a baker's dozen

十三。

:以前麵包師傅售出的麵包若不足法定份量,會受到懲罰,因此他們對售出的每打麵包都會多加一個當作額外奉送,使份量超出法律規定。

  • We ended up with a baker's dozen each of socks and undershirts on our shopping trip. (我們的購物之旅最後每人各買了十三雙短襪和十三件內衣)
  • The boss selected a baker's dozen of promising employees to attend the international symposium. (老闆挑選了十三個前途大有可為的員工參加該國際研討會)

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one too many

1. 飲酒稍稍過量;足以使人喝醉的一杯。
2. 勝過;比 (某人) 厲害;非 (某人) 所能敵。
3. (社交場合) 多餘的人。

註:第 2 義中的 one 可省略;第 3 義的 one too many 是指一個多餘的人,若是兩個或三個多餘的人,則是 two or three too many,其餘依此類推。

例句:

  1. Randy drank one too many so his friends would not let him drive home. (蘭迪多喝了一杯 [有點醉],所以他的朋友不讓他開車回家)
    Don't drive if you've had one too many. (如果你多喝了一杯就別開車)
  2. The criminal is one too many for the police. (警察對付不了那個罪犯/警察拿那個罪犯沒辦法)
    Jack is (one) too many for me. (我不是傑克的對手)
  3. I seemed to be one too many at my ex-girlfriend's wedding ceremony. (我似乎是我前女友婚禮上多餘的人)
    John and Mary were two too many at my birthday party because they weren't my friends. (約翰和瑪麗是我生日派對上多餘的人,因為他們不是我的朋友)

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there's one born every minute

總會有人受騙上當的;天下不怕沒有笨蛋;笨蛋無處不在。

例句:

  • He left a window open and then wondered why he'd been burgled! There's one born every minute, isn't there? (他有個窗戶沒關,卻納悶他家為何會遭小偷! 這個世界永遠不怕沒有笨蛋,不是嗎?)
  • I sold my old computer to someone who paid me more than double what it's really worth. Well, there's one born every minute. (我把我那部舊電腦賣給人家,他付給我的錢比電腦現在實際價值多了一倍以上。嘿,笨蛋真是無處不在)

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three sheets in/to the wind

酩酊大醉;醉得東倒西歪。

註:在此成語中,sheet 並非「被單」或「薄片」,而是航海用語,意為「(繫牢船帆用的) 帆腳索」。一般而言,需要三條帆腳索才能繫牢船帆。如果帆腳索沒有繫牢,船帆就會任意隨風飄揚 (flop in the wind),船隻就會偏離航線;這也是本成語最初叫做 three sheets in the wind 的原因 - 至少可追溯到 1821 年 - 但現在大都使用 three sheets to the wind 的型態。

A sheet in the wind 是船員一句常用的口語,表示「微醉」(tipsy),因此 three sheets in the wind 就是「酩酊大醉;醉得東倒西歪」。據說,船員還有所謂 four sheets in the wind,那就是「醉得不省人事」(unconscious)。

例句:

  • Man, he was three sheets to the wind last night, how much did he drink?! (老兄,昨晚他喝得酩酊大醉,他喝了多少?!)
  • Don't take notice of Sam; he's three sheets to the wind. (不用管山姆了;他喝掛了)

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talk nineteen to the dozen

聊個沒完;喋喋不休。

註:這成語原義為短話長說,亦經常寫成 to chat/gossip away nineteen to the dozen。

例句:

  • The two friends had not seen each other for ages. When they met they talked nineteen to the dozen about all they had done in that time. (這兩個朋友多年不見了,一見面就沒完沒了地談論這些年來他們所有的經歷)
  • Whenever I get together with my cousins, we always gossip away nineteen to the dozen. (每當我們表兄弟姊妹聚在一起,我們總是聊個沒完沒了)
  • Jack was chatting away nineteen to the dozen behind me and I couldn't concentrate. (傑克在我後面嘰哩呱啦說個不停,讓我無法專心)

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have one over the eight

多喝了一杯;醉醺醺。

例句:

  • That guy looks as if he has had one over the eight. (那傢伙看起來好像喝醉了)
  • He had one over the eight and fell down the steps as he was leaving the party. (他多喝了一杯,當他離開宴會時從台階跌了下來)

註:這成語原指人們相信喝酒超過八杯,就會喝醉。

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