Play With Words

最近去世的英国作家勒卡雷在2017年为《观察家报》（The Observer，《卫报》的星期天版）写了一篇文章，讲述为什么英国人应该学德语。他回顾了自己学习德语的历程，其中的一些见解可以推而广之，并不只限于英国人学习德语的情形。

他在文章中写道：“学习一门外语可以让你更好地了解你自己，让你对自己的文化背景、社交举止和思考方式做更细致地观察。”

最近在爱丁堡英联邦游泳池举行的2018欧洲锦标赛跳水比赛中，爱丁堡长大的英国女选手Grace Reid先是在星期六的3米跳板决赛中，最后一跳得了73.50分，从排名第三一下子反超获得金牌，然后在第二天的女子双人同步3米跳板决赛中，最后一跳失误仅得了39.60分，从排名第一跌到第四。

失误的原因是队员Katherine Torrance起跳失误，未能很好地完成动作。从池中爬起来之后，Torrance立刻冲到更衣室不见了，只好由Reid面对媒体。在经历了意外失误之后，Reid的谈吐很得体，表示自己和同伴会吸取教训，更加坚强。但是让我觉得特别好玩的她的这句话：

There was no rhyme nor reason why it happened, it’s just sport and that’s the final result. We can go back and analyse the result until the cows come home but that won’t change what happened.

Until the cows come home 这个表达有两个可能的来源，第一是把牛放到草地上之后，一般要到第二天它们才回来，因为需要挤奶了。第二是在苏格兰高地，一般把牛放到草地上之后就不管了，直到要送去卖的时候才赶回来。

如果用第一个意思，那么就是：“我们可以分析来分析去一直到明天，但是……”如果用第二个意思，那么就是：“我们可以回去分析到花都谢了，但是……”。

Reid的意思就是我们就是失误了，不用太纠结分析来分析去为什么了。但是“until the cows come home”这个表达我还很少听到，因为是乡村生活有关，感觉比较老派，从22岁的Reid嘴里说出来很好玩。

链接：Women’s 3M synchro fourth for GB

英国女王访问爱尔兰，是英国国家元首100年来第一次访问爱尔兰，上次在1911年，爱尔兰还是大英帝国的属地，这次则是“两位国家元首的平等会晤”。爱尔兰报纸 Irish Examiner 的头版社评，就是以这一时刻为焦点：

“昨天下午12点47分，当女王伊丽莎白二世在的爱尔兰总统宫贵宾留言簿上签下她的名字时，英国与爱尔兰之间的关系发生了永久的改变。这是一个具有深远心理影响和象征意义的时刻：作为英国元首，在爱尔兰的土地上，她不过是爱尔兰总统的客人。这是两位具有同等地位、相互尊重的邻国之间元首的会晤。这是一个值得爱尔兰人骄傲的时刻。”

AT precisely 12.47 yesterday afternoon, the course of Anglo-Irish relations changed forever when Queen Elizabeth II signed the visitor’s book at Áras an Uachtaráin. It was a deeply psychological and symbolic moment, an acknowledgment by the British head of state that she was in Ireland as a visitor, a guest of the Irish head of state, President Mary McAleese. It was a meeting of equals, a coming together of the representatives of two neighbouring nations in mutual respect, a moment of which the peopel of Ireland can rightly be pround.

2010年度 Man Booker Prize 获得者 Howard Jacobson 的简短诙谐的获奖致辞

I’m speechless.

Fortunately I prepared one early. It’s dated 1983. That’s how long the wait’s been. And I see here there’s another alternated acceptance speech of 1994, then 2002, which I appeared to amend only slightly for 2004, 2006 and 2008.

I note that my language in these speeches grows less gracious with the years.

You start to want to blame the judges who have given you the prize for all the prizes they didn’t give you. But they aren’t, of course, the same judges.

Tonight, I forgive everyone – they were only doing their job, those judges, every one of whose names I could reel off.

