【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。
