表达

each kid peeling off and going their separate way when we reached their house.

peel off

1. To remove (an article of clothing that fits snugly).剥去，褪下紧身的衣服，尤指把里面外翻

例如She peeled off her gloves.她褪下手套。

2. To break away from a group in motion, especially to leave flight formation in order to land an aircraft or make a dive.

3. To leave or depart, especially in a hurry.

这里是第三个意思。

延伸：peel out    To leave quickly, especially by accelerating a vehicle so that the tires spin

例如  peel out of the driveway.

We’d walk together until we got where we needed to go, and then we’d part ways.

part ways     To part ways, 意思是分开，分手，分道扬镳。 

例如 The celebrity couple parted ways recently. 这对明星伴侣最新分手了。

He never parts ways with his laptop, even on vacations. 他去哪都要带着手提电脑，渡假期间也不例外。

Microwave health effects is a juncture where Department of Defense and environmental concerns collide and part ways.微波对健康的影响是国防部和环保支持者两者的矛盾和分歧之焦点。

延伸：名词用法  Parting of the ways, I think, old chap.老伙计，我们该分道扬镳了。

We stood undecided at a parting of the ways where a forest path forked.

我们站在进森林的叉路口犹豫不决。

She could time the traffic lights so we could coast through intersections without using the brakes or losing momentum.

这里的time是它作为动词的其中一个意思，这里意思选择…的时机:

[often passive] to arrange to do sth or arrange for sth to happen at a particular time

例如 She timed her arrival for shortly after 3.她定在 3 点钟刚过到达。

Their request was badly timed (= it was made at the wrong time).他们的要求提得不合时宜。

coast  （车辆熄火后或不用动力)靠惯性滑行 If a vehicle coasts somewhere, it continues to move there with the motor switched off, or without being pushed or pedalled.

例如  I switched off the engine and coasted round the corner.我熄掉引擎，靠惯性转过弯去。

They picked up momentum, then slipped into neutral and coasted quietly down the slope.

他们加大油门，再切入空挡，随后没大响动地滑下山坡。

She said it so matter-of-factly that I had no idea how to process it.

not showing feelings or emotion, especially in a situation when emotion would be expected:

例如 He spoke in a very matter-of-fact way about the accident.

People would pitch up and offer to help.

pitch up  British English spoken    to arrive somewhere

近义词  turn up

例如 Wait a bit longer – Bill hasn’t pitched up yet.

积累句子或搭配

I’d found my niche.

Then I mustered up all of my courage and turned to her.

Which would piss off the kids behind me because it was basically cutting the line.插队

想法

 As the outsider, you can retreat into a shell, be anonymous, be invisible. Or you can go the other way. You protect yourself by opening up. You don’t ask to be accepted for everything you are, just the one part of yourself that you’re willing to share. For me it was humor. I learned that even though I didn’t belong to one group, I could be a part of any group that was laughing. I’d drop in, pass out the snacks, tell a few jokes. I’d perform for them. I’d catch a bit of their conversation, learn more about their group, and then leave. I never overstayed my welcome. I wasn’t popular, but I wasn’t an outcast. I was everywhere with everybody, and at the same time I was all by myself.

因为种种原因，在中学里Trevor不属于任何一个小团体，却成为了在哪个小团体都能进入交谈的变色龙。不仅仅因为他后来成为了一个聪明的tuck shop guy，更多的是因为他的幽默。

这也是他作为一个脱口秀喜剧演员擅长的吧，原来从小就展现出来了。整本书也能感觉到呢！

幽默能化解好多尴尬和无趣哪！甚至让我想起Eric之前发的一篇的有关Youtube红人Ryan Higan的推文呢，通过幽默，更多的是搞笑，让他免于欺负。Ryan Higan初中的时候在学校里没有什么朋友，在班级中年龄最小，成绩拔尖，还有一副少有亚洲人的面孔，结果他成为了被欺负的对象。他一开始很伤心难过，然而有天他突然想通了：欺负他的人之所以欺负他，是因为他们的欺凌行为可以让旁观者发笑。他人的发笑可以让他们觉得自己是受欢迎的。于是反过来想，想不被欺负，该怎么做呢？后来他开始练习搞笑的本领，用幽默和自嘲拯救了自己。

看来，幽默的人多数都是智慧的啊！