PETS－2语法讲解(192

The noise from my roommate's hi-fi is driving me up the wall.
　　对话 　　Julie: What's the matter? You don't look too happy.
　　Susan: I'm not. The noise from my roommate's hi-fi is driving me up the wall.
　　Julie: Why don't you ask her to turn it down?
　　Susan: I have, but she just doesn't listen and I'm studying for an exam.
　　Julie: What a selfish individual! I'd move out if I were you.
　　朱莉：你看来不大高兴，是什么一回事？
　　苏珊：我真的不高兴，我室友的唱机吵得厉害，令我不胜其扰。
　　朱莉：你为什么不叫她把音量调小？
　　苏珊：我叫过了，但她完全不理，而我得念书准备考试。
　　朱莉：这个人真自私！我是你的话，就会搬到别处居住。
　　苏珊说：The noise from my roommate's hi-fi is driving me up the wall。Drive someone up the wall直译是‘把某人逼到墙上’。有些人、物你忍受不了，无法逃避之余，想爬墙而走：这就是drive someone up the wall解作‘使人家很不耐烦’、‘把人家气得发疯’的原因，而to go up the wall（爬到墙上）则是‘很不耐烦’、‘气得发疯’的意思，例如：(1) The way she nags at her husband is driving him up the wall（她整天唠唠叨叨的责备丈夫，令他非常不耐烦）。(2) She will go up the wall if her husband forgets her birthday（假如她丈夫忘了她的生日，她会十分生气）。Nag即‘不断抱怨’或‘唠唠叨叨’。
　　说‘使人生气’，美国还有一句很传神的俚语：to burn someone up。Burn up本来是指‘烧起来’，引伸解作‘令人勃然大怒’，例如苏珊可以说：The noise from my roommate's hi-fi burns me up。此外，苏珊还可以说：The noise really gets my goat。To get someone's goat（取去某人的山羊）为什么解作‘使人家不耐烦’、‘使人家生气’呢？一个解释是：从前，竞赛用马匹的主人，有些会以山羊陪伴马匹。不法的赌徒为了影响马匹表现，会把山羊偷走，令马匹烦躁不安。现在，烦躁的却往往是被‘取走山羊’的人，例如：What got my goat was his refusal to listen to reason（令我生气的，是跟他讲道理，他完全不听）。