大熱倒灶 (To be a major upset)

奧斯卡的得獎名單揭盅，有人歡喜有人愁。

我們當然不會錯過這個學英文的好機會，讓我們看看各地的新聞吧！

先來的是「大熱倒灶」

He was upset in the primary. (他在初選中大熱倒灶。) {m-w}

In a major upset, he took the gold medal. (他擊敗大熱，奪得金牌。) {m-w}

Her victory in the election was a big upset. (她在選舉中勝出，使大熱倒灶。) {m-w}

接下來是有關奧斯卡的新聞︰

Daniel Day-Lewis, who has a reputation for (1) immersing himself in his roles, made Oscar history and won (2) a long standing ovation on becoming the first man to win three best actor Oscars. 

(1)    To immerse oneself in︰全心投入/ 完全沉浸於

Since then I've lived alone and immersed myself in my career. {iciba}

自那以後,我一直一個人生活,全身心投入我的事業當中。

(2)    A long standing ovation: 長時間的起立鼓掌

To give someone a huge/rapturous/rousing ovation {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

Taiwanese director Lee beat (3) front-runner Steven Spielberg in the directing race. Lee, who previously won best director in 2006 for "Brokeback Mountain", was typically (4) low-key and (5) self-deprecating in victory. 

(3)    Front-runner︰領先者/ 大熱 (the person who seems most likely to win) {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

He is one of the front runners in the presidential election. {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

(4)    Low-key︰低調

He wanted to keep the wedding low-key.

(5)    Self-deprecating︰自嘲/ 自貶

Self-deprecating jokes {Oxford Online}

Amour, the (6) heart-rending tale of an elderly couple coping with the wife’s (7) debilitating stroke, gave Austria the best foreign language film …

(6)    Heart-rending︰令人揪心的/ 使人悲痛的

Heart-rending pictures of refugees... {iciba}

令人心碎的難民照片

(7)    Debilitating︰使衰弱的 (to make someone's body or mind or something weaker)

She found the heat debilitating. {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

The economy is now strengthening after a long and debilitating recession. {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

The host is always the (8) lightning rod…the Oscars … is just an awards show. Nothing more. And that's why those who hosts, no matter the praise or the outcry, will live another day … It's why the modern-day (9) nadir --James Franco and Anne Hathaway -- means nothing (10) a couple of years removed from the debacle. It means that as much as everybody loved Billy Crystal in his (11) heyday, history also will forget the fact that he came back last year and seemed painfully out of place and out of time and the absolute wrong (12) knee-jerk replacement to Eddie Murphy

(8)    Lightning rod︰避雷針/ 招引批評的人 (a person or thing that attracts criticism, sometimes as a way of protecting someone else) {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

He is a lightning rod for controversy. {iciba}

他是個爭議性人物。

She has become a convenient lightning rod for voters' discontent. {m-w}

(9)    Nadir︰低谷/ 最低點 (the lowest or most unsuccessful point in a situation) {Oxford Online}

This failure was the nadir of her career. {iciba}

這次失敗是她事業上的低谷。

(10) A couple of years far removed from the debacle

Far removed︰隔了好一段時間 (adj., distant in time and space) {Oxford Adv. Ame.}

Far removed from the war era

遠離戰爭的年代

Debacle︰慘敗

His first performance was a debacle: the audience booed him off the stage. {iciba}

他的首場演出一敗塗地，觀眾發出噓聲把他轟下了台。

(11)Heyday︰全盛時期 (The period of greatest popularity, success, or power; prime.) {Oxford Online}

The paper has lost millions of readers since its heyday in 1964. {Oxford Online}

(12)Knee-jerk︰靠本能反應思考出來的 (responding to situations in an automatic and unthinking way) {Oxford Online}

The knee-jerk reaction to this is to call for proper security in all hospitals. {iciba}

對此類狀況的第一反應會是要求所有醫院都採取適當的安全措施。

參考文章 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21570004 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/tv-review-seth-macfarlane-wins-424058 http://news.yahoo.com/argo-wins-best-picture-scattered-oscar-night-092941224.html