又中又英 | Bogged down | 褚简宁
Most politicians do not like to admit their mistakes. Some politicians never admit their mistakes even when the people they govern clearly see and suffer from those mistakes. It has been widely reported that US President Donald Trump won't ever admit to being wrong. Russian President Vladimir Putin has on rare occasions admitted to technical errors in preparations to invade Ukraine but prefers to be seen as a strongman who doesn't make mistakes. Russia and the US are bogged down in wars that Putin and Trump started.
To be bogged down used this way means to be stuck in a difficult situation that you can't get out of. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed and wounded since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He thought he could easily win, but Russia has been bogged down for over four years. Trump thought the US would quickly win when he ordered the attack on Iran. But the US is bogged down after Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices.
Trump and Putin have not admitted they made a mistake in starting their wars.
Most politicians don’t want to eat crow. To eat crow is an American idiom that means to admit you were wrong or to apologize for a mistake. To eat humble pie has a similar meaning. Virtually no one eats crow meat. That's how the idiom originated. Crows eat carrion, which means the decaying flesh of dead animals. That's why people consider it disgusting to eat crow meat.
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大部分的政客都不喜欢承认自己的错误。一些政客永不承认错误，即使他们管治的人清楚看见，亦受害于那些错误。有广泛报道指，美国总统特朗普永不承认自己做错。俄罗斯总统普京在极罕有的情况下，会承认在准备攻打乌克兰之时犯下了技术性错误，但更愿意被视为不会犯错的强人。俄罗斯和美国都深陷（bogged down）于普京和特朗普所发动的战争泥沼之中。
To bogged down在这里是指困于一个困境中难以脱身。自从普京2022年下令入侵乌克兰以来，已有数以十万计的俄罗斯士兵伤亡。他以为他可轻易取胜，俄罗斯却深陷这僵局中（bogged down）逾4年了。特朗普下令攻击伊朗的时候，也以为美国可快速取胜，可是当伊朗封锁霍尔木兹海峡，推高全球油价之后，美国亦是深陷僵局（bogged down）之中。特朗普和普京都没有承认，他们开战是有甚么错。
大多数政客都不想「吃乌鸦」（eat crow）。To eat crow是个美式成语，意思是承认自己做错了，或为自己的错误道歉。To eat humble pie都有相近的意思。实际上，没有人真的会吃乌鸦肉，这就是这成语的由来。乌鸦喜吃carrion，就是动物尸体的腐肉。因此，人们认为吃乌鸦肉非常恶心。
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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻
