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[谐趣英文] Today's Tip  今日之奖/讲

　

文:董更懂　图：林凯婷

念音【TT4】

They vowed to have no more rows, since they were rowing the same boat now.  But when one of them said, “A rower does not row for pay, just as a mower does not mow for hay,” another of them said, “Right, and a doter does not become a doter because he has a daughter, just as a daw does not become a daw because he has a little dough,” and a third of them added, “Right. The daw with a maw is a daw without a flaw, but the daw with a flaw is a daw without a maw.”  Will such saws lead them to rows again?  I really don't know.

〔中译〕 他们发誓不要再有争吵，既然他们现在正在划同一条船。可是，当他们其中之一说「划船者，不为报酬而划，犹如割草者不为干草而割」时，他们之另一人说：「对，而溺爱者不是因为有女儿而变成溺爱者，犹如穴乌 (呆瓜) 不是因为有一点面团 (金钱) 而变成穴乌 (呆瓜)。」而他们之第三个补充说：「对。有素囊的穴乌是没有缺陷的穴乌，可是有缺陷的呆瓜是没有素囊的呆瓜。」如此的格言会导致他们再争吵吗？我真的不知道。

〔注解〕

1. vow (发誓) 与 row (争吵) 都是与 now 同韵，有 /au/ 音。

2. row (划)、mow (割)、rower (划船者)、mower (割草者) 都与 know ㄧ样有 /o/ 韵。

3. pay：付款、酬劳。  hay：干草。 这两字互相押韵。

4. dote：溺爱。  doter (溺爱者) 念 ，有别于 daughter 。

5. daw ：穴乌 (鸦类：= jackdaw)，另指「呆子」或「饶舌者」。

6. dough /do/：面团，俚语另指「金钱」。

7. maw ：(鸟类之) 素囊。 flaw：缺陷。 saw：格言。