迷你小贴士——词汇辨析
Macroscopic：宏观的，肉眼可见的。
Microscopic：微观的，显微镜的。
Capture Of Saddam （俘获萨达姆）
As one of my countryside relatives visiting me, I went to the kitchen quickly to prepare supper. He switched the channel unintentionally （无意）to CCTV 9, then cried out as he watched:" Americans are really terrific; they captured Einstein !" I scurried(小步快跑) back to the living room, seeing certain person in screen wearing straggling（散乱的）hair and beard. After I listen to the comment charily(谨慎小心地), so the Americans took Saddam prisoner.
从乡下来了一位亲戚，我赶忙下厨房做饭。他无意中把电视调到了中央9英语频道，看着看着，他喊了起来：“美国人真行，把爱因斯坦给逮住了！”我跑回客厅，发现屏幕上的人须发蓬乱，一听原来是美国人逮住了萨达姆。
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
charily：小心谨慎。
反义词：boldly：鲁莽，冒失。
二、有前后抵牾的，如分身、精警、杂混、奇饰、精细等
1． 分身就是把一个人，硬看成是两个人，造成形象之间的相互干涉。如：
Rockefeller’s Lodgings (洛克菲勒投宿)
Multimillionaire (大富豪)Rockefeller live in a cheapest room in New York . The Manager said:" Your son always lives in the most expensive room , how do you register the cheapest room simply?" Rockefeller clarified（澄清，阐明） his stand:" My son's father is a millionaire, but my father is not."
大富豪洛克菲勒在纽约过夜时要了一间最便宜的房间。经理说：“您儿子总是要最贵的房间，您怎么却要最便宜的房间呢？” 洛克菲勒表白说：“我儿子的父亲是百万富翁，我的父亲却不是。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
Multimillionaire ：大富豪。
millionaire ：百万富翁。
baron：大亨，工业巨头。An oil baron （石油大王）
money-bags：财主，贬义。
Biggie：大亨，俚语。
Sister Ju-ping （鞠萍姐姐）
As a children program hostess（女主人，女主持人）, Juping’s little daughter queried her a question :
" Mummy, I wonder how you are called an elder sister every time you appear on television ?"
一天， 少儿节目主持人鞠萍的小女儿问鞠萍：“妈妈，怎么你一上电视就成了姐姐了呢？”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
every time= whenever
How Will All This End ? (怎么得了)
Leonid Brezhnev constructed private villas by prodigality(挥霍), thus there were quite a few villas only on the outskirts of Moscow. One day, he fetched his mother from the country in order to let her enjoy the real benefit from the power. Unexpectedly, the elderly lady looked the villa up and down ,then from left to right, with apprehensions(恐惧，忧虑) on her face .Whilst(=while) other people were absent, she just queried in a low voice:" My son, since you have residing in so many upscale houses, what a terrible thing it would be in case the communist is at the helm(舵，领导) of the state "
勃烈日涅夫滥建私人别墅，仅在莫斯科郊外就建了好几处。一天，他把老妈从乡下请来，也让她老人家感受一下权力带来的实惠。没想到，老人家上看、下看、左看、右看，一脸的焦虑。趁别人不在，她才小声问：“孩子，你住这么多高档的房子，要是共产党执政，咱可怎么得了啊？”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
prodigality：挥霍。强调过度奢侈。
Improvidence：浪费。侧重没远见。正式语。
Spendthrift：乱花钱，挥霍者。非正式语。
Thrift：侧重不能为将来储蓄，不能节俭。但不一定乱花钱。
Waste：浪费。常用词。
再如：
Young Marx and Jenny had mutual affinity （强烈喜爱，亲和力；predilection: 偏爱）, but neither of them spoke out “I love you” precipitately（鲁莽地，仓促地；cursorily，粗略地，仓地）. One day Marx said to Jenny :“ I already have my girlfriend.” Jenny was taken aback first, then brooked no delay （迫不及待） to ask:" Is she a peach(漂亮姑娘，杰出的人)?"" Unrivalled（无比的，无对手的）." Marx took out a case and said:" You’ll know once you see her photograph ." Jenny looked into fidgetily（坐立不安） but simply found her own face like peach blossoms. So it was Marx placed a mirror inside beforehand.
