大家都知道谣言传播的速度是飞快的。有句话说,谣言已经走了半个地球,而事实还刚刚在穿鞋。人们坐在一起闲聊,天南地北,说长道短的,传播流言蜚语,这是很普遍的一种活动。美国有好多成语和俗语是形容这一方面的。例如to shoot the breeze。to shoot就是发射、开枪、发炮等,breeze就是阵阵微风。to shoot the breeze这个习惯用语使人脑子里出现了一幅画面,也就是:一些好朋友没事聚在一起闲聊天,毫无顾忌地想说什么就说什么。下面我们来听听一个大学生说他昨晚在干什么:
例句-1: "on friday nights i usually go to a movie. but it was raining so hard last night i just stayed in the dorm to sit around and shoot the breeze with a couple of friends."
下面这个人说出了为什么他喜欢shooting the breeze。他的话恐怕也说出了一般人心里的想法:
例句-2: "one thing i enjoy about shooting the breeze -- you can relax and say anything you want to. you're among friends and nobody takes things seriously."
这个人说:“我很喜欢聊天,因为你可以很放松,想说什么都行。你是和朋友在一起,没有人会很认真的。”
要是你问一个人,你说的那个消息是从那儿听来的,他可能会说:through the grapevine。grape是葡萄,grapevine就是葡萄藤。through the grapevine的意思实际上就和中文里说的:通过小道消息来的一样。也就是说,这个消息是经过人们口头传播传到他这儿来的,他也不知道到底是从谁那儿开始的。
例句-3: "what do you think of the news that our regiment is being transferred to california. it's not announced officially yet, but this morning i got it through the grapevine."
例句-4: "i don't always believe what i get through the grapevine, but it's true at least half the time and and it's a lot faster than whatever the army tells you about what we're doing."
以上我们讲了两个和闲聊天、小道消息有关的习惯用语。今天我们讲的第一个习惯用语是:to shoot the breeze。to shoot the breeze就是几个朋友在一起随便聊天。我们今天讲的第二个习惯用语是:through the grapevine。through the grapevine是指小道消息。