Mary: Hi, Anthony. I’ve been thinking about you.
Anthony: I’ve been thinking about you, too.
Mary: I’m glad we’re finally dating.
Anthony: Me, too. Ever since we met, I’ve been as happy as a clam.
Mary: How sweet! I think I could…
Anthony: What? Love me?
Mary: No! I said, I think I could go for a seafood dinner. When you said you were as happy as a clam, it made me hungry.
瑪 麗:嗨,安東尼!我一直想著你。
安東尼:我也一直在想妳。
瑪 麗:真高興我們終於約會了。
安東尼:我也是。自從我們認識以來,我一直都開心得不得了。
瑪 麗:你嘴巴真甜!我想我可以⋯⋯
安東尼:怎樣?愛我嗎?
瑪 麗:不是啦!我是說,我想晚上可以來頓海鮮大餐。你剛說你跟蛤蠣一樣開心,害我聽了肚子都餓了!
俚語精解
clam 是指『蛤蠣』, as happy as a clam 字面上的意思就是『跟蛤蠣一樣開心』
其實這個俚語完整的說法是 as happy as a clam at high tide(像漲潮時的蛤蠣一樣快樂),high tide 就是『漲潮』。蛤蠣跟開心有什麼關係呢?人們通常在退潮時才會去海灘撿蛤蠣,所以漲潮時的蛤蠣既不用擔心有生命危險,又可以飽食海中的浮游生物,當然很開心。沿用到後來 at high tide 被省略了,所以就用 as happy as a clam 來形容一個人開心得不得了。
像是瑪麗跟安東尼要結婚了,瑪麗的老爸、老媽看到女兒終於嫁出去,而且又收到一大筆聘金,兩個人笑得合不攏嘴,鄰居老王看了就不禁對他們說:
You look as happy as a clam.
= You look very happy.
(你們看起來真是快樂似神仙啊!)
除了蛤蠣之外,我們還可以用 on cloud nine 來形容開心的感覺
cloud 是『雲』,on cloud nine 照字面上的意思是指『在九重雲霄上』,九重雲霄非常高,靠近充滿喜悅又快樂的天堂,所以 on cloud nine 就可以用來形容一個人『開心無比』。
瑪麗的老媽在聽到老王說他們像蛤蠣一樣開心時,就可以回答:
We were on cloud nine when they decided to get married.
(他們決定結婚時,我們開心極了!)
另外,walk on air 也能形容開心的感覺
walk on air 字面上的意思是『在空中漫步』。一個人『樂歪』時,不是常會有飄飄然彷彿可以飛起來的感覺嗎?
新娘子瑪麗當然是最開心、最興奮的人了,這時候她就可以跟辛帝講:
I’ve been walking on air ever since he proposed to me.
(他跟我求婚後,到現在我還是飄飄然的。)
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