As for the judges of 2010 Man Booker Prize, they surpass all praise. I thank them.

reel off: to say a list of things quickly and without much effort. 这是一个英国英语的用法，也许可以译成“张口就来”。

2010年的环法自行车赛今天结束。在ITV网站上，有一首由 Harry Peterson 写的诗，名为 The Peloton，由ITV的环法自行车赛解说 Phil Liggett 朗读。

“The Peloton” by Harry Peterson

Multi-hued with speed imbued the peloton advances,
And passing by provides the eye with momentary glances,
Of muscled limbs and flashing rims, shaded eyes and plastered thighs,
Mitted hands upon the bars holding on for hours and hours.

The entourage of bikes and cars are there to give support,
Through rain and sun their labours run donating what is sort,
Replacing wheels, handing drink, advising riders when they think
A change of plan could help their man to gain a lead through further speed.

The peloton streams forward with power that is driven,
By domestiques who through the weeks yield effort freely given,
To aid the team achieve their dream for which they all have striven.
No glory theirs, no podium place but they’re the force that drives the race.

The progress made is undelayed by any circumstances,
The peloton rides on and on inspite of all mischances,
So the stars will win their glory, through the help of those who ride,
In the peloton behind them and are justly filled with pride.

Toy Story 3 正在英国公映，这部片子受到广泛好评，BBC 的影评人 Mark Kermode 甚至称 Toy Story 系列是最优秀的三部曲系列－－三部都非常突出。

我想起了一个大众汽车的电影院广告系列，叫做 See Films Differently，每段都让一名貌似普通人的角色重新诠释某部著名电影，Toy Story 也是其中之一，被诠释成“男人的用处是什么”，很好玩的。

Simon Hoggart’s Week 是《卫报》的“议会写生员”(parliament sketch writer)－－专职报道议会发生的新闻和趣闻－－的周六专栏，一般是几则传闻花絮和小故事小笑话等，看起来十分轻松。

这是上周六中的一则有关英国报纸对狐狸与移民报道的相似性的精辟的观察：

Have you noticed how the coverage of urban foxes – including the ones who are thought to have horribly wounded two little girls in London – resembles what’s so often written about immigrants? They come over here, into our cities, they steal our food, they swagger down the street like hoodies, they know no fear, they ignore our way of life and the authorities seem powerless and unwilling to stop them. Do you think they might be a sort of stand-in?

另外一则是前一周上的小笑话，有关正在竞选工党领袖的 Miliband 兄弟的：

Now that David Miliband is standing for Labour leader, and we learn that his brother Ed might stand against him, it’s time to reprise the great line from Linda McDougall, the wife of Austin Mitchell MP, and a family friend of Ralph Miliband. “I’m afraid I can’t take either of the Miliband brothers seriously. I changed both their nappies.”

Operation Mincemeat 是一部军事历史小说，不过其中也有一小段浪漫故事。作者 Ben Macintyre 在讲述这一行动中的一个角色，英国海军潜艇“六翼天使号”(Seraph)的艇长 Bill Jewell 的求爱行动时，用了许多海军军事词汇，十分幽默：

Once Bill Jewell had spotted Rosemary on his emotional periscope, he pursued her with unswerving determination. p275

For two joyful weeks, he had wooed her with every weapon at his disposal: French food, an American swimming pool and a British car with doors that wouldn’t open. Rosemary was in no mind to resist, and at the end of his sustained bombardment she had sunk, unresistingly, into Lieutenant Jewell’s arms. p276

Bill Jewell 和 Rosemary Galloway 于 1944年6月结婚，在以后的54年里，“absolutley devoted to one another”。 p322

英国的 Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy 在5月7日大选投票日第二天在《卫报》上独家刊登的诗，标题是 Democracy

Here’s a boat that cannot float.

Here’s a queue that cannot vote.

Here’s a line you cannot quote.

Here’s a deal you cannot note …

and here’s a sacrificial goat,

here’s a cut, here’s a throat,

here’s a drawbridge, here’s a moat …

What’s your hurry? Here’s your coat.

今天《卫报》凌晨第二版上的头版文章，作者 Richard Williams 的开头句子是这样的：

Michael Jackson may have spent his last years mutating into an ever more freakish version of himself, eventually becoming a prize exhibit in the celebrity zoo, but under the outlandish surface was a singer who had come by his fame not via mere eccentricity or a stroke of luck, but through a genuinely remarkable talent that deserved to conquer the world.

全文：For all his flaws he was the greatest entertainer of his age.