Mind your own business.
現(xiàn)代當(dāng)藝人真不容易,有機(jī)會被枕邊人出賣,將私隱賣給八卦媒體,更有一些專業(yè)狗仔隊(duì)偷拍和跟蹤。更可怕的是那些路人甲和路人乙在說三道四,對著這群人,可以說句:Mind your own business.(管管你的事情),或者That's my own business.(這是我的事)、That's private. / That's personal.(這是私事)、Stay out of my affairs.(別管我的事)、Don't be nosy.(別好管閑事)。
對話
A: How could you leave the party without saying a word? The Morgan family was so unhappy about it.
B: I had my reasons. Don't be so uptight.
A: But what happened? Can't you tell me the whole story?
B: Please mind your own business. I don't need to report everything back to you.
甲:你怎么不辭而別離開派對?摩根家庭對此很不高興。
乙:我有我的原因,別這么緊張。
甲:但發(fā)生什么事?你不可以告訴我嗎?
乙:請管你自己的事吧,我不需事事向你回報(bào)。
有些人好奇心特強(qiáng),即使和他們完全無關(guān)的瑣事,都設(shè)法打聽、窺探,英文叫這種人做busybodies或nosy parkers,例如:Don't tell that nosy parker anything about me.(任何關(guān)于我的事,都不要告訴那‘諸事問’)。
Nosy又作nosey,是nose(鼻)的形容詞。喜歡窺探別人隱私者會把鼻子伸到每個(gè)角落,所以nosy即‘好管閑事的’。Nosy parker的parker卻是什么呢?據(jù)說,這是指十六世紀(jì)英國坎特布里大主教Matthew Parker。他對教會的事無所不問,根除了很多陋習(xí),但也因此贏得Nosy Parker的渾名。今天他的徒子徒孫可能就住在你隔壁。
見到Nosy Parker二世、二十世等等,你不妨叫他Mind your own business。這直譯是‘管你自己的事吧’,意思自然是‘別多管閑事’。Mind your own business.往往簡寫作MYOB。
除了Mind your own business,你還可以說:Get / Keep your nose out of my business.(不要窺探我的事情),例如:"I hear your dog bark at bout nine o'clock every night. Why is that?" "Oh, keep your nose out of my business, won't you?"(‘每晚九點(diǎn)鐘左右,我都聽見你的狗吠,為什么呢?’‘啊,你少點(diǎn)管我的事好不好?’)俚語叫人少管閑事,常用Butt out! 兩字。Butt(用頭或角撞)in即‘打擾’或‘干預(yù)’,是butt out的反義詞。