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尴尬的一词多义:出国要慎用的8个英文单词

2014-04-18来源:和谐英语
Knob

Americans hear the word "knob" and think "doorknob" or "lever." It has a much dirtier meaning in other countries, like Australia and the U.K., where it's an insult or slang for a part of the male anatomy. Now you'll know to be offended if someone calls you a "knob head."
美国人听到“knob”这个词想到的是“门把手”。但是在澳大利亚和英国等其他国家,“knob”的意思要“黄”得多。在那里国家,“knob”指的是男子生殖器的一部分。现在你知道别人叫你“knob head” 你应该是什么反应了吧。

Avoid Using In: The U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
避免使用的国家:英国、爱尔兰、澳大利亚、新西兰、南非

Root

Americans may "root around" looking for a lost object, but Australians and New Zealanders use the term to refer to having sex.
美国人用“root around”来指“寻找”失物,但澳大利亚人和新西兰人用这个词组指代发生性关系。

Avoid Using In: Australia, New Zealand
避免使用的国家:澳大利亚、新西兰

Pull

If someone "pulled" last night in the U.K., they're probably not talking about pulling a muscle or drawing something apart. It's commonly used as slang for successfully picking up someone while out on the town. Likewise, "going on the pull" means that someone is going out with the express goal of getting some action.
如果在英国某人昨晚“pulled”,他们很可能不是在说肌肉拉伤或是把什么东西拉开,而是指外出时成功“钓”到某人。同样,“going on the pull” 意思是某人为了猎艳而出动。

Avoid Using In: The U.K., Ireland
避免使用的国家:英国、爱尔兰

Bugger

If you affectionately call your child or pet "little bugger," you might want to reconsider doing so in pretty much any other English-speaking country. In most other places, from Canada to Australia, it is commonly used as an expletive similar to the f-word.
在美国,如果你亲切地叫你的孩子或宠物“little bugger”(小家伙),到其他讲英语的国家可千万别这么说。在大多数其他英语国家,如加拿大和澳大利亚,“bugger”都是骂人的话,相当于“fuck”。

Avoid Using In: Most places outside of America
避免使用的国家:美国以外的其他国家