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08/05/2016
食言、eat words?
中文的「食言」，係話人不守承諾，沒有信用。英文是否就係eat one’s words？
不。聽上去好似好相似，但英文話一個人要食返自己說過的話，是承認之前講過的錯了、「衰咗，認低威」。所以要小心。例：
He is so wrong. He will have to eat his words. 他錯得離譜，將要承認衰。
You shouldn’t say that to me. I’ll make you eat your words. 你不應該向我說這些話，我會令你知錯，認低威。
The analyst made all the unnecessary assumptions about the election and had to eat his words. 分析家就選舉做了好些不必要的假設，於是要承認錯誤。
The chief was forced to eat his words. I think that’s cause for celebration. 阿頭被迫認衰。這個好值得慶祝。
而要話人背信棄諾、食言，英文可以講：
1. to go back on one’s word. To go back 行返轉頭，即講過的話不算數。記得word只係用單數。
如果要強調那些話是一個承諾，就直接用promise：
2. to go back on one’s promise.
The boss has gone back on his promise and decided not to give me the promotion. 老闆不守承諾，決定不給我升職。
嫌to go back on 太麻煩？可更簡潔地說：3. break a promise.
He broke his promise. 他不守承諾。
記得食言不等於eat words， 不然用錯了，可以引起很大的誤會。可見學好英文一大主打對象，係習語。千祈不要輕率地自以為是，直譯就算。
譬如說，用英文講「一步步來」？
We have to deal with this cautiously. We must do things one _____ at a time.
A. pace B. foot C. step D. yard這四個選擇，文法上個個都不會錯，字面意思似乎也差不多。但通用講法，叫人做事逐步嚟，永遠係C. one STEP at a time。
又譬如說，話人「扮」，老是自以為高高在上碰不得，英文可以係：
He thinks he’s so ________ and mighty in the hierarchy that he’s untouchable bylaw.
A. up B. powerful C. lofty D. high老老實實，四個選擇都講得通，亦不會引起任何誤解。問題是，去到習語一筆，就多數都講HIGH and mighty。
最後這個例子，就不但是習語，而且是常識了：
We have to keep our cool. We mustn’t give any ______ response.
A. arm-jerk B. heart-jerk C. knee-jerk D. neck-jerk我們要保持冷靜，一定不可以有……什麼的回應呢？
Jerk，是突然而猛然的推、拉等動作，在這話中應牽涉臂、心、膝還是頸呢？答案，你知道的吧，係C. knee-jerk 膝頭哥的反彈；指神經反射也似的反應。