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| 「When pigs fly」的意思是甚麼？（上） |
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| 01 Apr 2008 |
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'When pigs fly' - What it means in English? （1）
「When pigs fly.」？這並不合乎常理吧！難道豬長了翅膀麼？但對英語為母語的人士來說，這句話絕對合乎常理。「When pigs fly.」是一個典型俚語（Idiom）的好例子，通常俚語的真正意思與字面意思是完全不同的。現在讓我們看看以下有趣的俚語真正的意思吧！
'When pigs fly?'. Now that just doesn't make sense. When did pigs grow wings? Yet, to a native English speaker, it makes total sense. The phrase 'when pigs fly' is a great example of an idiom, or an expression that has a meaning completely different from that of the words of which it is composed. Let's take a look at some amusing idioms!
When pigs fly
豬是不可能飛的！這句俚語真正的意思是「這是不可能的」。例如：當你聽見有人說：「Do you think Mary will quit her job now that she's pregnant?」，另一人則說：「Yeah, when pigs fly! There is no way she is giving up her career!」。當他╱她用「when pigs fly.」這句時，表示Mary不可能放棄她的工作。
Pigs can't fly! It's impossible, which is precisely what the expression means. For example, you hear someone say, 'Do you think Mary will quit her job now that she's pregnant?' Another person responds, 'Yeah, when pigs fly! There is no way she is giving up her career!' When he or she used the expression 'when pigs fly', it means that it's impossible that Mary will quit her job.
Get in someone's hair
如果你「get in someone's hair」，你並非要爬到他的頭上！這句俚語的意思其實是指你正在騷擾別人，或是在侵佔別人的私人空間。例如：「Susan was trying to prepare dinner, but her children were getting in her hair!」，意思是當Susan在煮食時，她的孩子正騷擾她。如果某人正在騷擾你，你可以跟他說：「Get out of my hair!」
If you 'get in someone's hair', you haven't climbed up onto their head! Instead, it means you are bothering them - perhaps invading their personal space. For example, 'Susan was trying to prepare dinner, but her children were getting in her hair!' This means Susan's kids were bothering her when she was cooking. If someone is bothering you, you can tell him / her, 'Get out of my hair!'
Hit the ceiling
天花板在頭頂以上很高的位置，所以你很難打到它，除非你很憤怒！如果某人「hits the ceiling」，意思就是他很憤怒。例如：「When Carol's son got an F on his report card, she hit the ceiling!」，就是指Carol的兒子考試不及格，令她感到很憤怒。
The ceiling is quite far above our heads, so it's not easy to hit it - unless you're angry! If someone 'hits the ceiling', it means they are reacting very angrily. For example, 'When Carol's son got an F on his report card, she hit the ceiling!' This means Carol was furious when her son failed a class.
重點生字
Amusing 有趣的；引人發笑的
Pregnant 懷孕的
Invading 侵入；侵略
Bothering 煩擾；打攪
Furious 狂怒的
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Englishtown乃全球最具規模的英語教育機構，而母公司 EF Education First更是全球最大的語言學校。創立40年，全球設有超過400間學校及辦事處，專業外籍老師逾23,000名，成功為超過1,500萬名學員提升英語能力。有鑒其英語課程備受各界推崇，Englishtown更獲選為「北京2008年奧運會語言培訓服務供應商」，承諾全力協助中國與世界對話。（www.englishtown.com） |
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