又中又英——“the cupboards were bare”
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
2020-09-01 04:16 HKT
字体大小
In my previous two columns I wrote about the expressions and idioms some leaders in the US Democratic Party used during the party’s convention to formally nominate Joe Biden as its candidate for November’s presidential election and Kamala Harris as candidate for vice president. Today I will explain some expressions leaders in the Republican Party used during their convention last week to formally nominate Donald Trump as its presidential candidate and Mike Pence as candidate for vice president. Trump spoke on the first day of the convention, and as expected, he fiercely criticized his opponent Biden. He said it would be a “kick in the ass” if Biden won.
This American slang expression can be used in several ways. Trump used it because he boasted he had done a lot for the US as president, including confronting China, improving the economy, and lowering the price of medicines. He claimed if Biden won, he would take credit for all of Trump’s achievements. That’s why he said it would be a “kick in the ass” if Biden won. The expression, as used by Trump, means a big disappointment or unfairness. Trump also used the expression “the cupboards were bare”. He has used this expression many times. The word “bare” used this way means empty. Trump used this expression to criticize former president Barack Obama.
He claimed when the coronavirus reached the US, the government didn’t have enough facemasks, ventilators and protective equipment. He blamed Obama for not making sure there were enough medical supplies in case of emergencies. That’s why he said “the cupboards were bare (empty)” when the pandemic reached the US. Republican Party leaders used several other interesting expressions during last week’s convention. The most interesting was from Nikki Haley, Trump’s former US ambassador to the United Nations. I will explain her expression in my next column. Kamala Harris is half Indian. Her mother was an Indian immigrant. But Nikki Haley is full Indian. Both her parents are Indian immigrants.
＊＊＊＊＊
在上两篇专栏中，我写过一些美国民主党领袖在党大会上用到的一些习语和成语，该次大会正式提名拜登为参选十一月总统大选的民主党候选人，贺锦丽则为副总统候选人。共和党上周举行大会，正式提名特朗普为其总统候选人，彭斯则为副总统候选人。今天，我将会解说共和党领袖在大会上所用到的一些习语。特朗普在大会首天讲话，亦一如所料，猛烈批评他的对手拜登。他说若拜登胜出，那将会是a “kick in the ass”。
这个美式俚语可以有几种用法，特朗普用这个俚语，因为他自夸他做总统为美国做了许多事，包括大胆面对中国、改善经济，以及降低药物价格。他声称，若拜登胜出，特朗普的这一切的成就都会给拜登抢尽功劳。因此，若拜登胜出，那就真是a “kick in the ass”——特朗普用这个习语，意思是很大的失望、挫折又或太不公平了。特朗普也用到习语“the cupboards were bare”。他已多次用到这个习语。“Bare”在这里是指「空的」。特朗普用这个习语去批评前总统奥巴马。
他声称，当新冠肺炎来到美国的时候，政府并没有足够的口罩、呼吸机及防护装备。他责备奥巴马并没有确保国内有足够的医疗供应，以备紧急情况之需。因此他说当疫情袭美的时候，「厨柜是空的」（“the cupboards were bare”），像两手空空的毫无准备。共和党领袖在上周的大会还用了另外几个有趣的习语，最有趣的习语是来自特朗普的前美国驻联合国大使妮基‧黑莉。我会在下一篇文章中解说她所用的习语。贺锦丽是半个印度人，她的亡母是个印度移民；但妮基‧黑莉就是不折不扣的印度裔，她的父母都是印度移民。中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
This American slang expression can be used in several ways. Trump used it because he boasted he had done a lot for the US as president, including confronting China, improving the economy, and lowering the price of medicines. He claimed if Biden won, he would take credit for all of Trump’s achievements. That’s why he said it would be a “kick in the ass” if Biden won. The expression, as used by Trump, means a big disappointment or unfairness. Trump also used the expression “the cupboards were bare”. He has used this expression many times. The word “bare” used this way means empty. Trump used this expression to criticize former president Barack Obama.
He claimed when the coronavirus reached the US, the government didn’t have enough facemasks, ventilators and protective equipment. He blamed Obama for not making sure there were enough medical supplies in case of emergencies. That’s why he said “the cupboards were bare (empty)” when the pandemic reached the US. Republican Party leaders used several other interesting expressions during last week’s convention. The most interesting was from Nikki Haley, Trump’s former US ambassador to the United Nations. I will explain her expression in my next column. Kamala Harris is half Indian. Her mother was an Indian immigrant. But Nikki Haley is full Indian. Both her parents are Indian immigrants.
＊＊＊＊＊
在上两篇专栏中，我写过一些美国民主党领袖在党大会上用到的一些习语和成语，该次大会正式提名拜登为参选十一月总统大选的民主党候选人，贺锦丽则为副总统候选人。共和党上周举行大会，正式提名特朗普为其总统候选人，彭斯则为副总统候选人。今天，我将会解说共和党领袖在大会上所用到的一些习语。特朗普在大会首天讲话，亦一如所料，猛烈批评他的对手拜登。他说若拜登胜出，那将会是a “kick in the ass”。
这个美式俚语可以有几种用法，特朗普用这个俚语，因为他自夸他做总统为美国做了许多事，包括大胆面对中国、改善经济，以及降低药物价格。他声称，若拜登胜出，特朗普的这一切的成就都会给拜登抢尽功劳。因此，若拜登胜出，那就真是a “kick in the ass”——特朗普用这个习语，意思是很大的失望、挫折又或太不公平了。特朗普也用到习语“the cupboards were bare”。他已多次用到这个习语。“Bare”在这里是指「空的」。特朗普用这个习语去批评前总统奥巴马。
他声称，当新冠肺炎来到美国的时候，政府并没有足够的口罩、呼吸机及防护装备。他责备奥巴马并没有确保国内有足够的医疗供应，以备紧急情况之需。因此他说当疫情袭美的时候，「厨柜是空的」（“the cupboards were bare”），像两手空空的毫无准备。共和党领袖在上周的大会还用了另外几个有趣的习语，最有趣的习语是来自特朗普的前美国驻联合国大使妮基‧黑莉。我会在下一篇文章中解说她所用的习语。贺锦丽是半个印度人，她的亡母是个印度移民；但妮基‧黑莉就是不折不扣的印度裔，她的父母都是印度移民。中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
更多文章