似非而是

大家都知道，「討厭！」其實是「不討厭！」，中華「大敗」日本其實是中華「大勝」日本，「那可不！」其實是「那可正是！」，「可不是」其實是「可就是！」．．．

中外語文似乎都有一種奇妙現象，喜歡用雙重否定以強調，更用否定以示肯定、以負面傳達正面。（如果中文托福由丁丁出考題，一定要出幾個這類負不是負，負即是正的題目來考死老外！！）

英文的否定或負意語法，有時同樣令人抓狂頭腦打結，得倒轉上好幾圈才能解套。還有一些奇怪的套詞表述法，更是步步陷阱，因此不管它們在句中的位置被如何拉扯分離、變形，都務要眼明手快，見招拆招，立即認出正身拉上關係。Mine to Lose, Yours to Gain 即是一例，再試舉一二：

「不鳴則已，一鳴驚人」型：
It does not rain but it pours. （這個大家耳熟能詳了）

「不見／不做也難」型：
It's so obvious; I cannot but see it.

看似否定實則肯定的「好家在」型：
You could do worse (than do…) = You'd better do it; it is a quite good thing to do.

看似肯定實則否定的「多一事不如少一事」型：
He wanted to protest, but then he thought better of it =
He decided not to do it because he realized it would not be sensible.

明明可以直接說卻偏要反過來說的「莫此為甚」、「正是時候」、「恰到好處」、「就應如此」型：
You can't begin too soon = You ought to begin now.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly.
I cannot repeat this too often.
You cannot be too careful. （小心沒有過頭的）
It couldn't be better. （再好也沒有了）

莫名其妙型：
the worse for drink（爛醉）、the worse for wear（老舊、用舊、不堪、爛醉）、the worse for the long journey（累慘）
as often as not = more often than not = fairly frequently
as likely as not = more likely than not = fairly likely

氣死人型：
Everything is not perfect = Not everything is perfect.
Everything is non-perfect / imperfect = Nothing is perfect = All is non-perfect.
All that glitters is not gold = Some is while some is not.

大敗就是大勝型：
I couldn't care less =（!!!）I could care less = Thank you. I'm NOT interested at all.

模稜兩可型：
Once in the White House, Bush lost no time in putting an air base in Uzbekistan.

lose no time (in doing something)：依習語正解，是指hasten、快馬加鞭、立刻去行。
lose no time： 依字面解．．．呵呵請君自行體會，丁丁就不廢言了．．．

最後送眾編輯一句好康：輔佐歐洲阿媽的英國名相狄斯累利（Disraeli），常有作者不請自來寄上文稿請他過目，相國大人一律回以：

Many thanks; I shall lose no time in reading it.