又中又英—Can’t Make Head or Tail Of

作者：Alice的学习笔记

原文

There are several English expressions that only people in countries which use them know what they mean. People outside these countries usually can’t make head or tail of what the expressions are. One such expression is across the pond. It is used mostly by people in the US and Britain. People who are not Americans or British usually can’t make head or tail of the expression. Even some people in the US and Britain can’t make head or tail of it because it is not widely used. If you can’t make head or tail of something, it means you can’t understand it at all. I explained the expression “across the pond” some years ago.

A pond is a small area of water, usually man-made. But the “pond” in “across the pond” means the Atlantic Ocean which separates the coasts of the US and Britain. The Atlantic Ocean is, of course, not a pond but the expression is used in a humorous and friendly way to show the close relationship between the US and Britain even though the two countries are geographically separated by an ocean. Last week, Australian Prime minister Scott Morrison used the expression “across the ditch” when he went to New Zealand for talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The expression is similar to “across the pond” but refers to the Tasman Sea which separates Australia and New Zealand.

Although the Tasman Sea is much smaller than the Atlantic Ocean, it is not a pond. The word “ditch” has several meanings but used this way it means the Tasman Sea. Like “across the pond”, the expression “across the ditch” emphasizes the close relationship between Australia and New Zealand. It is used mostly by people in Australia and New Zealand. When Australians travel to New Zealand, they say they are going “across the ditch ”or “over the ditch”. New Zealanders say the same when they travel to Australia. Most other people can’t make head or tail of the expression.

单词、短语

• can't make head or tail of
  弄不清某事物，不能理解某事物。
     I couldn't make head nor tail of what he was saying.
     我弄不懂他在说些什么。

• across the pond
  在大西洋的另一边（指美国或英国），英文解释为：on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the US or in Britain。
     my cousins from across the pond……
     我那从大西洋彼岸来的表亲

• across the ditch
  ditch原意是指 （在田边、路边等处挖的）沟，渠：

而本文中的ditch指的是Tasman Sea（塔斯曼海），它是澳大利亚与新西兰之间一片宽约2000公里的海洋。与across the pond意思类似，都是形容两国之间的亲密关系。

翻译

有几个英文习语，只有用它们的国家的人才会知道其意思，那些国家以外的人，通常完全搞不懂（can’t make head or tail of）那些习语。其中一个这样的习语就是across the pond，主要是美国和英国的人在用。若非美国人或英国人，听到这个习语通常都会摸不着头脑（can’t make head or tail of）；就连某些美国和英国的人都不大理解（can’t make head or tail of）此习语，因为它不是那么广泛使用。若你can’t make head or tail of something，意即你对某事一头雾水，完全弄不懂其意思。我好些年前就曾解释过“across the pond”这个习语。

A pond就是一个小池塘，多是人工造成的。但“across the pond”里的“pond”却是指分隔美国与英国海岸的大西洋。大西洋当然不是一个小池塘（pond），但这个习语语带幽默又亲切，用来表示美国与英国的密切关系，即使在地理上两国中间隔着个海洋。上星期，当澳洲总理史葛‧莫里森要到访新西兰，跟新西兰总理杰辛达‧阿德恩会谈时，就用上了习语“across the ditch”。这个习语跟“across the pond”大同小异，只是它所指的是分隔澳洲与新西兰的塔斯曼海。

即使塔斯曼海比大西洋要小，它也不是一个池塘。“Ditch”有许多意思，但在这里它指的是塔斯曼海。正如“across the pond”，习语“across the ditch”强调了澳洲跟新西兰的紧密关系，通常是澳洲和新西兰的人会用。当澳洲人要到新西兰旅游时，便会说他们将要“across the ditch”或“over the ditch”；相反新西兰人要去澳洲时，也会这样说。许多其他地方的人听到这个习语也会一头雾水（can’t make head or tail of）。

原文作者：Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
中文翻译：七刻

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