又中又英 | To shy away from doing something | 褚简宁

　　US President Donald Trump doesn't shy away from using insults and even the F-bomb against his political enemies. To shy away from doing something means to avoid doing it for fear or lack of confidence. If you don't shy away, it means you have the confidence to do it. The F-bomb is a polite way to describe the swear word "f..k". When Hillary Clinton lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 primary elections to select a Democratic Party presidential candidate, Trump said Clinton got schlonged by Obama. The Yiddish vulgar slang word schlong means a man’s penis.

　　Trump used this word to rudely say Clinton lost badly to Obama. He called Clinton Crooked Hillary during the 2016 presidential race between him and Clinton, which Trump won. The word “crooked” used this way means dishonest. Trump called her Crooked Hillary because he accused her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, of being corrupt. In recent weeks he has called former President Joe Biden a dummy and the Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell a knucklehead and a numbskull. The word “dummy” has several meanings but means a stupid person when used as a slang word.

　　The slang words “knucklehead” and “numbskull” also mean a stupid person. Trump used those words to criticize Powell because he wants the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, but Powell is reluctant out of concern that Trump’s tariff war will trigger higher inflation. Trump chose Powell to be chairman of the Federal Reserve during his first term as president. He now wants to fire Powell, but the law prohibits him from firing a Federal Reserve chairman.

　　美国总统特朗普从不畏缩（doesn't shy away）去用侮辱性甚或F-bomb去对付他的政敌。To shy away from doing something是指因为害怕或缺乏自信而回避做某事；若你don't shy away，即你充满自信的去做某事。F-bomb是委婉地形容"f..k"这个脏话。希拉里于2008年初选输给奥巴马，未能当上民主党总统候选人，当时特朗普就说希拉里被奥巴马schlonged——这意第绪言的粗俗俚语schlong是指男性的阳具。

　　特朗普用这个字，是粗俗地去说希拉里被奥巴马狠狠地打败。2016年他跟希拉里竞逐总统之位，最终特朗普胜选，当时他就唤她为Crooked Hillary。Crooked在这里解作不诚实的。特朗普叫她做Crooked Hillary，因为他指控她和她的丈夫，前总统比尔．克林顿，贪污腐败。最近几星期，他则称前总统拜登为dummy，又称联储局主席鲍威尔为knucklehead和numbskull。Dummy这字有许多意思，但作为俚语用时则是说某人是笨蛋。

　　俚语「knucklehead」和「numbskull」也是指呆笨的白痴或傻瓜。特朗普用上这些字眼去批评鲍威尔，因为他希望联储局减息，但鲍威尔不肯，因为担心特朗普的关税战会触发更高的通胀。特朗普在他的第一个总统任期就选了鲍威尔为联储局主席，现在他又想炒掉鲍威尔，但法律禁止他开除联储局的主席。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