又中又英——A Cantankerous Old Sod

　　Last week, after Britain’s Prince Philip died aged 99, media organizations interviewed British people for their views of him. One view I heard was “he doesn’t take fools lightly”. The actual idiom should be “doesn’t suffer fools gladly”. I have used this expression as a reporter when I interviewed people for their views of well-known Hong Kong people. If you “don’t suffer fools gladly” it means you refuse to tolerate or be patient with people you regard as idiots or unintelligent. Prince Philip had a reputation for being blunt and plain-speaking. He sometimes said things considered racist and told jokes regarded as politically incorrect.
　　Later in life, he admitted some things he had said made people see him as “a cantankerous old sod”. The word “blunt” has several meanings but used this way it means saying what you think without being polite or caring about other people’s feelings. The word “plain-speaking” means saying what you think in a clear and honest way even if it offends other people. The word “cantankerous” means bad-tempered and always arguing or complaining. The word “sod” has several meanings but used this way as a rude British slang it means an unpleasant and obnoxious (irritating, horrible) person. When Prince Philip said some people considered him “a cantankerous old sod”, he meant some people felt he was an old, bad-tempered, argumentative, and obnoxious person.
　　Many people may not know Prince Philip was born in Greece into Greek and Danish royal families. His family was exiled when he was 18 months old. After being educated in France, he joined the British Royal Navy when he was 18 and met Elizabeth, who was a 13-year-old princess. They fell in love. Just before their engagement in 1947 he became a naturalized British citizen. He was 26 and Elizabeth was 21 when they married. He remained a loyal consort throughout their marriage. The word “consort” has several meanings with different pronunciations. Used this way it means the husband or wife of a reigning queen or king.
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　　上星期，英国菲腊亲王过世，享年九十九岁，传媒机构访问了英国人对于他的看法。其中一个我听到的看法是“he doesn't take fools lightly”。其实原本的成语该是“doesn't suffer fools gladly”，我当记者访问人们对于香港一些名人的看法时，也曾用过这个习语。若你“don't suffer fools gladly”，意即你拒绝容忍或迁就那些你认为是白痴或愚蠢的人。菲腊亲王出了名相当坦率（blunt）和直言不讳（plain-speaking），他有时甚至会说了些被认为是种族歧视的话，以及一些被视为政治不正确的笑话。
　　在晚年的时候，他承认他说过的一些话会令人把他看成是“a cantankerous old sod”。Blunt一字有不同的意思，但在这里是指你直话直说，而不是很有礼或顾及别人的感受。“Plain-speaking”是指你清楚而诚实地说出心中所想，即使那会冒犯其他人。Cantankerous是指臭脾气、常常唱反调或抱怨的；sod有几个意思，在这里是作粗鄙的英式俚语使用，意即令人不快和讨厌（obnoxious）的人。当菲腊亲王说，一些人把他看成是“a cantankerous old sod”时，他的意思是一些人认为他是个老迈、臭脾气、爱争吵又讨厌（obnoxious）的人。
　　许多人或许不知道，菲腊亲王生于希腊，出身希腊与丹麦皇室家族。他十八个月大时，家人就要流亡他国。他十八岁在法国接受过教育后，就加入了英国皇家海军，并邂逅了当时只是十三岁的公主伊利沙伯。他们堕入了爱河。一九四七年他们订婚前，他归化成为英国公民。他们结婚的时候，他是二十六岁，伊利沙伯则为二十一岁。在他们多年的婚姻里，他一直是一位皇夫（consort）。Consort有几个意思，不同的意思发音也相异；在这里它是指在位统治的女皇或国皇的配偶。
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