這場戲：毒舌鬥嘴後定下親事
第 8 章 · 共 24 章 · 3'32"
培尼狄克被碧翠絲當眾奚落，轉頭抱怨 She speaks poniards（她字字都是匕首）；她一露面，他寧可替人去拔大汗的鬍鬚也不肯多留。殿下撮合克勞狄奧與希羅，又打趣碧翠絲弄丟了培尼狄克的心，被她一句 I gave him use for it（我就給它算了利息）反將一軍。想學毒舌和反殺，看這場。
❝ 獨白 · 6 句 形容毒舌：She speaks poniards（她字字都是匕首）
She speaks poniards 她字字如刀every word stabs 字字扎心prince's jester 王子的弄臣a man at a mark 像個任人射的靶子
前半是鬥嘴，後半是定親。培尼狄克向殿下大吐苦水，說碧翠絲 She speaks poniards（她字字都是匕首），自己像靶子被一整支軍隊射箭。碧翠絲一到，他寧肯替人去拔大汗的鬍鬚，也不願 hold conference with（跟她說上幾句話）。殿下打趣碧翠絲弄丟了培尼狄克的心，她借「收利息」的說法把錢贏回來，被誇一句 put him down（把他駁倒了）。隨後殿下撮合克勞狄奧與希羅，里奧那托當場許婚，克勞狄奧只回 Silence is the perfectest herald of joy（沉默才是歡喜最完美的報信人）。想形容毒嘴、想不帶髒字贏回一局，這些話都能抄。
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。
“She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.”
她說出來的字字都是匕首，句句扎人。
把言語直接說成匕首，鋒利又形象，是罵人嘴毒最漂亮的一句。
someone speaks poniards
形容某人說話句句傷人時用；當面對人講會立刻翻臉。
Every word she says cuts. ／ Her tongue is a knife.
literary
poniards 重音在前，every word 連讀，stabs 收得短促。
In meetings she speaks poniards and no one dares answer. 開會時她字字如刀，沒人敢接話。
“If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, she would infect to the north star.”
她撥出來的氣要是有她那張嘴一半厲害，能一路毒到北極星。
拿呼吸和毒舌作比，越說越離譜，誇張得讓人拍手。
If X were as terrible as Y, it would ...
誇張地形容某樣東西厲害到荒唐時用；正經描述別這麼講。
If her words were poison, we would all be dead. ／ Her breath alone could clear a room.
literary
as terrible as 連讀，north star 兩個實詞都重讀。
If that sauce were as hot as it smells, it would burn the table. 那醬要是聞著多辣就多辣，桌子都得燒穿。
“He lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it - a double heart for his single one.”
他把心借給我一陣子，我就給它算了利息——他用一顆心，換我兩顆。
把借心、付利息這套賬目說法套在愛情上，俏皮得讓人會心一笑。
lend someone something, and give them use for it
半開玩笑地把人情往來算成賬時用；對認真的人說會顯得輕浮。
He lent his heart and I paid interest. ／ He gave me one heart; I gave him two back.
literary
lent it me 連成一串，use for it 輕快帶過。
You lent me a favour, so I gave you use for it and returned two. 你借我一份人情，我就連本帶息還了兩份。
“nor merry, nor well, but civil count - civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion.”
不快活，也不舒坦，就只是個客氣伯爵——客氣得像只橙子，還帶著那麼點吃醋的成色。
一個諧音梗加一層顏色隱喻，把悶著臉的伯爵說活，是全章最妙的玩笑。
be civil as an orange
打趣一個明明吃醋卻硬裝客氣的人時用；對不熟的人說會得罪人。
He is polite and quietly seething. ／ All smiles, all sour underneath.
literary
civil as an 連讀，jealous complexion 兩個實詞放慢。
He congratulated them, civil as an orange, and left early. 他客客氣氣地道了喜，酸得很，早早走了。
“Silence is the perfectest herald of joy.”
沉默才是歡喜最完美的報信人。
說不出口的歡喜最真，一句格言把新人的發呆說成最好的情話。
Silence is the perfectest herald of ...
替說不出話的人圓場、形容大喜無言時用；寫正式文章會顯得做作。
Silence says more than words here. ／ The quietest joy speaks loudest.
literary
perfectest 重音在首，herald of joy 三詞一氣帶過。
He said nothing, and silence was the perfectest herald of his joy. 他一句話沒說，而沉默正是他歡喜的報信人。
She told me, not thinking I had been myself, that I was the prince's jester, that I was duller than a great thaw, huddling jest upon jest with impossible conveyance upon me that I stood like a man at a mark with a whole army shooting at me. She speaks poniards, and every word stabs. If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, she would infect to the north star. Indeed, all disquiet, horror and perturbation follows her.
她當著我的面說，沒認出那就是我， 說我是王子的弄臣，說我最遲鈍，比一場大解凍還要遲鈍， 一句接一句地挖苦我，快得讓人來不及招架，我就像站在靶子前，一整支軍隊朝我放箭。 她說出來的字字都是匕首，句句扎人。 她撥出來的氣要是有她那張嘴一半厲害，能一路毒到北極星。 可不是，她走到哪兒，哪兒就不安、驚恐、亂作一團。
下一章 · 09a mountain of affection山一樣深的感情這場戲：自嘲單身後撮合冤家poniard 是古時候的匕首，speak poniards 就是「說出來的話像刀一樣」，形容一個人字字扎人。培尼狄克說碧翠絲一句話就能把他刺得體無完膚。
civil as an orange。這裡玩的是 civil 和 Seville 的諧音，塞維利亞橙以酸澀出名，說一個人 civil as an orange，就是客氣得發酸、假客氣。
put someone down 不表示「放下」，而是「把某人駁得說不出話、讓他下不來臺」。殿下誇碧翠絲 You have put him down，就是誇她把培尼狄克說得啞口無言。
可以，conference 這裡指「交談」，hold conference with someone 就是跟某人說上幾句話，偏正式、帶點書卷氣，寫文章或開玩笑時很好用。
Silence is the perfectest herald of joy。herald 是報信人、先兆，克勞狄奧高興到說不出話，就用這句把「沉默」說成最好的表白。