Jenny finally saw the light.
参考译文：青年马克思和燕妮心心相印，但谁也没有轻易说出那三个字。一天，马克思对燕妮说：“我已经有女朋友了。”燕妮先是一愣，又迫不及待地问：“她漂亮吗？”“举世无双。”接着马克思拿出一个小盒子说：“你看看她的照片就知道了。”燕妮忐忑不安地往里一看，看到的是自己那桃花般的脸庞。原来，马克思在里面放置了一面镜子。
燕妮恍然大悟。
Zhude Poses As " Mess Cook" （朱德当“伙夫”）
During a defeated combat(战斗) in early years, the enemy soldiers howled to capture Zhude alive. Under the extremely urgent circumstances , scarcely had Zhude grabbed an apron from the kitchen and tied around his body when the swarm of enemy soldiers broke in (强行进入) . A soldier pointed at the" mess cook" asking like a fiend(恶魔，魔鬼):" Where did Zhude escape? “The " mess cook" pointed to a swampy(沼泽的) mountain ditch, saying calmly:" There." The soldiers chased(追捕，追击) after that way， all roaring.
早年有次战斗失利，敌人嚎叫着要活捉朱德。情况万分危急，朱德顺手从厨房拣起一个围裙系在身上，紧接着敌军蜂拥而至。一个士兵指着“伙夫”恶魔般地问：“朱德往哪儿跑了？”“伙夫”指着一条泥泞的山沟，从容地说：“那边。” 敌军呼啸而去。
迷你小贴士——词形辨析
无厘头记忆： fiend(魔鬼)和friend往往就差那么一点点。
Strange Bedfellows (同床一梦)
A young dissolute(=loose) couple were sleeping in the same bed in their villa, while the lady said a somniloquy(梦话) abruptly:" Oh, Here comes my husband!" The male was dismayed（惊恐，沮丧） to say:" Bless my soul! I have to escape in no time ." With the word he secreted（藏匿） himself behind the revolving clothes hanger(旋转衣架) with ease through experience.
一对花心的年轻夫妇正在自己别墅的床上一起睡觉，女的猛地说了一句梦话：“哎呀，我丈夫回来了！”男的惊慌地叫到：“不好，我得赶紧逃走。”于是轻车熟路地躲到了旋转衣架的里面。
迷你小贴士——词形辨析
dissolute：a.放荡的，无节制的。
dissoluble：a.可溶解的。
dilute：v.稀释溶液。
Epitaph (墓志铭)
A New Zealand comedian came over to a gravestone which had an inscription（碑文，铭文，题词）. It read: A rich merchant , a honest man, eternally （永久地） slept here . He shook his head saying: “Two men were actually buried in such a small place !”
有个新西兰的喜剧演员来到一块墓碑前，看到上面写着：这里长眠着一个富商，一个诚实的人。他摇摇头说：“想不到这么小的地方，竟然还埋葬着两个人。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
eternal ：永久的。指已经存在的东西，无始无终。
everlasting：永久的，永恒的。指永远在下去。
perpetual：语气强。强调持续不断的、永久的。
permanent：指在相同的地方和条件下持续下去而无改变。
forever：永久。常用词。
2． 精警就是将相互对立的两个概念别出心裁地联在一起，巧妙地表达复杂的思想。
如：The so-called Bright teahouse is not Bright whatsoever.
参考译文：所谓的光明茶楼并不光明；
Truth Is Omnipresent (真理无所不在)
Someone asked Peisistratus (a philosopher of ancient Greece):" Where the devil is the truth?"
Peisistratus elucidated (阐明，解释。正式):" The truth is ubiquitous（=omnipresent：无所不在的）."
有人问庇希特拉图(古希腊哲学家)：“真理到底在哪里？”
庇希特拉图解释说：“真理无所不在。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
ubiquitous：普遍存在的，无处不有的。尤作定语。E.g.
Ubiquitous plastic bags（到处都是塑料袋）
omnipresent：无所不在的，正式语。E.g.
Omnipresent dread （普遍存在的恐惧）
3． 杂混，就是将风马牛不相及的事情并列在一起，从违反形式逻辑中求得谐趣。
例如：人家是研究原子、电子的，侯宝林在这段相声中续：我懂，原子、电子、饺子、包子。
2006年国庆相声大赛中的《颠三倒四》
再如： A special correspondent gathered materials from an Indian who live in remote forested mountains.
