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25/11/2013
由「唧牙膏」說起
香港的政治語言不算豐富，像批評政府的話，來去這裏一句「搬龍門」，那裏一句「唧牙膏」。老老實實，聽得開始生厭。
話說記者問政府攞料之煩，官方公開資訊之慢、之「逐啲嚟」， bit by bit， 似唧牙膏。唧，書面語是擠。英文係：
The official information release process is like “squeezing toothpaste”. 看， squeezing toothpaste 要用” ” 括起，可知不是通用語，不是尋常的英文。
許多人或會誤會，唧牙膏這個比喻——而牙膏源自西方——該就是譯自英文？不是呢。英文不興這樣的講法。
Squeeze，確可以與資訊掛鈎。像：He just won’t talk. You have to squeeze the information out of him. 他就是不肯開口，你去擠他，把話擠出來。
但就跟擠牙膏無關了。一句：
The toothpaste is out of the tube. 牙膏已給擠出來了。這句話等於「潑出去了的水」，指覆水難收，情况已沒得挽回；亦近似指spilled milk， 「倒瀉了的牛奶」。
習語說，Don’t cry over spilled milk，是叫人不要為米已成炊的事煩惱， not to get upset over what cannot be undone。相反，當世樂觀的人會答： I’ll wait for the milk to become cheese! 我就等那些牛奶變芝士！
英文講Don’t squeeze me like toothpaste，別把我像牙膏般擠揑。一般跟拿取資料、透露信息等都無關，是說「不要壓迫我」。
而西方人就牙膏的引用， 有toothpaste personality，唧牙膏看性格。你是由頭開始擠的？閣下屬stubborn、頑固一族；由中間唧起，就給歸類impulsive、衝動派；由尾開始按，就是thrifty、孤寒幫了。各有各講，或不必深究。
政府放料似唧牙膏，逐啲逐啲，一點一滴地？
The government drip-feeds information!