《神探夏洛克》(Sherlock)已經(jīng)播完四季。與前三季一樣,這一季中獨特的英式幽默依然是一大亮點。下面就讓我們來一起看一看吧!
在第四季第三集中,Sherlock的妹妹Eurus (編注:是個反派)給哥哥連出了幾道難題,其中一道與Molly (編注:喜歡Sherlock的一個??漆t(yī)生)有關(guān)。Sherlock必須在規(guī)定時間內(nèi)讓Molly在電話里說出“I love you”三個詞,不然Eurus就會引爆安在Molly家的炸彈。這是一件生死攸關(guān)的事情,即便這句話再難以啟齒,Sherlock也會盡力辦到。但這時令人尷尬的事情發(fā)生了:Molly不接電話!
下面是節(jié)選的片段,括號內(nèi)是人物的動作,讓我們跟隨語境,一起回到那尷尬的時刻吧!
(Phone rings.)
(Molly notices it but doesn't pick up the phone. Instead, she starts to make tea.)
Sherlock: What's she doing?
John: She's making tea1.
Sherlock: Yes, but why isn't she answering her phone?
John: You never answer your phone.
Sherlock: Yes, but it's ME calling.
Recorder: Hi, this is Molly at the Dead Centre of town. Leave a message.
Eurus: Okay, okay. Just one more time.
John: Go on Molly, pick up. Just bloody2 pick up.
(Phone rings.)
(Molly is still squeezing the lemon and making tea. Finally, she wipes her hands and goes for the phone.)
【詞匯表達(dá)】
1
Make tea意思是泡茶。Make是個萬能詞,但凡需要用手完成的動作大都可以用make表示,如make coffee、make a fire、make the bed (鋪床)。
2
Bloody是英國人酷愛用的“臟話”,意思是“該死的,討厭的”,常用于生氣時加強語氣。例如:Bloody hell! (見鬼?。┯袝r它也用作語氣副詞。例如:① He's bloody awful. (他這人太差勁了。) ② It works bloody well! (太好用了!)此外,bloody作為blood的派生詞,也有“血腥的,殘酷的”之意。西方有一種雞尾酒(cocktail)就叫做“血腥瑪麗(Bloody Mary)”。
【幽你一默】英式幽默是一種黑色幽默,它往往以強烈的諷刺和自嘲為主題,并且把情緒藏在表面之下,沒有夸張的表情,幽默得高冷,幽默得隱晦。在這么緊要的關(guān)頭,編劇卻插了這么一段情節(jié),真是讓人哭笑不得!這里就很有“英式幽默”的味道——看來泡茶比生命重要??!不過,英國人的茶也是一個老梗了,在西方的影視作品里也常有描寫情勢緊急、場面混亂,但英國人還在淡定喝茶這樣極具諷刺性的畫面。
Sherlock的傲嬌想必大家在前三季已經(jīng)領(lǐng)略,在第四季中,他可謂傲嬌到了巔峰,連John也不禁表現(xiàn)出不滿了。就在John邀請Sherlock給孩子做教父的時候,Sherlock的反應(yīng)真讓人咬牙切齒。不過John機(jī)智地諷刺了他一把,也算是出了一口氣!
John: Molly, Mrs. Hudson, we would love you to be godparents.
Mrs. Hudson: Wow (excited)!
Molly: Really?!
Mrs. Hudson: That's so lovely1!
John: And—you too, Sherlock?
Sherlock: You too what?
John: Godfather, we'd like you to be godfather.
Sherlock: God is a ludicrous (可笑的) fiction2, dreamt up by inadequates3 who abnegate (放棄) all responsibility to an invisible magic friend.
John: Yeah, but there'll be cake. Will you do it?
Sherlock: I'll get back to4 you.
【詞匯表達(dá)】
1
Lovely意思是“可愛的,漂亮的”,還可以表達(dá)“令人愉悅的”。它常用在口語中,用作對對方提議的一種回應(yīng),比如:That's so lovely. (太好了。)不過,該詞在口語中還可以用于諷刺,表達(dá)相反的意思,即“一點也不美好的”,例如:You've made a lovely mess in here. (你把這里搞得一團(tuán)糟了。)endprint
2
Fiction指“虛構(gòu)”,是truth、fact的反義詞。例如:① In the story, truth was interwoven with fiction. (這篇故事中,真實與虛構(gòu)交織在一起。) ② Don't braid fact with fiction. (別將事實與虛構(gòu)混為一談。)在上面的臺詞中,Sherlock形容上帝是一種可笑的(ludicrous)虛構(gòu),在現(xiàn)實中并不存在。除此之外,fiction也可以作名詞指“小說”,例如:science fiction (簡稱sci-fi,科幻小說)、horror fiction (恐怖小說)、fantasy fiction (奇幻小說)。
3
Inadequate本來是形容詞,指“不充足的;不夠的”“不夠格的;不能勝任的”,這里是用作名詞,指“無能的人,弱者”。Inadequate意為“不夠的”時,通常與介詞for連用,例如:However, we recognize that such an answer is inadequate for some corporations. (然而,我們發(fā)現(xiàn)這樣的回答對于某些企業(yè)來說是不夠的。)也可以用來表達(dá)人的能力不夠,例如:She felt painfully inadequate in the crisis. (她意識到自己在這場危機(jī)中無能為力,感到很痛苦。)
