例句-2:Just for laughs these guys threw Mary into the pool with all her clothes on. But she didn't know how to swim. So I had to jump in and pull her out before she drowned.
这些人为了自己逗笑,竟然不顾他人的生命安危。这真是把自己的欢乐建筑在他人痛苦之上的行为,所以这段话里的just for laughs意思是就是为了取笑,而且往往是带有恶意的取笑。
我们再学一个习惯用语: laugh out of the other side of your mouth。让我们听个例子来体会习惯用语laugh out of the other side of your mouth是什么意思。他说的是一钱如命的Bill自作聪明地问一个人低价买进一辆汽车。
例句-3:Bill thought he got a real bargain because the car was half the normal price. Now he's laughing out of the other side of his mouth. The police came to tell him the car was stolen. So he loses both the car and the money.
刚才说过Bill是一钱如命的家伙。起初买了便宜货想必得意扬扬,但是后来面临这种赔了夫人又折兵的局面,他必定会捶胸顿足、懊丧万分。可见laugh out of the other side of his mouth这个习惯用语是用来描绘这种乐极生悲的局面的。它的含义是意外打击使人哭笑不得、转喜为忧。
刚才的习惯用语使人连想起一句老话: 别高兴得太早。人们常规劝别人说: 得意莫忘形,失意别消沉。英语里有一句习惯用语有类似的含义,这个习惯用语是: have the last laugh。 Have the last laugh看来意思很明白,就是笑在最后,谁能在最后笑呢?当然是取得最终胜利的一方,所以have the last laugh说的是获得最后胜利。我们来听个例子。
例句-4:The boys thought they had tricked the girls by locking them in the kitchen. But the girls had the last laugh when the boys got hungry and realized they couldn't get into the kitchen for food.