美国习惯用语 | cut both ways

我有个好同事最近就要结婚了!她特别喜欢圣诞节,所以把自己的婚礼定在了12月25号,圣诞节当天!这确实是个容易记住的特别日子,但是我觉得,那时候大家都在忙着跟家人团聚,谁会来参加婚礼呢?这让我想到了一句习惯用语,那就是:cut both ways。

cut本身是“切断”的意思,ways表示“途径”。cut both ways这个词组指的是“一件事情有利也有弊”,也就是“双刃剑”的意思。

上面的例子里,我的同事把婚礼选在圣诞节当天,这确实很有纪念意义,可是又不确定会有多少人能来参加。

  • The decision to have her wedding on Christmas Day could cut both ways.

下面的例子里,一个足球队的教练正在考虑是不是要跟一名叫Steele的球员签约:

  • We knew that signing Steele would generate a lot of interest this season. Not only was he the most successful American quarterback in the league, but he was also extremely popular with the public. Picking him cut both ways. His contract was terribly expensive. And that meant a much smaller budget to recruit other good players.
    跟斯蒂尔签约肯定会让很多人对这个赛季感兴趣。他不仅是联盟里最棒的四分位,而且很受公众的喜爱。但是跟他签约是一把双刃剑。他的合约肯定价格不菲,这就意味着我们只能剩下不多的预算来招募其他好球员。

对,这确实是个两难的决定。话说昨天我在电视里看到有人在谈独生子女政策。我自己就是个独生女,好的一面,我成长的过程中父母把所有心血都用在了我身上,可是同时,现在看到别人跟哥哥姐姐一起逛街,我也好羡慕。

  • So, being an only child has cut both ways.
    作为独生子女有好也有坏。

大家现在都在用智能手机,像所有的新科技一样,智能手机给我们带来了很多便利,但是也在一定程度上影响了我们的生活。我们来看看下面这个例子:

  • Smart phones make it easy to stay connected and get information instantly wherever we are. At the same time, they can encourage us to drive less safely because we aren't giving our full attention to the traffic. They can cut both ways. There are advantages as well as disadvantages.
    智能手机让我们能够随时随地与别人保持联系并获取信息。但同时,很多人开车的时候都在查看手机,不能完全保证驾驶安全。智能手机是一把双刃剑,有利也有弊。

说的就是,现在很多车祸都是因为司机注意力分散,要么是在打电话,要么是在发短信。所以我支持制定法律,完全限制司机在驾车的时候使用手机。可同时,我们的生活确实也因为这种新科技方便了许多。

  • Technology innovation is always cutting both ways.