懶惰是人類的天性,因此才總有人會在工作時「划水」。
「划水」,本意是指「用胳膊劃的動作(make strokes with one’s arms)」,延伸為「偷懶、怠工(work less hard than you usually do or should do)」,可以用「slack」表示。
這個詞起初用於形容偷懶的船夫,當其他船夫在認真划船時,他們會渾水摸魚把槳從一邊撥到另一邊(boatmen who would half-heartedly splash their oars from side to side while their colleagues did the actual rowing),後來延伸到工作和學習領域。
例句:
那個女團成員舞蹈動作都忘了,明顯是在划水。
That band member forgot all her dance moves. She is definitely slacking.
如果有人上班划水,比爾就會嚴厲地加以斥責。
If someone slacks off, Bill comes down hard.