下礼拜我要在家大摆筵席,请十多个朋友来吃饭。我从来没给这么多人做过饭,心里有点犯嘀咕。要是换成我妈,肯定一点不怵。在她看来,给一大家子人做饭不过是小菜一碟。就像英语中说的:with one hand tied behind one's back.
With one hand tied behind one's back, 意思是把一只手绑在背后,其实是指做某事非常熟练,轻而易举。类似我们中文里说的“我闭着眼睛都能做!”
准备十多个客人的晚饭,对我妈妈来说就是这么轻而易举的事, she can do it with one hand tied behind her back. 她闭着眼睛都能做! 生活中有各式各样的达人,拥有让我们羡慕的手艺,比如下面这段话中的电脑高手:
例句-1:When my computer crashed again, I was almost resigned to buying a new one. Luckily, my friend Scotty came over. Within an hour, he got my PC running again, removed a virus and installed a new hard drive. It wasn't hard for him at all. In fact, he says he can fix a computer with one hand tied behind his back.
这段话说:我的电脑又荡机了,这次我几乎放弃了,准备买台新的。幸运的是,我的朋友Scotty来到我家,不到一个小时,他就让我的电脑重新运转起来,还清除了一个病毒,安了个新硬盘。这些事情对他来说一点不难。事实上,他说他闭着眼睛都能修电脑。
我们可以把这样的电脑人才通称为computer geek. Geek指特别喜欢钻研某种技术或技巧的人。比如,我有个朋友特别喜欢数学,他就是math geek, 数学高手。那些让我看了如坠云雾的数学题,he can solve them with one hand tied behind his back. 他轻而易举地就能做出来。
虽然我数学不在行,可我写作文还可以,跟下面这段话中的这个人差不多,咱们来听一听:
例句-2:Some of my classmates agonize over their writing assignments for class. I don't understand what's so difficult. Simply gather good information, make an outline, create a first draft, then edit any mistakes. I can come up with a twenty-page research paper with one hand tied behind my back!
这段话的意思是:我的一些同学为了写作的作业而头疼不已。我不明白,写东西有那么难么?只要收集一些有用的信息,列个提纲,打个草稿,再改正一些文章中的错误,不就行了么。我可以毫不费力地写出一篇20页的调查报告。
我们刚才提到,中文里说“闭着眼睛就能做某事”,以形容对某事的熟练,英文里则说, with one's eyes closed。怎么样,和中文的说法一模一样! 比如,a computer geek can fix a computer with his eyes closed. 电脑达人闭着眼就能把电脑修好。