又中又英——Somebody has gone GAGA

  All of a sudden, legions of new-found fans have gone gaga over Hong Kong fencer Cheung Ka-long who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. TVB reporter Kelly Chan Yeuk-lam, who was the first to ask a question at the post-match media conference, became so gaga over Cheung that she didn't ask proper questions. Instead, she said "I like you so much. What should I do?" Netizens slammed (criticized) her unprofessional behavior. She later apologized. The noun "legion" means a large group of soldiers who form a part of an army. The word was used to describe a unit of the ancient Roman army.
  But the word "legion" can also mean a large number of people. The expression "legions of fans" means a large number of fans. If you say your grandfather has gone "gaga" it means he is no longer able to think clearly because of old age. But the word can also be used to describe people who behave in a silly and excited way because they have a strong but usually temporary love for someone. Many Hong Kong people, especially young women, have gone gaga over the local boy band Mirror. Is it a fad or does it have staying power? We have to wait and see. The word "fad" means a new style or activity that is fashionable for a short time.
  If you have staying power it means you have the strength and determination to continue to do something very difficult. If something, such as a new slang word, has staying power, it means it is not just a fad and people will use it for a long time. After Cheung's Olympics victory many Hong Kong people started learning fencing. One newspaper headline used the French expression "en garde" to describe this. It means "on guard" in English and is used to ask fencers to be ready or be in a defensive position for the match to start. Is the new interest in fencing a fad or does it have staying power?
*****
  突然之间,有大量(legions)新冒起的粉丝,狂热迷上了(gaga)刚在东京奥运赢取金牌的香港剑击手张家朗。率先在赛后记者会问张家朗问题的无线记者陈约临,对他神魂颠倒(gaga)得未能恰当地发问,反而在说:「我好钟意你呀,点算呀?」网民狠批(slammed)她表现不专业,她后来道歉。名词legion是指由一大批士兵组成的军队,以前多是用来形容古罗马军团。
  但legion也可以指大批的人,习语 "legions of fans" 即指大量的粉丝、拥趸。若你说你的祖父has gone "gaga",意即他因为年事已高,变得老糊涂,不能清晰地思考了。但这个字也可以用来形容人因对某人有强烈但通常短暂的痴迷,而举止行径疯狂或过度兴奋。许多香港人,尤其是年轻女士,都给本地男子组合MIRROR迷倒了(gaga)。这是否只是一时的fad,抑或会有staying power?我们就要拭目以待了。Fad可解一时的风尚或潮流,只是短暂流行。
  若你有staying power,意即你有持久力、有耐力和决心去持续做一样困难的事。若某事物,例如一个新的俚语有staying power,那即是说那不是一时的潮流(fad),人们会长时间使用它。在张于奥运取得胜利后,许多香港人也开始去学剑击运动。一个新闻标题用了法文习语 "en garde" 去形容这个现象,它的意思即英语的 "on guard",是叫剑击手准备好,又或叫他们做好防守的姿势,让比赛得以开始。这个对于剑击新崛起的兴趣,是否只是昙花一现的潮流(fad),抑或是有持久力(staying power)的呢?[email protected]
中译:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁



更多文章