breathe a word走漏半點風聲

把 hanging 說兩遍，先定性再舉舊案，恐懼一下變成可想像的畫面。

It's a ... error, like they did ...

提醒別人某件事後果極重時用；誇張語氣，對陌生場合會顯得危言聳聽。

This is a career-ending mistake, like they saw last year. ／ That offence is a hanging matter where I come from.

口語

兩個 hanging 都重讀，Boston 後稍停再收。

Plagiarism is a career-ending error, like they found out last term. 抄襲是會斷送職業生涯的錯，上學期就有人栽了。

把膽小說成 grand courage，正話反用，嘲諷比直接罵更扎人。

What a grand ... you have!

熟人之間挖苦裝勇敢的人時用；對長輩或正式場合別用，會顯得刻薄。

What a brave little spectator you are! ／ Big talk from someone who only watched.

口語

grand 升調拖長，courage 重讀帶笑。

What a grand promoter you are, cheering from the back row. 你只會在後排喊加油，真是了不起的推手。

用 reckoning 把報復說成遲早要還的賬，配上 pointy，威脅立刻有形。

I will bring a ... reckoning that will ... you.

放狠話警告對方會討回公道時用；日常衝突裡說會真嚇到人，慎用。

There will be a reckoning for this, and you will feel it. ／ I'll settle every account, and you won't sleep.

literary

pointy reckoning 連讀，that will 後壓低收尾。

There will be a reckoning for every stolen idea, and it will shake you. 每個被偷走的點子我都會討回來，到時會讓你站不穩。

把最普通的日落變成詛咒物件，威脅不靠髒話，靠剝奪活下去的願望。

I can make you wish you had never ...

強烈警告時用；這是很重的威脅語氣，朋友間玩笑都不能隨便說。

I can make you regret the day you met me. ／ I'll make you wish you had never opened your mouth.

literary

make you wish 連讀，sun go down 逐字放慢。

Lie to this committee and I can make you wish you had never spoken. 敢對這個委員會撒謊，我能讓你後悔開過口。