有時候儘管你認識一個短語的每一個詞，但你未必知道這個短語的真正含義。下面這些美國短語的實際意思都和字面意思相差甚遠，讓外國人一頭霧水。
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Shoot the breeze 閒扯
When Americans "shoot the breeze," they talk about unimportant things for a long time.
如果美國人shoot the breeze，他們會長時間地說一些雞毛蒜皮的事情。
This phrase pertains to late-19th-century slang when "breeze" meant "rumor." By the 1910s, the windy word came to mean "empty chatter."
這一短語和19世紀末期的一個俚語有關，當時breeze有謠言的意思。到20世紀10年代，breeze的意思就變成了「空談、廢話」。
Ballpark figure 約略的數字
"Ballpark figure" is a sports-related phrase.
Ballpark figure是一個和體育有關的短語。
No, a "ballpark figure" isn't a synonym for "baseball player." It's actually a financial term referring to a rough numerical estimate.
不，ballpark figure不是baseball player（棒球選手）的同義詞。實際上，它是一個金融詞語，指的是估算出的大概數字。
Sounds like a broken record 一遍又一遍地重複
If someone "sounds like a broken record," they are probably repeating themselves. When a record is broken, it repeats the same line over and over again.
如果某人sounds like a broken record（聽起來像一張破唱片），意思是他們在重複自己的觀點。一張唱片壞掉時，它會一遍又一遍地重複同一句歌詞。
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A bat out of hell 飛速移動的人或物
If someone is moving extremely fast, they are called "a bat out of hell."
如果某人移動得非常迅速，他們就被稱為a bat out of hell（來自地獄的蝙蝠）。
People use "a bat out of hell" when someone or something is moving especially fast. Since bats typically like the dark and avoid light, they would fly quickly away from hell that is presumably lit by flames. The saying became so popular that American singer Meat Loaf titled one of his most famous songs "Bat Out of Hell."
人們用a bat out of hell來形容飛速移動的人或物。因為蝙蝠喜黑避光，所以它們會飛快地逃離火焰地獄。這一說法非常流行，美國歌手密特·勞弗最著名的一首歌就叫《來自地獄的蝙蝠》。
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It's not rocket science 這很好懂
When something is easy to understand, they might say "it's not rocket science."
如果某事很容易理解，美國人就會說it's not rocket science（這不是火箭科學），意思是這不是高深的事。
This phrase, which gained popularity in the 1980s towards the end of the Cold War, refers to when something isn't that difficult to understand.
這個短語是在20世紀80年代冷戰末期流行起來的，用來形容那些不難理解的事物。
For the birds 微不足道
If something is trivial or worthless, Americans say it's "for the birds." The phrase was first used as US army slang during World War II.
如果事物微不足道或沒有價值，美國人會說這是for the birds（給鳥吃的）。二戰期間美軍最早開始使用這個俚語。
Behind the eight ball 處於困境中
When Americans say they're "behind the eight ball," it means they're in a difficult position.
如果美國人說他們behind the eight ball，意思是他們處境困難。
Dating to the 1930s, this Americanism refers to the game of pool. A player positioned behind the eight ball cannot hit it.
這個短語要追溯到20世紀30年代，在當時的美國英語中這是一個撞球術語。如果你的球在8號球後面，那選手就很難出擊。（因為8號球提前落袋就算輸）
The cat's out of the bag 秘密洩露
If "the cat's out of the bag," it means you've revealed a secret.
如果the cat's out of the bag（貓從袋子裡出來了），意思是你洩露了秘密。
This idiom first appeared with its current meaning in a London book review from 1760. Upset about a spoiler alert, the reviewer wrote, "We could have wished that the author had not let the cat out of the bag."
這個習語首次以這個含義出現是在1760年的一篇倫敦書評中。當時因為劇透而感到失望的評論家寫道：「我們多希望作者沒有劇透。」
Table an item 擱置議題
When Americans "table an item," they set it aside for consideration later.
當美國人table an item時，他們會將其擱置在一旁，以後再考慮。
In British and Commonwealth English, this phrase has the opposite meaning. If you table something (i.e. a proposal) in countries such as the UK and Ireland, you're considering a decision rather than postponing it.
在英國和大英國協國家的英語中，這個短語的意思則相反。如果你在英國和愛爾蘭等國家table一個議案，意思不是推遲，而是商討出一個決議。
In the US, however, when a topic is "tabled," that typically means that it's postponed, or it will sit there on the metaphorical table until it can be discussed at a later date. To make things even more confusing, the phrase "on the table" in America could mean that something is up for discussion.
然而，在美國，如果一個議題被tabled，通常指這個議題被延後或擱置，以後再討論。更讓人困惑的是，on the table這個短語在美國的意思是「提到議程上」。
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Jump on the bandwagon 隨大流
When you "jump on the bandwagon," you're joining a popular activity or supporting a popular cause.
當你jump on the bandwagon時，你要參加一個流行的活動或支持一個熱門事業。
In the 19th century, American showman and circus owner PT Barnum coined the term "bandwagon," which referred simply to the wagon that carried the circus band.
19世紀，美國演出團和馬戲團老闆P·T·巴納姆造了bandwagon這個詞，指的是馬戲團乘坐的四輪馬車。
Noting that parades were an effective way to attract attention, politicians took a page from the circus workers' book and began incorporating bandwagons into their campaign strategies.
發現遊行是吸引注意力的有效方式後，政客們借鑑馬戲團的做法，開始把花車納入競選策略中。
But it was Teddy Roosevelt who helped cement the figurative phrase in the American lexicon, when, in 1899, he referenced political bandwagons in a letter he wrote.
不過，確立這個短語在美國詞彙中比喻用法的是西奧多·羅斯福。1899年，他在一封信中提到了政治花車。
Nosebleed section 最差的座位
If you're sitting in the "nosebleed section," you're seated in the highest (and cheapest) seats of an arena or performance space.
如果你坐在nosebleed section（流鼻血的區域），你坐在場館或劇院中最高也是最便宜的座位上。
This phrase refers to the fact that high altitudes can cause nosebleeds. In the UK, the highest seats at a theater are known as "the gods."
這一短語影射的事實是高緯度會讓人流鼻血。在英國，劇院中最高處的座位被稱作「神座」。
Throw someone under the bus 出賣
If someone "throws you under the bus," they're betraying you for their own advancement.
如果某人throws you under the bus（把你從公交車扔下去），意思是他們為了自己的晉升而出賣你。
This idiom might have evolved from a few British expressions from the 1970s, such as "fall under a bus" or "go under a bus."
這個習語可能源自20世紀70年代的幾個英式表達，比如fall under a bus或go under a bus（掉到公交車下）。
英文來源：內幕網
翻譯&編輯：丹妮
亞洲浪潮，博鰲視野
「立足亞洲，面向世界」
傳遞論壇最新動態，促進亞洲深度合作
全球重要對話的傳達者，亞洲共同發展的瞭望者。