#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事 #Wheresthebeef?
美國生活用語：beef牛肉
1⃣ Where’s the beef?
2⃣ What is Sarah’s beef with me? / have (a) beef with sb.
3⃣ What is Carolyn’s beef today?
4⃣ Margaret is always beefing about how messy the house is.
5⃣ beef up
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Now that we’re done with cows, it’s time to talk about their main product—beef. Americans love to eat beef, so you can be sure beef is a big part of their vocabulary.
聊完牛之後，我們來聊聊牛肉吧。美國人非常愛吃牛，所以跟 beef 這個字有關的詞，想必也是很多。
One expression everybody is familiar with is 1⃣“Where’s the beef?” This phrase was first used in a Wendy’s TV commercial in the 1980s. In the commercial, an old lady asked “Where’s the beef” when given hamburgers from another fast food restaurant. The commercial was so popular that the phrase became part of the language, meaning “Where’s the substance?” It’s often used in politics, but can be used in other areas as well. Ex: I like the writer’s style, but where’s the beef?
下面這個片語大家應該都耳熟能詳：Where’s the beef? 這個片語首次出現在80年代的溫蒂漢堡電視廣告。廣告中的老太太拿到其他家速食餐廳的漢堡之後，問了對方：「牛肉在哪兒？」這個廣告在當時大受歡迎，連這句話也成了慣用語，指「重點或實質內容在哪裡？」經常出現在政治圈，也可以用在一般場合，如：I like the writer’s style, but where’s the beef?（我喜歡這個作者的寫作風格，不過缺少實質內容。）
The word beef itself also has lots of meanings in colloquial American English. 2⃣ One meaning is “disagreement, dispute or feud.” Ex: What is Sarah’s beef with me? You can also say “have (a) beef with sb.” Ex: I hear Mike has (a) beef with Steve. 3⃣ A similar meaning of beef is “problem or complaint.” Ex: What is Carolyn’s beef today?
在非正式的美語中，beef一字有很多意思，其中一個意思是「意見不合，爭執，世仇」，如：What is Sarah’s beef with me?（莎拉到底跟我有什麼仇啊？）你也可以說 have (a) beef with sb.，如：I hear Mike has (a) beef with Steve.（聽說麥克跟史蒂夫有仇。）beef另一個類似的意思則是「問題，抱怨」，如：What is Carolyn’s beef today?（卡洛琳今天又有什麼意見了啊？）
4⃣ As a verb, beef can also mean “to complain.” Ex: Margaret is always beefing about how messy the house is. 5⃣ But the verb phrase “beef up” has a completely different meaning—“to increase or strengthen.” Ex: After violence at the protest, the government decided to beef up security.
beef也可以當動詞，指「抱怨」，如：Margaret is always beefing about how messy the house is.（瑪格麗特一天到晚抱怨家裡很亂。）不過，動詞片語beef up就是完全不同的意思，指「增加或強化」，如：After violence at the protest, the government decided to beef up security.（從那場抗議發生暴力事件之後，政府就決定加強警力。）
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