4
Get back to sb.在口語中十分常用,意思是“to phone, write, or speak to someone at a later time because you were busy or could not answer their question earlier”,即“過會兒再給某人回電話或聊天等”。例如:I'll think about it and get back to you this afternoon. (我要再考慮一下,今天下午回復(fù)你。)
【幽你一默】在這段對話中,英式幽默最能體現(xiàn)在John最后的問話上:“Yeah, but there'll be cake. Will you do it? (是啊,不過會有蛋糕的。你去嗎?)”這句話非常具有諷刺意味,與前面Sherlock一臉傲嬌、大言不慚地對God做出一番不屑一顧的評論形成了鮮明的對比。John對Sherlock的了解可謂非常之深,一句cake就讓傲嬌的Sherlock妥協(xié)了。John說出的這句像是哄小孩的話讓人忍俊不禁,充分體現(xiàn)了英式幽默的諷刺性。
“一視同仁”本是褒義詞,形容對人同樣看待,不分厚薄,沒有偏心。但是Sherlock的“一視同仁”可有些古怪。第四季第一集中John的妻子Mary生下了女兒,John請房東太太Mrs. Hudson和Molly做教母,邀請Sherlock做教父。John對Sherlock情意深厚,Sherlock卻是個缺心眼的家伙,這個不走心的教父在嬰兒的受洗儀式上,先是不記得孩子的名字,再是用手機(jī)給別人發(fā)短信不小心放出了令人尷尬的語音,全程讓人十分無語。讓我們回到這個場景,一起來看看以自我為中心的Sherlock到底做了些什么。
Priest: Father, we ask you to send your blessings1 on this water and sanctify (使……圣潔) it for our use this day. In Christ's name. Now what name have you given your daughter?
Mary: Rosamund Mary.
Sherlock: (Typing on the phone) Rosamund?
Molly: It means "rose of the world". Rosie for short (縮寫). Didn't you get John's text?
Sherlock: No. I delete his texts. I delete any text that begins "Hi."
Molly: No idea2 why people think you're incapable3 of human emotion. (Muffles) Phone!
(Sherlock hides his phone behind his back but is still typing.)
Priest: Now godparents, are you ready to help the parents of this child in their duties as Christian parents?
Mrs. Hudson & Molly: (Immediately) We are.
(Molly elbowes Sherlock, and his phone incautiously plays the recording: "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Please repeat the question.")
【詞匯表達(dá)】
1
Blessing意為“幸事;福氣;祈?!保鋭釉~形式為bless,意為“為……祈求上帝保佑”,在口語中十分常用。比如,如果你身邊有人打噴嚏,就可以對他說:“Bless you!”
2
No idea除了“沒有想法”之外,還有“難怪,怪不得”的意思,和no wonder類似。例如:No wonder/idea why people feel so depressed about their lives. (怪不得人們對自己的人生感到如此沮喪。)
3
Incapable是capable (有能力的)的反義詞,表示“沒有能力的”,常用搭配是be incapable of。例如:She is incapable of discerning right from wrong. (她不能分辨是非。)
【幽你一默】嬰兒洗禮在西方社會是一個神圣的儀式,人借著洗禮而脫離罪惡。當(dāng)牧師問出“Are you ready ...”的時候,作為教父的Sherlock理應(yīng)立刻回答道“I am”。但Sherlock可沒把它當(dāng)回事兒,依然在用手機(jī)發(fā)信息斷案,此時手機(jī)誤播的語音“Sorry, I didn't catch that. Please repeat the question. (對不起,我沒聽清。請重復(fù)您的問題。)”頓時讓全場鴉雀無聲。此處劇情的安排和上文的泡茶事件很相似,通過強烈的反差來表達(dá)幽默。另外,現(xiàn)場人物的表現(xiàn)也很英式幽默。Sherlock一臉“發(fā)生了什么我不知道”的表情,而在場的其他人也沒有流露出失望、生氣的神情,更沒有開口指責(zé),而是若有所思、意味深長地品味著現(xiàn)場尷尬的空氣,仿佛在圍觀一件神奇的事情。沒有直接的感情流露,這也是英式幽默的特點之一。
由于篇幅限制,分享就到這里。英式幽默那種含蓄的笑點是需要細(xì)心才能體會到的,它不像美劇那樣感情直白奔放,而是時常讓你笑不出聲來,但是又由衷地覺得有趣。它可能是一種諷刺,或是一種滑稽的對比,或者只是演員的一個動作,一個眼神。這種低調(diào)奢華的幽默,恐怕非英式莫屬了吧!
作者簡介:
朱辰蕾,北京新東方學(xué)校優(yōu)能中學(xué)酷學(xué)酷玩夏/冬令營詞匯魔鬼速記營教師,擅長運用聯(lián)想法和溯源法,幫助學(xué)生科學(xué)記單詞。
各位親愛的T粉:
本期精美微電子刊“賞美食,學(xué)英語”內(nèi)含九篇有關(guān)美食英語的文章,可掃右側(cè)二維碼下載,也可通過以下方式獲?。?/p>
①電腦下載,鏈接:http://download.dogwood.com.cn/qkpdf/teens/1711.pdf
②加入TEENS讀者QQ群(群號:205334629),在“群文件”——“雜志福利”中下載
下期將會為大家奉上“閑話英語史”,也歡迎小伙伴們推薦自己感興趣的主題哦~~endprint