Play With Words

Simon Hoggart described the shadow Home Sectary David Davis in his Guardian sketch:

Davis was not exactly discombobulated, but on the other hand, you could not describe him as entirely combobulated.

discombobulate 是来自美国的俚语，指 To throw into a state of confusion

有趣的是，虽然有 discombobulated，但很少见到使用 combobulated 这个词。

Gordon Brown used the word ‘passerelle‘ in his first Common’s speech after signing the new EU treaty in Lisbon. Guardian’s Simon Hoggart helpfully looked it up from an EU website:

…Instead it means “a word meaning a footbridge, referring to the possibility of either moving a policy area from the intergovernmental third pillar to the supra-national first pillar, or changing the voting rules in the council, or the extension of the article’s scope of application.”

No wonder we are not getting a referendum.

I have read the sentence three times. Still clueless.

昨天自由民主党(Liberal Demorates Party)的两个高层(副领导人和主席)一起在党总部门口宣布领导人 Menzies Campbell 已经辞职的消息，当事人却不见踪影。虽然事先已经告知，不会回答记者任何问题，但是在简短的公告刚刚结束，人群中立刻有人高声喊道：

Did you wield the dagger?

一切联翩的浮想似乎可以回溯到恺撒之死。

《卫报》(The Guardian)上的 Simon Hoggart 为我们作了生动的描述：

…Mr Cable, the deputy leader, came next. It was he who had announced yesterday that there was a “debate” about Ming’s future.

This is the political equivalent of the knife between the shoulder blades. Or even the machete into the skull. There must have been a bubble of rage in Sir Menzies’s throat when he heard that. “Et tu, Vince,” however, lacks a certain resonance.

《卫报》(The Guardian)的 Michael White 有着一手风趣的文笔。有关这次提前大选风波，他写道：

…But what mattered yesterday was that Mr Brown blinked first. In the long run it may not prove to be what managers sometimes call a CLM - a career limiting moment. If he recovers strongly the “Bottler Brown” jibe will fade.

But the weekend’s drama was defintely a career enhancing moment for two of the other players. Mr Cameron may just have had a “people’s princess” moment with the Middle Britain public. And this was surely the day when Mr Marr inherited one of nation’s great constitutional offices. From here on he is The Dimbleby of State.

Mr Marr : Andrew Marr. 原 BBC 政治编辑 (political editor)，现在担任 BBC One 星期天早晨的政治清谈节目 The Andrew Marr Show。这次 Gordon Brown 就是选择他的节目宣布不会有提前的大选。此举代表了 Andrew Marr 的节目在英国政治生活中的重要地位－－与另一位资深的时事节目主持人 Johnathan Dimbleby 看齐。

猜猜看，说的是那一家？

From Guardian’s Diary column:

When we hear so much from politicians about antisocial behaviour, it is good to have real testimonies from real people. Readers like Ray Mitcham. People who’ve suffered. “We have a huge council house in our street,” he says. “The extended family is run by a grumpy old woman with a pack of fierce dogs. Her car isn’t taxed or insured, but the police still do nothing. Her bad-tempered old man is famous for upsetting foreigners with racist comments. A shopkeeper blames him for ordering the murder of his son and his son’s girlfriend, but nothing has been proved yet. All their kids have broken marriages except the youngest. Two grandsons are meant to be in the army but are always seen out in nightclubs. The family’s odd antics are always in the papers. They are out of control. Honestly - who’d live near Windsor Castle?” Who indeed.

Guardian’s Hadley Freeman answers the question “Why do fashion models look so grumpy” from a male reader. (I must confess I have the same question but not sure whom to ask.)

Well, try being a model: you can’t eat, you barely get to sleep and you often have to wear really stupid clothes yet keep a straight face while the photographer shouts about how you should shag the camera, or something.

Jeff Jarvis explains what’s the point of lifestreaming:

…For in those lines were people with small cameras hooked to laptops, which used mobile phones to transmit video to the internet, live. They are lifestreamers, who have been simulcasting their lives 24 hours a day. Why? Because it’s there. They’d already been blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, Flickring, podcasting and YouTubing their lives. Live video was merely their next frontier.

Leo Lewis of the Times described the difference between Moutain Lady and Wall Lady, two leading characters of the popular Japanese TV series:

The show is based on one of the best-selling manga comic books of 2005 and follows the fortunes of the serious-minded, flat-chested Megumi Aoyagi and her sweet-natured, generously proportioned colleague, Marie Mariya.

Guardian’s Hadley Freeman answers the question “Why do women carry such bloody great handbag?“

You want to know why we need such big bags? I’ll tell you why. Because we are the responsible gender. Oh sure, you guys think you are ever so nonchalant and spontaneous, stuffing your keys, wallet and phone into your back pocket and being good to go. Silly women, who can’t even pop to the local shop without stuffing the flipping kitchen sink into their handbags, right? But who do you turn to when you need a tissue? Or a compact for an emergency post-lunch teeth check? Or a pen, or a diary to check one’s availality for the next month? That’s right, to your good lady friend, standing there with her bloody great handbag, like a faithful courtier anticipating her prince regent’s every bloody great need.

Which does not exactly answer the question. Besides, there is ‘man bag’ which is growing its popularity. But I like her writing.

Jane Godley is quoted on The Scotsman saying:

This terror attack (at Glasgow Airport) has confused Glaswegians. They’re asking if the attackers were Protestant Muslims or Catholic Muslims.