第930期:今天的内容有点凉快 – cut no ice

今天太热了,我们来讲个简单的习惯用语大家凉快一下。

在美国和加拿大英语中,有一个常用的说法:cut no ice,字面意思是不能切冰,实际的意思……大家看两个例句先。

He won the Nobel Peace Prize, but this cut little ice at home.

Public protests don’t cut much ice with this government.

能猜出 cut no ice 或 cut little ice在上面两个句子中的意思吗?

Cut no ice 就是 have no impact, effect. 可以简单翻译为“没用”,就是没作用,没影响。

If you say that something cuts no ice with you, you mean that you are not impressed or influenced by it.

例如,你公司有个人很牛,但他牛让他牛,你就是不鸟他,那么他的牛 cuts no ice with you. 他的牛影响不了你,it doesn’t work on you; you are not impressed by his 牛。

I don’t care who you are. It cuts no ice with me.

这个说法好像是源自美国,或者加拿大。很有可能最早说的是滑冰时穿的冰刀鞋(ice skates)上的冰刀(blade)不锋利了,cut不了ice,在冰上滑不快。也可能源自冰箱普及之前人们需要把自然界的冰块切成小块时发现刀具切不动冰块。

总之,就是该cut ice的东西切不了冰,人们就说那东西 cut no ice,或者 cut little ice,意思就是不管用、没效果、没用、没影响。

这就是今天的内容了,不知道满篇 ice 有没有让你觉得凉快一点?还是 it cuts no ice with you?

*Cut no ice with someone一般指的是have no impact or effect, especially on one’s opinion.

例句:

I’m sorry, but that ridiculous rationale cuts no ice with me and will not change my mind.