又中又英——“long laundry list”

　　Some months ago I explained the expression “bucket list”. Many people from the West have a “bucket list”. I have one too. The expression means a list of things people want to do during their lifetime, or before they die. There is a 2007 movie called The Bucket List about two very ill men who wanted to do a list of things before they “kicked the bucket”, which means to die. Last week, Republican US Congressman Kevin McCarthy used another expression with the word “list”. He criticized President Joe Biden’s US$1.9 trillion plan to help businesses, people, and the economy badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The plan was passed last week by the US Congress, which is now controlled by the Democrats.
　　Congressman McCarthy said instead of helping people badly affected by the pandemic, the highly-expensive plan was a “long laundry list” of left-wing priorities which have nothing to do with the pandemic. Other Republicans criticized the plan as a socialist agenda by Democrats. The expression “laundry list” simply means a very long list of things or people. People who like to complain have a long laundry list of their complaints. You can have a laundry list of rich or famous people. Senior Hong Kong officials are not good at using speeches to inspire people. Their speeches are usually a laundry list of things they say the government has done.
　　It is not clear how this expression originated. Some people say a laundry list is an actual list of clothes some laundry shops make so they don’t mix up the clothes of different customers. Others say laundry shops make a laundry list to separate dark-coloured or dyed clothes from light-coloured clothes. I hate going to the supermarket because Hong Kong supermarkets are often crowded and the aisles are very narrow. I usually go just once a week. That’s why I keep a laundry list in my mobile of the things I need to buy when I go.
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　　几个月前，我解释过“bucket list”这个习语。西方有许多人都有一张“bucket list”，我也有一张。这个习语的意思是人在一生中又或死前想要完成的愿望清单。二〇〇七年就有一套电影叫《The Bucket List》（港译《玩转身前事》），讲述两个病重的男人，在他们“kicked the bucket”，即「两脚一伸」之前，想做的一系列的事。上星期，美国共和党众议员凯文‧麦卡锡就用了另一个有「list」字的习语。他批评总统拜登为了援助受新冠肺炎疫情严重打击的商户、市民以及经济，而推出的一万九千亿美元纾困方案。此方案上星期在美国众议院获得通过，现时众议院为民主党占多数。
　　众议员麦卡锡指，这高昂的方案与其说是援助受疫情严重影响的人，不如说是左翼优先的「冗长洗衣单」（“long laundry list”），对抗疫起不到任何作用。其他共和党人也批评这方案是民主党人的社会主义议程。习语「laundry list」简单来说就是一张冗长的细项或人物清单。喜欢投诉的人，会罗列出一张长长的投诉清单（laundry list）；要细数富豪或名人，你也可得出一张长长的清单（laundry list）。香港高官并不擅长用演讲去鼓舞人心，他们的演辞通常都是一张冗长的清单（laundry list），细数他们口中政府曾经做过的事。
　　这个习语的由来并不清楚，有些人说a laundry list真的是一些洗衣店所列出的洗衣单，好让他们不会混淆不同顾客的衣物；另一些人则说，洗衣店会列出一张洗衣单（laundry list），去分隔深色、染色的衣物与浅色的衣物。我讨厌去超市，因为香港的超市通常都是很挤逼的，通道亦非常狭窄。我通常一星期才去一趟，因此我手机里会有一张购物清单（laundry list），列出我去超市时需要买的东西。中译：七刻
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Michael Chugani 褚简宁