时髦英语口语词汇讲解第22期:gobsmacked

gobsmacked
目瞪口呆，哑口无言

English loves compound words: 'washing machine' and all that sort of thing.
英语多喜复合词，像是“洗衣机”啊这一类的。

But when you get a compound word, the two parts of the compound are usually stylistically very homogeneous, in other words, they are the same style: formal first part - formal second part, and so on.
你看到的复合词，其组成部分通常在文体上很相似。换句话说，组成复合词的两部分都具有相同的特征--第一部分是正式用语，第二部分也会是正式用语 （如果第一部分非正式，则第二部分也会如此）。

You don't usually get a compound word where the first part is a slang thing and the second part is a rather ordinary or formal thing - they don't usually mix - but gobsmacked is a perfect exception to that rule.
你很少见到这样的复合词--第一部分是俚语而第二部分是大众用语或正式用语：很少会出现混合的现象。但是，gobsmacked绝对是个例外，完全没有遵循这个规则。

To be gobsmacked - it means to be astounded, flabbergasted, speechless with amazement.
Gobsmacked的意思是“因为吃惊而目瞪口呆，哑口无言”。

And what you've got is the perfectly ordinary word 'smacked' (to smack) and a Northern word 'gob'.Gob is the Northern word for mouth.
在这个复合词里，我们看到的是一个常用词，smacked（被打耳光；掌嘴）和一个北方方言gob。Gob在方言里的意思是指“嘴巴”。

I used to live in Liverpool for many years and you'd say to people "ah, shut yer gob", you know, and it simply means, mouth.
我曾经在利物浦生活过很多年，我们会说“闭上你的臭嘴（shut your gob）!” ，是的，gob就是指“嘴巴”。

So, to be 'gobsmacked' is to be struck dumb as if by a smack in the face.
一个人变得“gobsmacked”是说这个人像是被打了一个大耳瓜子，蒙了。

Now, it's got a more general use these days than just in the North.
现在这个词不单只在北方城市里才被提到，它在其它一些地方也变得极其流行起来。

I've heard it used throughout the South of England - I've heard it used abroad; it's now very widely used to be gobsmacked.
在英国的南方城市我听到过；甚至是在国外我也听到过。现在“目瞪口呆”的现象已经变得很普遍了。

Now, why? Because it became a very fashionable expression by people on television, not everybody on television, I'm thinking especially of people like sports personalities having a terrible day, something horrible happens: footballers in particular are always saying that they're gobsmacked at something happening.
为什么？因为电视上的人物经常会摆出这么一副样子。当然并不是每个电视上出现的人会这样，我觉得，体育明星（特别是在不顺心的日子里）会较多遭遇gobsmacked：特别是足球运动员，当倒霉的事情发生的时候（例如输了比赛），他们总是会表现出一副“gobsmacked”的表情。