【明報專訊】Zelda: What's the matter Joe?
塞爾達:喬,怎麽啦?
Joe: Well I've just got an e-mail from Martin Chivers to say that he can't now speak at our annual conference the day after tomorrow. No reason given.
喬:我剛剛收到馬丁.奇弗斯的電郵,說我們後天舉辦的周年會議,他不能到來演講了,也沒有解釋原因。
Zelda: Oh no, he's one of the main speakers isn't he?
塞爾達:哎呀,他不是主要講者之一嗎?
Joe: Too right he is. How on earth am I going to get a replacement in two days?
喬:當然是。我這兩天怎可以找到人代替?
Zelda: Gosh, that's going to be really tough.
塞爾達:唉,那真不容易。
Joe: It's not the first time Chivers has done this but he promised me faithfully that he wouldn't let me down this time.
喬:奇弗斯也不是第一次爽約了,但這次他誠誠懇懇答應不會失約於我。
Zelda: Doesn't sound the most reliable of people.
塞爾達:這個人似乎不怎麽可靠。
Joe: He clearly isn't. Well he's really got up my nose over this. I'll never invite him to speak again.
喬:你說得對。這一次,他實在令我生氣,我以後不會再邀他演講。
To get up one's nose 直譯是「上到鼻腔」。鼻腔有外物,自然不舒服,現常用來比喻使人生氣,例如:(1) It got up my nose the way he treated his mother(他那樣對待他母親,令我十分不快)。(2) She got up my nose with her laziness(我很不滿她那樣懶惰)。
■作者︰古德明
專研中英文,著有時事評論、英語學習、散文等書籍。