美国之音《流行美语》 357

　　Larry和李华一起去逛街，给Larry的朋友Tom买生日礼物。今天我们要学两个常用语： right on the money和crapshoot

LH: Larry, Tom平时有什么爱好啊？

L: Tom really enjoys sports, especially skiing. But he also loves video games too.

LH: 他喜欢滑雪和电子游戏？现在天气这么热，没法带他去滑雪...对了！ 我们给他买一个滑雪的电子游戏，这样他在家里就能滑了!

L: You want to buy him a skiing video game? I think you're right on the money. Great idea!

LH: Right on the money? 什么意思？你让我付钱买礼物么？

L: Actually, when you say that something is right on the money, that means it is exactly right.

LH: 哦，right on the money就是“完全正确”的意思。你是说，我提出给Tom买滑雪游戏是个特别好的主意，对不对？

L: Exactly. Here is another example. When Erica went to visit Karen she wasn't sure which apartment number was hers. Luckily her guess was right on the money.

LH: 我明白了。Erica不肯定Karen家的门牌号码，可是她一猜就猜中了，这就叫right on the money.

L: Exactly! You're right on the money.

LH: 那可不！咱们去电器商场买游戏吧！对了，那家店在哪儿来着？是在14街上么？

L: Yup, you're right on the money. There is a big electronics 1 store there.

LH: 那我们怎么去呢？

L: There is a metro 2 station nearby, so I think that will be the most convenient way.

LH: 对，附近是有地铁。是地铁的哪条线来着？绿线么？

L: Yup, you're right on the money again. It's the green line.

L: Larry, 这种滑雪游戏好像是新上市的，会不会很贵啊？得50块钱吧？

LH: Wow Lihua, good guess! You're right on the money. The most popular skiing video game is $49.99.

L: 哈！我今天怎么猜什么都那么准啊! 那我再猜猜，你买这个游戏给Tom, 其实是想和他一起玩儿吧？

LH: Actually, Lihua, you're right on the money!

******

Larry和李华正在商场的电子游戏区选游戏。

LH: Larry， 这里至少有10种滑雪游戏！咱们买哪个啊？

L: Hmmm ... I don't know. Maybe we could ask a store employee to recommend one.

LH: 找店员问？他肯定给你推荐最贵的， 而且还不一定好！

L: I guess you're right. Since we don't have any idea which games are good, it's really just a crapshoot.

LH: A crapshoot? 什么意思？

L: A crapshoot is something that depends totally on luck.

LH: 哦，crapshoot就是完全靠运气的事情。

L: Exactly. For example, becoming a movie star is extremely competitive 3. Even if you're a good actor, it's still mostly a crapshoot.

LH: 对，想成为电影明星很难，即使你有表演天赋，这也基本上是撞大运的事儿。

L: You got it.

LH: Larry，这里的游戏都好贵啊，要不咱们去别的店看看，也许有便宜点的？

L: Maybe, but there isn't any way to know which store would be cheaper. It would really be just a crapshoot.

LH: 这倒也是。对了，Tom家的游戏机是什么牌子的啊？任天堂？索尼？还是X-Box?

L: Hmm ... I have no idea.

LH: 啊？你不知道牌子，那怎么买游戏啊。万一型号对不上，就没法玩儿啦。

L: Well, we will just have to guess. It will be a crapshoot, but he can always exchange it later.

LH: 那多麻烦。要不我们送给Tom一张购物券吧，让他自己随便买点什么。反正我们也不是很确定他会喜欢滑雪游戏。

L: Well, it's not a total crapshoot. We know he likes skiing and video games, so it's likely he will like this gift.

LH: 我说 Larry, 你对Tom的生日礼物可真上心啊! 我猜，等到给我买生日礼物的时候，你一定会花更多的心思！

L: Of course, Lihua. You're right on the money!

今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是right on the money表示完全正确。另一是crapshoot, 意思是全凭运气的事。