在職、怒髮衝冠 - 古德明

在職、怒髮衝冠 - 古德明

問:「在職」是in the job還是on the job?
答:In the job、on the job都是正確說法,但意思有點不同。In a job指「在某個職位上」,和out of a job(失業)相對,例如:(1)He has been in the job for ten years(他擔任這職位已有十年)。(2)He has been confirmed in the job(他已獲批准長期擔任這職位)。
On the job則指「在工作的時候」,例如:(1)Smoking on the job is not allowed(工作時不得吸煙)。(2)Workers who get injured on the job will be compensated(工作時受傷的工人,會獲得賠償)。常見的on-the-job training,就是指「工作期間的培訓」。
問:六月二十八日英國經濟雜誌 The Economist 有文章談到日本首相安倍:Mr Abe raised hackles by denying there was proof comfort women were coerced。句中的raised hackles是什麼意思?
答:Hackles是狗、公雞等動物頸上的毛。這些動物憤怒時,頸毛倒豎,所以,to make one's hackles rise或to raise one's hackles(使某人頸毛倒豎)就是「激怒某人」,例如:(1)Its hackles rising, the dog snarled when I approached the house(我走近房子的時候,那隻狗頸毛倒豎,向我怒號)。(2)The mere mention of his name makes my hackles rise(單是提到他的名字,就令我生氣)。 The Economist 那一句是說:「安倍先生否認有證據證明慰安婦是被迫的,這話令人髮指。」