這場戲：吐槽破車被勸及時止損
第 16 章 · 共 25 章 · 3'24"
瑪麗一來就大吐苦水：車發動不了、被撬窗、衛生紙全被偷，接著是三次爆胎、掉排氣管、扣分和一堆罰單，去布萊頓路上還拋錨，整個就是 a catalogue of disaster（一連串的倒霉事）。湯姆聽完只說 Cut your losses（及時止損），她卻捨不得那筆錢。
a catalogue of disaster（一連串的倒霉事），瑪麗的破車故事
nice and early 早早地chill out 放鬆下來my window's been smashed 車窗被砸a catalogue of disaster 一連串的倒霉事
❝ 獨白 · 8 句 cut your losses（及時止損），湯姆勸瑪麗處理掉破車
cut your losses 及時止損fed up with 對……煩透了take it back 拿回去退換broke down 半路拋錨
瑪麗來串門，一坐下就講她那輛車的種種災難：車發動不了、只好坐地鐵；昨晚車窗被撬，衛生紙被偷光；這一週爆了三次胎、排氣管掉了、化油器也壞了，駕照被扣九分、吃了九張罰單；去布萊頓的路上還拋錨，被拖到最不想去的克勞利，花了近五百鎊。湯姆說她這是 a catalogue of disaster（一連串倒霉事），勸她 Cut your losses（及時止損），可瑪麗說錢都花了，I can't just sell it now（現在就這麼賣了，我不甘心）。想學抱怨、吐槽和給人出主意，這段全是活口語。
A1–C2 是歐標等級。點一個等級後，比它高的卡片會變淡，播放到那裡不會自動暫停。
“Cut your losses, Mary. Get rid of it.”
及時止損吧，瑪麗，把它處理掉。
兩句祈使把話說死：賠就認了，別為沉沒成本繼續往裡填錢。
Cut your losses and ...
勸朋友別再往虧本專案裡砸錢時用；對方正難過時別太冷硬。
Cut your losses before it gets worse. ／ Better to walk away than sink more money in.
中性
losses 重讀，Get rid of it 快而乾脆。
Cut your losses now, before the stock drops any further. 趁股價還沒繼續跌，趕緊止損吧。
“But I've spent so much on it, Tom. I can't just sell it now.”
可我在它身上花了那麼多錢，湯姆，現在就這麼賣了我不甘心。
把沉沒成本說得明明白白：錢已花出去，人卻怎麼也捨不得放手。
I've spent so much on something
解釋自己為何捨不得放棄某物時用；談正事時別拿它當理由。
I've put too much into it to quit. ／ I can't walk away after all I've spent.
中性
so much 重讀，can't just 連讀成一串。
I've paid so much for this course that I can't just drop it now. 這課我交了這麼多錢，現在真捨不得退。
“But if you keep it, it's only going to get worse.”
可你要是留著它，情況只會越來越糟。
用 only going to 把後果說死，一句就堵住拖延的退路。
if you keep it, it gets worse
勸人早點處理爛攤子時用；對剛受打擊的人別馬上說這句。
Leave it and it will only get worse. ／ It won't fix itself if you keep waiting.
中性
only 加重，going to 口語裡常縮成 gonna。
If you keep ignoring it, it's only going to get worse. 你要是繼續拖著不管，只會越來越嚴重。
“This car's been a catalogue of disaster, hasn't it?”
這車就是一連串的災禍，是吧？
把接連倒霉說成一份清單，無奈裡透著自嘲的幽默。
be a catalogue of disaster
吐槽一連串倒霉事時用，朋友之間很貼切；對商家投訴或正式場合別用。
It's been one disaster after another. ／ This thing has been nothing but trouble.
口語
catalogue 重讀，of disaster 連讀放慢。
The whole renovation has been a catalogue of disaster, hasn't it? 這趟裝修就是一連串的災禍，是吧？
It keeps making funny noises. I got towed away and I wasn't even parked on a double-yellow line. I've got seven parking tickets... no, nine parking tickets. And then... I broke down on the motorway on the way to Brighton and I got towed to Crawley, which is the last place I want to go, because I grew up there and I hate it. So, I had to get the train home and then the train back to Crawley the next day and the guy kept trying to touch me up. It cost me nearly £500 and I never even got my weekend in Brighton. That was supposed to be my summer holiday.
它老是發出奇怪的響聲。 我被拖過車，可我根本沒停在雙黃線上。 我吃了七張停車罰單……不對，九張。 然後…… 去布萊頓的路上，我在高速上拋錨了，被拖到了克勞利，那是我最不想去的地方，因為我就在那兒長大的，我恨那兒。 結果我只好坐火車回家，第二天又坐火車回克勞利，那男的還一直動手動腳。 這花了我將近五百鎊，我連布萊頓的週末都沒過成。 那本來是我的暑假啊。
下一章 · 17a mean curry做得一手好菜這場戲：被當成喬的阿姨「及時止損、見好就收」。指別繼續往註定虧本的事裡砸錢，趁早停手。湯姆勸瑪麗 Cut your losses. Get rid of it，就是「趁虧得少趕緊收手，把車處理掉」。
「一連串的倒霉事」。catalogue 是目錄，把災禍比成一長串清單。湯姆說這輛車就是 a catalogue of disaster，意思是壞事一件接一件。
be broken into。指車、房子被撬開闖入。臺詞裡 And it got broken into last night，就是「昨晚車還被人撬了」。
chill out。口語裡指放鬆、別再緊繃。瑪麗說忙完只想 chill out，然後美美喝杯酒。
I'm fed up with it。fed up with 表示對某事煩透了。瑪麗說 I'm fed up with it, to be honest，就是「說實話我真受夠它了」。
