流行美語:down with that & to pay through the nose

今天Michael和李華要出去買東西。李華會學到兩個常用語：down with that和to pay through the nose。

M: Hey, Li Hua. What do you want to do today? I don't have any special plan, so we can do whatever you want.

L: 你今天沒事幹呀？太好了，我正想去買幾件春天穿的衣服。那些舊的都已經過時了。

M: I'm down with that. I need to buy some new tennis shoes. My old ones are really gross. My roommate is threatening to throw them out.

L: 我也注意到你的球鞋了，實在不象話，怪不得你的室友要把它扔掉呢。哎，那太好了，咱們就一塊兒去買東西吧。不過，Michael，你剛才說I'm down with that。那是什麽意思呀？就是你願意去的意思嗎？

M: Yes, the expression "I'm down with that" means going shopping is okay with me and I'm willing to go.

L: 這很有意思。那要是你問我，要不要跟你一塊兒吃晚飯，我很願意的話，我能不能說：I'm down with that?

M: Yes, that would let me know that you are willing to have dinner with me. What would you say if I suggested we go to my friend's party on Saturday night.

L: 你建議我們星期六晚上上你朋友家去聚會啊。嗯，那一定很好玩，我願意去，I'm down with that。

M: Right. Now, where do you want to go shopping? There are lots of places close by.

L: 去哪兒買東西呀？學校附近有很多買東西的地方。去附近那個購物中心，好不好？

M: Okay, that's fine with me. That mall has a shoe store and it's close. Let's go.

L: Okay, I'm down with that. 我們可以搭公共汽車去，幾分鍾就到了。然後我們有一整天去買我們要買的東西。還可以在購物中心吃飯呢！

M: Okay, I'm down with that.

******

L: 哎，Michael，這家店看起來真好。我們能不能進去看看呀？我肯定他們有很好的衣服。

M: That's Neiman-Marcus. They have nice stuff, but they're really, really expensive. You have to pay through the nose to buy even a shirt there.

L: 我也猜想它們的衣服一定很貴。你說要在他們這裏買件襯衣就要pay through the nose? 東西貴和鼻子有什麽關係呀？

M: To pay through the nose is to pay a lot of money for something, usually way more than the item is worth. For instance, a shirt in a normal store costs about $40. However, a shirt in Neiman-Marcus easily costs !00. That's paying through the nose.

L: 我懂了。To pay through the nose就是用高價買一樣東西，往往要比原來的價值高很多。像普通店裏一件襯衣要40美元，在他們這裏就要200美元。可是，Michael, 我還是不懂，一個人的鼻子和錢有什麽關係呀？

M: Yeah, it is a strange expression, but that's the way it is. Do you still want to go into that store?

L: 不要，不要，我不進去了。我隻是個學生，沒那麽多錢，I can't afford to pay through the nose for things. 我啊，付不起這麽高的價錢。

M: I agree. I don't want to pay through the nose for anything either. It's stupid to waste so much money on something you can buy cheaper somewhere else.

L: 就是呀，能夠用便宜的價錢買到的東西為什麽要浪費那麽多錢去買呢？對了，Michael, 那什麽時候我們還可以用to pay through the nose這個說法的呢？

M: Well, some people are willing to pay through the nose to buy tickets to see their favorite singers.

L: 噢，花好多錢買票去聽他們喜歡的歌手唱歌。我就有幾個朋友愛買名牌的東西。她們就願意pay through the nose。

M: I don't understand paying through the nose to eat at fancy restaurants either. Food is food. Li Hua, I'm getting hungry. Can we go eat first?

L: I'm down with that. 我也有點餓了。但是，I don't want to pay through the nose.

李華今天學到了兩個常用語。一個是：down with that, 意思是"同意"，或者是"願意"。另一個是：to pay through the nose, 意思是"出高價買東西"。

(ZT)

[天澤園]

回複林貝卡的評論:
Thanks Rebecca!

Have a nice week!

[林貝卡]

I learned two new phrases today: down with that & to pay through the nose, thank you for sharing it.

Have a nice Sunday.