“What is your hut built of ?”
“Log.”(原木)
“How about the climate? ”
“Fog.”
“Whose music do you like best?”
“Frog.”
“Where does it spread from?”
“Bog.”（泥塘）
“How do you cross that lake ?”
“Cog.”（小船）
“Who is your neighbor?”
“Wog.”（中东来的人）
“How do you use the sheepskin(绵羊毛皮)?”
“Tog.”（衣服）
“What do you live on?”
“Hog.”（公猪）
“Have you any pal?”
“Dog.”
“What’s your sports?”
“Jog.”（漫步）
“What do you drink at ordinary times?”
“Nog.”（浓啤酒）
“Why don’t you live in the metropolis ?”
“Smog.”（烟雾）
4． 奇饰，就是借助语法上偏正结构，以毫不相干的词来修饰中心词，造成奇异的感觉。
如：Modest Composers （谦虚的作曲家）
The United States composer Gershwin was well known far and wide, but he still traveled across the high seas to take Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi as his teacher.
After seeing Gershwin ,Giuseppe Verdi declined to say modestly:" You have been the first-rate Gershwin; why are you pertaining(依附，从属) to the second rate Verdi on earth?"
美国作曲家盖什文闻名遐迩，可是他仍然远渡重洋，拜意大利作曲家威尔第为师。
威尔第见到盖什文后，虚心地谢绝说：“你已经是第一流的盖什文了，何苦还要成为第二流的威尔第呢？”
把汉奸叫“二鬼子”。
5. 精细与夸张结合就显得有趣。
Roller-skating Race (轮滑比赛)
As Jinan roller-skating race was about to start, Emilia said to me:" Daddy, I’m a little nervous." I enlightened her:" Whoever attends the game feels nervous." In a short while, Emilia said to me:" Daddy, I’m still a little nervous. "I said:" The opponent（对手） feels even more nervous than you .""How do you know so?" I said:" She has gone to the toilet for three times within half an hour." Emilia was delighted and won the tertiary(第三等的，第三的) prize .
济南市轮滑比赛就要开始了，艾咪丽雅对我说：“爸爸，我有点紧张。”我开导他：“参加比赛都紧张。”过了一会儿，艾咪丽雅对我说：“爸爸，我还是有点紧张。”我说：“对手比你还紧张呢。”“你怎么知道？”我说：“还不到半小时，她已经去厕所去了三次。” 艾咪丽雅给逗乐了，比赛还得了个三等奖。
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
Opponent：对手，常用词。不含私人的恶意。
competitor：（在追求同一目标方面）对手，常用词。不含私人感情或敌意。
rival：（在追求同一目标方面）是对手，敌手。含私人感情，有不友好甚至恶意。
adversary：对手，敌人。含私人的恶意。
antagonist：对手，敌人。含恶意甚至敌意，比adversary强，可指物。
如：After it took the time of baking about 352 cakes, the soldiers appeared anyhow.
约有烙了352张大饼的工夫，这才见到许多的兵丁（鲁迅）。
Following Promotion Through (将推销进行到底)
A policeman reported to his superior:" Be sure not to interrogate the salesman who was suspected of being involved in the economic crime ."The superior asked:" Why not?" That policeman complained:" That guy has sold us two vacuums (真空，真空吸尘器)and eight dishwashers."
一个警察向上司报告：“不能再对那位涉嫌经济犯罪的推销员盘问了。”上司问：“为什么？”那警察抱怨道：“那家伙已经卖给我们两台吸尘器和八台洗碗机了。”
迷你小贴士——词义辨析
Interrogate：审问，审讯。正式语。
query：质问，询问。
question：盘问，常用词。 （编辑：赵露）
（本文作者艾临，英语副教授。出版《每天幽它一默》（译著）、《英语新大陆》两部，在《中国日报》《英语沙龙》《中国成人教育》、《英语周报》、《英语辅导报》等发表论文多篇。研究方向是词汇与幽默翻译； 喜欢诗歌、旅游、历史与国际关系，发表诗作、游记、国际观察等数百首/篇）