bark is worse than your bite刀子嘴豆腐心

用一長串自貶當拒婚理由，荒唐得極有喜劇感。

What could I offer you, but ...

自嘲式地拒絕別人好意時用；對認真的人說會顯得逃避。

What could I offer you but trouble? ／ All I can offer is a mess.

literary

bad temper 後逐項加重，misanthropy 放慢收尾。

What could I offer you but bad jokes and worse timing? 我能給你什麼？不過是爛笑話和更爛的時機。

把拒絕包成一份規劃，溫柔裡帶著清楚的逐客令。

I think you should ..., and then ..., and ...

給出分步建議、又委婉劃清界限時用；別對想留下的人說得太冷。

Stay a while, save up, then get your own place. ／ Take your time, then move on.

中性

for a while 連讀，your own 重讀，move on 收住。

Save for a year, then find a place of your own, and move on. 攢一年錢，然後找個自己的地方，繼續往前過。

先用插入語拆穿情話，再用倒裝補一刀，冷靜狠辣。

Love, despite what they tell you, does not ...

要給浪漫幻想潑冷水時用；安慰失戀的人時可別這麼說。

Love is not the cure they promise. ／ It rarely lasts, let alone wins.

literary

despite what they tell you 放快，Nor does it 重讀。

Hard work, despite what they tell you, does not conquer all. 努力，不管別人怎麼說，並不能戰勝一切。

把全片的片名塞進一句愛情總結，收得極妙。

In the end, ... are reduced to whatever works.

給長談做總結、把理想拉回現即時用；對滿懷期待的人別太冷。

In the end, romance boils down to what works. ／ Youthful dreams shrink to plain survival.

literary

In the end 停頓，whatever works 兩個詞都重讀。

In the end, big plans are reduced to whatever works. 到頭來，宏大的計劃都會縮減成管用就行。

借《皮格馬利翁》自比，把改造失敗說到跳窗，收得俏皮。

if ... ever tried to ..., he, too, would have ...

用文學典故誇張地說明某事做不到時用；不懂典故的人會一頭霧水。

Even a master could not fix this. ／ He would have given up too.

literary

Henry Higgins 連讀，he, too 停頓，jumped out 連讀。

If a master chef ever tried to teach me, he, too, would have quit. 要是有個大廚來教我，他也會辭職不幹的。