我们讲的英语第217期:A wild card 未知数

Rob: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Rob and joining me today is Feifei.
罗布：大家好，欢迎收听地道英语节目。我是罗布，今天和我一起主持节目的是菲菲。

Feifei: Hello everyone. Hey, what about that new guy who's started in the office?
菲菲：大家好。嘿，刚来办公室的那个新人怎么样？

Rob: Brian?
罗布：布莱恩吗？

Feifei: Yes, he's very funny — always telling jokes — and yesterday he started juggling with three oranges — he was very good.
菲菲：对，他非常有意思，一直在讲笑话，他昨天还表演了抛接三个桔子呢，他人非常好。

Rob: Hmm, he might be funny but I haven't seen him do much work — I think he's a bit of a wild card.
罗布：嗯，他可能很有趣，不过我并没有看到他做太多工作，我想他可能是个未知数。

Feifei: A wild card? You mean he's like a playing card — a heart, a spade or maybe a diamond?
菲菲：疯狂的纸牌？你是说他像扑克牌一样吗，可能是红心，黑桃或者是方片？

Rob: No, no, although the expression does come from playing cards — here, it means he is uNPRedictable: he's someone we don't know much about so we're not sure how he's going to behave in the future.
罗布：不是，不是，虽然这个表达方式的确起源于纸牌，不过它的意思是说一个人不可预测：我们不太了解一个人，所以我们不太确定他未来的表现会如何。

Feifei: Oh do you think so? Well yes Rob, Brian is uNPRedictable!
菲菲：哦，你是这么认为的吗？好吧，罗布，布莱恩无法预测！

Rob: Let's hear some more examples of this phrase…
罗布：我们来听些这个短语的例句……

Examples
例句

We're taking a gamble, she's a wild card, but let's hope she delivers what she promises.
我们是在冒险，她是一个未知数，希望她能遵守承诺吧。

Jack is too much of a wild card to get a place on our team.
杰克是个未知数，他不太可能在我们队中获得一席之地。

The wild card in this competition is Chelsea: nobody really knows which way the score will go.
这场比赛中的变数是切尔西：没有人能预测最后比分。

Rob: Right, have you got that? A wild card can describe someone who is uNPRedictable or they behave in an unexpected way. But although Brian is a wild card, I wish he'd settle down and do some work instead of joking around all the time.
罗布：好，你明白了吗？这个短语是用来形容某人不可预测，或者说他们经常做出令人意想不到的举动来。不过虽然布莱恩是个变数，不过我希望他能安定下来努力工作，而不是到处开玩笑。

Feifei: Oh do you wish you were a bit like him?
菲菲：你也希望像他那样吧？

Rob: Not at all — anyway what kind of card would you call me?
罗布：完全不，不过你会称呼我是什么卡？

Feifei: You're my favourite card — you're an ace!
菲菲：你是我最爱的那张——纸牌A。

Rob: Ace! Gosh thanks Feifei, you're such a card!
罗布：纸牌A！天哪，谢谢你，菲菲，你真是个有趣的人！

Feifei: See you next time.
菲菲：下次再见。

Rob: Bye Bye!
罗布：再见！

Feifei: Bye!
菲菲：再见！