交融謂之淡

李安色戒得獎，媒體新聞不斷，今天在Ettoday看到一則妙聞（原英文訪問稿見此）：

牛仔皇后Lureen 和心中另有所愛的傑克，在酒吧邂逅後上演車震戲碼，看對眼的兩個人在老車上，一開始還是很羞澀，Lureen 主動脫掉襯衫，讓傑克兩眼直瞪，人類原始本能一觸即發，這是【斷背山】的經典橋段之一。

傑克透露，李安在導這場戲的時候，竟然連成語「水乳交融」都拿出來，要他們揣摩，水和牛奶混合在一起的時候，感覺有多好。

Jake Gyllenhaal指出，「李安說，你們就表現出像是水和牛奶混在一起的感覺，安（安海瑟薇）馬上附和說，對！我懂，太美好了，真是太棒了，我則是丈二金剛摸不著頭緒，完全不知道他在說什麼？」

中西語意背道而馳，此為一例。「水+乳」其實在英文裡也是「成語」，但意思另有所指，而且是負面的。milk-and-water意指「淡而無味」，牛奶（不是奶粉噢）沖了水，交後融則融矣，但想想看那滋味好不好喝？因此milk-and-water又引申為「軟弱無力」。要兩位演員揣摩水和牛奶混合在一起，來表現一觸即發的力道，難怪傑克領會不來，悟性確是比安海瑟薇差了一些。:-)

不過這段報導中最有趣的是傑克「自道」：我則是「丈二金剛」摸不著頭緒。

完全不知道「水乳交融」中文成語意義的傑克，竟然會出口成章，來一句中文歇後語．．．

傑克，這真是太神奇了！！

All Clear

It was a clear day yesterday. After so many days of downpours and drizzle, the weather finally cleared up. So I went to my bank to deposit a check. The pretty clerk with a set of clear blue eyes told me the check would clear within one day. Clearly it was a pleasant surprise. I had not expected it to be cleared this quick. She said because nowadays they use the electornic Automated Clearing House process.

So it was clear that I would be able to use the money for today's clearance sale at an out-of-town shopping mall. But first I needed to clear up and out my closet to clear the way for my new incoming wardrobe. I also want to make one thing clear that I am not a shopaholic. And my conscience is clear, and my mind is clear since I'm very clear about what I'm doing. And that was what I did, a clearance of my closet before a clearance of the shop's clearance closets. Ha Ha Ha.

And so it happened that this morning after the breakfast I immedialy cleared away the cups and plates. As soon as the early mist had cleared, I drove clear over to the mall. But alas, there was a bomb scare and police cars were all over the place. You would need a top top security clearance to get into the shops as the police was conducting the operations on searching and clearance of the bombs. They shouted at us, "stay clear!"

So no more clearance sale shopping today. We were all told to clear out of the place, not to wait for the all clear sign. And everyone was clear-sighted enough to follow the order. The traffic was forced to detour through an unfamiliar neighborhood which clear as day was recently developed after a widespread clearance of jungle land. And alas again, a huge 18-wheeler in front of us couldn't get past the clearance of an overpass bridge there and stuck for an hour, which of course caused more police action and detouring. The whole situation was clear-cut hopeless.

After much patience and waiting, finally the coast was clear. We were cleared for passing underneath the damaged bridge. As soon as I was clear of the dangerously-looking havoc and made sure that I was in the clear, I made a clear mental note to myself that I would forever stay clear of this particular area. I cleared my throat and started my clear as a bell whistling, going home for a clear soup for lunch. That was when I heard a thud and it was crystal clear that I had a flat tire. My mind went clear as mud.

That was when I felt like having a glass of clear and strong you-know-what substance, to clear my mind.

Did I make myself clear, dear clear-headed reader?

捷運大話英文

很多人都對捷運電扶梯上的英文標誌好奇：

Beware loose clothing. Keep your trousers clear.

第一句 beware 後面掉了個 of，第二句 clear 後面應該說明 of something。
難怪大家看不懂，其實可以明明白白地這樣說：

Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides.

或更強調：

Safety Hazard!! Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides.

clear 的意思，就是以前公車後面常見的標誌：「保持距離，以策安全」－－不要碰到。
clearance 即指可通過的安全距離，隧道、高架橋可見 Clearance: nn ft，超過這高度的車子不得通過。