那仍健在的父亲，则是来自牙买加的移民。那即是说，贺锦丽一半是黑人，一半是印度人。即使一些传媒称她为黑人，另一些传媒则称她为「有色人种女性」，可是，没有传媒会把奥巴马称为「有色人种男性」。那即是说，任何人若有一位父母是白人，而另一位是黑人时，那人就会被叫作黑人；但当某人的其中一位父母是黑人，而另一位是亚洲人时，那人就是有色人种⋯⋯这实在令我摸不着头脑（can’t make head or tail of）。
习语 down and dirty若用来指选举的话，意即它是一场战情激烈、凶狠，又或为求胜出不择手段的竞选。就选举而言，a “running mate”就是一同参选的两位政治伙伴中，居次席的一位。To “fight tooth and nail”即奋力作战，又或为了得到你想要的东西必须竭尽全力。身为生意人，特朗普知道怎样去全力以赴（fight tooth and nail），也知道要怎样不择手段（down and dirty）去战斗。To “make head or tail of” something就是尝试去弄清某事；若你“can’t make head or tail of” something，意即你对某事茫无头绪。[email protected] 中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
Obama’s late father was black but his late mother was white. That makes him half black, half white but he is always referred to as America’s first black president. Harris’ mother was an Indian immigrant, and her father, who is still alive, is an immigrant from Jamaica. That means Harris is half black, half Indian. Although some in the media refer to her as black, others describe her as a woman of colour. None in the media described Obama as a man of colour. That means anyone with one white parent and one black parent is called black. But someone with a parent who is black and a parent who is Asian is a person of colour. I can’t make head or tail of this.
The expression “down and dirty” when referring to an election means very competitive, vicious, or fighting without principles. A “running mate” in election terms means a lesser of two political partners competing in an election. To “fight tooth and nail” means to fight fiercely or to fight very hard to get what you want. As a businessman, Trump knows how to fight tooth and nail and to fight down and dirty. To “make head or tail of” something means to try very hard to understand something. If you “can’t make head or tail of” something, it means you can’t understand it.
＊＊＊＊＊
美国总统特朗普的对手拜登既已选好了竞选伙伴（running mate），大家现在要坐稳了，去迎接一场尔虞我诈的（down and dirty）美国总统大选吧。特朗普会奋力作战（fight tooth and nail）以求成功连任，但民意调查显示，选民倾向选拜登，其支持度大幅度抛离特朗普。奥巴马是美国史上首位黑人总统。要是拜登胜出，他的竞选伙伴（running mate）贺锦丽将会成为美国首位黑人与亚裔副总统。即使我是个归化入籍的美国人，也曾居住美国多年，但我仍然是一头雾水（can’t make head or tail of），为何奥巴马和贺锦丽会同时被形容为黑人呢？
奥巴马的父亲是黑人，可他的母亲是白人，这令他一半是黑人，一半是白人，但他仍经常被指称为美国首位黑人总统。贺锦丽的母亲是为印度裔移民，而她那仍健在的父亲，则是来自牙买加的移民。那即是说，贺锦丽一半是黑人，一半是印度人。即使一些传媒称她为黑人，另一些传媒则称她为「有色人种女性」，可是，没有传媒会把奥巴马称为「有色人种男性」。那即是说，任何人若有一位父母是白人，而另一位是黑人时，那人就会被叫作黑人；但当某人的其中一位父母是黑人，而另一位是亚洲人时，那人就是有色人种⋯⋯这实在令我摸不着头脑（can’t make head or tail of）。
习语 down and dirty若用来指选举的话，意即它是一场战情激烈、凶狠，又或为求胜出不择手段的竞选。就选举而言，a “running mate”就是一同参选的两位政治伙伴中，居次席的一位。To “fight tooth and nail”即奋力作战，又或为了得到你想要的东西必须竭尽全力。身为生意人，特朗普知道怎样去全力以赴（fight tooth and nail），也知道要怎样不择手段（down and dirty）去战斗。To “make head or tail of” something就是尝试去弄清某事；若你“can’t make head or tail of” something，意即你对某事茫无头绪。[email protected] 中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
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