VOA: 《 'Double Whammy' 用法详解 》
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
现在是来自美国之音慢速英语的《词汇掌故》。
On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give definitions, examples and notes on usage.
在这个节目中，我们将探讨英语中的单词和表达方式。我们会给出定义、例句和用法注释。
Today we talk about a word with an unusual history – whammy. A whammy can be a magical spell that brings bad luck. It can also be an attack or a damaging, destructive blow. A blow is an incident or event that hits you hard.
今天我们要谈论一个历史很不寻常的词——whammy。Whammy 可以指带来厄运的魔法咒语。它也可以指攻击或具有破坏性的打击。打击是指对你造成沉重打击的事件或事故。
So, one whammy is bad. But what happens when you have two?
所以，一个 whammy 就已经很糟糕了。但如果你有两个呢？
That is called a double whammy.
那就叫做 double whammy。
People traditionally say they have been hit with a double whammy!”
人们通常会说他们被 double whammy 击中了！
The online dictionary Merriam-Webster defines a double whammy as a combination of two usually unfavorable forces, circumstances, or effects. Two bad things happen at the same time to make something really unpleasant or difficult.
在线词典 Merriam-Webster 将 double whammy 定义为两种通常是不利的势力、环境或影响的组合。两件坏事同时发生，使事情变得非常糟糕或困难。
It can also mean that two bad things happen consecutively, or one after the other.
它也可以表示两件坏事接连发生，一件接着一件。
The origin of the expression is unclear. Some guess it comes from taking the word “wham” which describes a hard punch or blow and adding a -y ending which makes it sound funny.
这个表达的来源尚不清楚。有些人猜测它来自单词“wham”，它描述的是猛烈的拳打或打击，并在后面加上一个 -y 的结尾，使其听起来很有趣。
Others say the cartoonist Al Capp popularized the word whammy in his 1950s comic strip Li’l Abner. A character named Evil-Eye Fleegle could stop someone by simply looking at them. The single whammy was a look with one eye, and the feared double whammy used both eyes.
还有一些人说，漫画家 Al Capp 在他 20 世纪 50 年代的漫画作品《小阿布纳》中推广了 whammy 这个词。一个名叫“邪眼弗利格”的角色只需看着别人就能让他们停下来。Single whammy 是用一只眼睛看的，而可怕的 double whammy 则用两只眼睛看。
Now, let’s listen to the expression used in a sentence.
现在，让我们来听一个例句。
Today, my friend Jonah lost his job. And then, on the way home, he fell and broke his leg. Talk about a double whammy! It has NOT been his best day.
今天，我的朋友约拿丢了工作。然后，在回家的路上，他又摔断了腿。真是祸不单行！这可不是他最好的一天。
Here is another example of the expression double whammy.
以下是另一个使用 double whammy 的例子。
On their 3-hour hiking trip, the friends were hit with a double whammy. The first was a bad rainstorm. They were forced to take shelter in a cave. Then they realized the second bad thing. They left all their food and water in the car.
在他们 3 个小时的徒步旅行中，朋友们遭遇了双重打击。首先是一场暴雨。他们被迫躲进一个山洞里避雨。然后他们意识到第二件坏事。他们把所有的食物和水都忘在车里了。
There is another English expression that has a similar meaning – a one-two punch. The first punch is a difficult blow to take, but then the second one aims to finish the job. The expression comes from boxing where one punch is quickly followed by another from the other fist, or closed hand.
还有一个英语表达的意思与之相似，那就是 one-two punch。第一拳是很难承受的打击，但第二拳的目标是结束战斗。这个表达来自拳击，在拳击比赛中，一拳打出后，另一只拳头或紧握的拳头会迅速跟上一拳。
A boxer using a one-two punch is trying to knock out their opponent or to score points.
使用 one-two punch 的拳击手试图击倒对手或得分。
Both double whammy and one-two punch are informal expressions. One-two punch might be less popular than it once was. But double whammy appears in some surprising places in both American and British English.
Double whammy 和 one-two punch 都是非正式的表达方式。One-two punch 可能不像以前那么流行了。但 double whammy 却出现在美国英语和英国英语中一些令人惊讶的地方。
And that’s Words and Their Stories. Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo.
以上就是今天的《词汇掌故》。下次节目再见……我是安娜·马特奥。
spell –n. magic that used on a person, often to create a bad or damaging effect
circumstance –n. a situation
consecutively –adv. taking place one after another in a series
origin –n. the beginning point of something
punch –n. the act of striking with a closed hand, or fist
cartoonist –n. a person who draws simple pictures that tell stories
comic strip –n. a series of pictures telling, often funny, stories that appears in newspapers or books as a series that continues for a time
character –n. a person who appears in stories, plays, movies or TV who is not real
knock out –v. to strike a person so that they lose consciousness or cannot continue
