save your neck保命脫險

把職業倫理說成一句格言，既是自我約束，也是對萊斯利的暗答。

It's the duty of someone to ..., not to ...

劃定職責邊界時用；正式、有分量，適合職業場合表態。

A lawyer defends his client; he does not judge her. ／ My job is to defend you, not to convict you.

正式

duty of counsel 連讀，not to convict 一頓以作對照。

It's the duty of a doctor to treat the patient, not to judge him. 醫生的職責是治病，不是評判病人。

不說教也不安慰，先把界線畫好，冷靜裡其實已經是幫忙。

I don't want you to tell me anything but ...

預先給對方劃定說話範圍時用；正式談話裡很體面。

Tell me only what I need to know. ／ I don't want to hear anything else.

正式

anything but 連讀，save your neck 一氣收住。

I don't want you to tell me anything but the facts. 除了事實，別的你都別跟我說。

一句老話把她的指責輕輕按下去，不接招也不翻臉。

That's neither here nor there.

對方扯到不相干的事時用；日常很常用，正式場合也可，對上司慎用。

That's beside the point. ／ That doesn't matter now.

中性

neither here nor there 三頓兩連，平穩收尾。

Whether I like him is neither here nor there; the report is late. 我喜不喜歡他不重要，報告確實是晚了。

把生死直接攤到桌面上，一個反問就把退路堵死了。

Are you going to let them ... me?

絕望時逼對方表態用；情緒很重，別拿來開玩笑。

Are you going to stand by and watch me hang? ／ Will you just let them hang me?

口語

let them 連讀，hang me 放慢加重。

Are you going to let them take everything from me? 你就眼看他們把我的東西全拿走？

三個問句連成一串，反問裡全是對她天真的反駁。

Do you think it's so easy to do away with ...?

委婉指出對方想得太簡單時用；帶責備，語氣較重。

Do you think that's easy to get rid of? ／ It's not as easy as you make it sound.

中性

do away with 連讀，unwelcome evidence 重讀收句。

Do you think it's so easy to do away with years of debt? 你以為多年的債務那麼容易一筆勾銷？

在最不光彩的請求面前談自己的正直，人物的矛盾全出來了。

I've always looked on myself as ...

表明自我認同時用；正式、誠懇，適合解釋自己做事的底線。

I've always seen myself as an honest man. ／ I have always thought of myself as honest.

正式

looked on myself 連讀，honest man 重讀落點。

I've always looked on myself as a careful person. 我一直把自己看成一個謹慎的人。

把她的請求直接定性成罪名，律師用詞精準得像判決書。

something which is no better than ...

嚴厲定性對方行為時用；正式且強硬，對熟人會傷感情。

What you ask is no better than bribery. ／ That would be as bad as suborning a witness.

正式

no better than 連讀，suborning 重音在中間。

What you are asking is no better than cheating. 你要求的這件事跟作弊沒什麼兩樣。

戲收在一聲嘆息上，十年的婚姻被一句話判了空。

It's strange that ... and not know the first thing about ...

感嘆相處很久卻仍不瞭解某人時用；感慨、略帶批評，適合私下說。

Odd that a man can share a life and know so little. ／ Ten years together, and he knows nothing about her.

正式

the first thing about 連讀，her 輕收句尾。

It's strange that we worked together for years and I know the first thing about her. 奇怪的是我們共事多年，我對她卻一無所知。