又中又英 | Skunk at a garden party | 褚简宁

　　During my schooldays in Hong Kong many years ago, my siblings and I arranged a party for friends at our apartment. Some people we didn't invite or even know came to the party. They got our address and the day of the party by word of mouth. The expression "word of mouth” means people telling other people about something, such as a new restaurant or an upcoming event. Uninvited people at parties are called gatecrashers. Some of the gatecrashers at our party were polite and became friends with invited guests. But other gatecrashers rudely used our home to have their own party.

　　I was reminded of our party after I recently heard a US political commentor use the American expression “skunk at a garden party”. A skunk is a small animal which can spray a very stinky smell to defend itself when it is attacked. It would be embarrassing for the host of a garden party if a skunk gets into the garden and lets out a stinky smell! A skunk at a garden party means an unwanted or despised person who spoils the mood of a social gathering. The commentator used the expression to describe hecklers at a political rally.

　　A heckler is a person who loudly interrupts a speech or performance with insults, shouts, or bad language. My siblings and I had our party in our family apartment, not a garden. But the expression “skunk at a garden party” can also be used to describe the unfriendly gatecrashers who came to our party. They were skunks at our party.

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　　许多年前我还在学的时期，我跟兄弟姊妹在我们居住的单位内安排了一场给朋友们的派对。一些我们没有邀请甚至不认识的人却不请自来。他们口耳相传（word of mouth），得悉了我们的地址和派对的日期。习语word of mouth是指人们口传某事物，例如一间新的餐厅又或将要发生的一个活动。在派对不请自来的人被称为gatecrashers。我们派对的不速之客（gatecrashers）当中，有一些是斯文有礼的，跟受邀的宾客结识做朋友；但另一些没受邀就乱闯进来的人（gatecrashers），却粗鲁地用我们的家开自己的派对。

　　当我最近听到一位美国政治评论员用美式习语“skunk at a garden party”后，就想起了我们的那场派对。A skunk是体型细小的臭鼬，当受到攻击时就会喷发一股恶臭来保护自己。对于在花园办派对的主人来说，如果有一只臭鼬（skunk）闯入了花园再发出恶臭，都不可说不尴尬！A skunk at a garden party就是指一个多余或被鄙视的人，毁掉了一个社交场合的雅兴。那名评论员用这个习语来形容一场政治集会上的hecklers。

　　A heckler就是大声用辱骂、喊叫或粗口打断一个演说或演出的人。我和兄弟姊妹办的派对在我们自己住的单位，而不是花园内，但习语“skunk at a garden party”也可以用来形容我们派对上那些不友好的不速之客（gatecrashers），他们都是我们派对里的臭鼬（skunks）。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