时髦英语口语词汇讲解第39期:Smirt! 借个火!

Some people still smoke (actually, I'm one of them!) - it's becoming less common since different bans came in in different countries, but it's still something that a lot of people do.
有些人仍然会抽烟（事实上，我也是其中之一）——尽管这已经不是很常见，因为不同的国家都颁发了不同的禁令。但是，很多人仍然会抽烟。

Of course, these days in many countries you can't smoke inside office buildings, banks and post offices, so you'll often see smokers standing outside having a quick cigarette.
当然，现在在很多国家，你是不苛刻在办公大楼、银行、以及邮局里面抽烟。也就是说，大家不会经常看到人们站在外面匆忙地抽烟。

But did you know that we often meet our partners in the workplace?
但是，大家知道我们总是在工作的地方遇到我们的伴侣是吧？

And what better place to break the ice with the partner of your dreams than outside on the pavement while you're both smoking?
还有什么会比抽着香烟时在人行道上遇见同样在吸烟的梦中情人更好的事情了？

A short period in which to get to know each other and check your compatibility.
在这一小段时间里，你们得尝试着了解彼此看是否能相处得来。

In short, a place to flirt with potential partners.
简言之，这可是个可以与有可能跟你过一辈子的人搭讪的场合。

And that's where we get the verb 'to smirt' - a portmanteau (a blend) of the words 'smoke' and 'flirt' - a kind of social pastime for smokers.
这样就产生了动词Smirt——混合词（portmanteau/blend），来源单词smoke和flirt（抽烟的时候利用借打火机的机会跟异性搭讪）——这有点像是抽烟者之间的一种人际交往。

So next time you pass an office building in winter and you see the smokers outside, don't feel too sorry for them standing there in the cold - they're probably having a great time smirting with each other.
那，冬季你经过什么办公大楼的时候看见楼外的抽烟者，不用可怜天寒地冻地他们却站在那里。因为他们也许正彼此打得火热呢。