Tieáp theo ñaây laø thaønh ngöõ thöù ba “ Nothing To Write Home About”. Thanh ngu nay nghóa ñen laø khoâng coù gì ñaëc bieät ñeå vieát thö veà nhaø caû. Thaønh ngöõ naøy raát thoâng duïng trong thôøi theá chieán thöù nhaát naêm 1917, khi binh só Myõ ñöôïc göûi sang Phaùp ñeå giuùp ngöôøi Phaùp vaø ngöôøi Anh choáng laïi nöôùc Ñöùc. Phaàn ñoâng nhöõng binh só naøy coøn treû, coâ ñôn maø laïi khoâng bieát noùi tieáng Phaùp cho neân khi vieát thö veà nhaø hoï noùi raèng choã hoï ñoùng quaân khoâng coù gì ñaëc bieät ñeå keå laïi caû. Caùc baïn haõy xem ví duï sau ñaây.
At college I needed a way to get to school so I bought a used motorbike. It’s nothing to write home about. It’s hard to start and eats a lot of gas. But it’s all I can afford to spend and it does get to classes okay.
The ad claimed the shop was selling the videos at a price so low it was hard to believe. So I hurried there but it was a case of bait and switch. The clerk said the cheap ones were all sold out and tried to sell me other videos at much high prices.
Tôø quaûng caùo noùi raèng tieäm ñoù baùn baêng video vôùi giaù reû ñeán ñoä khoù maø tin ñöôïc. Vì theá toâi voäi vaõ chaïy ñeán ñoù, nhöng ñaây chæ laø maùnh khoùe con buoân, noùi moät ñaèng laøm moät neûo. Ngöôøi baùn haøng noùi raèng nhöõng baêng video reû ñaõ baùn heát roài, vaø anh ta tìm caùch gaï baùn cho toâi nhöõng baêng khaùc giaù ñaét hôn nhieàu.
Tieáp theo ñaây laø thaønh ngöõ thöù hai “ Strictly From Hunger ”. Thanh ngu nay coù töø Strictly S-T-R-I-C-T-L-Y, Strictly, nghóa laø tuyeän ñoái , hoaøn toaøn, vaø Hunger, H-U-N-G-E-R, Hunger, nghóa laø ñoùi. Thaønh ngöõ naøy duøng ñeå chæ moät ngöôøi hay moät vaät keùm coûi maø ngöôøi ta phaûi chaáp nhaän chæ vì tuùng thieáu hay vì khoâng tìm ñöôïc caùi gì khaù hôn. Trong ví duï sau ñaây, coâ em gaùi anh baïn chuùng ta ñi döï moät buoåi khieâu vuõ ñeâm hoâm tröôùc nhöng cho bieát laø khoâng coù gì haáp daãn caû.
My sister told me the music was very good but the guys who were there were strictly from hunger. She said she didn’t meet a single guy she would ever want to date.
Anh baïn noùi Coâ em gaùi toâi noùi vôùi toâi raèng nhaïc ôû buoåi daï vuõ thì raát hay nhöng nhöõng caäu con trai ôû ñoù thì khoâng coù ai khaù caû. Coâ aáy noùi raèng coâ aáy khoâng gaëp ñöôïc moät caäu naøo maø coâ aáy muoán laøm baïn ñeå ñi chôi caû.
Trong ví duï sau ñaây , anh baïn chuùng ta noùi veà nhöõng gì xaûy ra taïi coâng ty anh aáy khi moät oâng chuû môùi ñeán laøm vieäc.
Mr. Martin came in like gangbusters. He fired half our people and organized the rest of us into work teams with longer hours than before. We had a hard time for a while but at least these days the firm is making money for a change.
Anh baïn noùi OÂng Martin ñeán xöû lyù raát maïnh tay. OÂng aáy sa thaûi phaân nöûa soá nhaân vieân chuùng toâi, vaø toå chöùc soá coøn laïi thaønh nhöõng toaùn nhaân vieân laøm vieäc nhieàu giôø hôn tröôùc. Chuùng toâi laøm vieäc cöïc khoå trong moät thôøi gian, nhöng ít ra thì luùc naøy coâng ty chuùng toâi kieám ra tieàn, khoâng gioáng nhö tröôùc kia.
Nhöõng töø môùi maø ta caàn bieát laø To organize, O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-E , Organize nghóa laø toå chöùc, Team T-E-A-M, Team, nghóa laø moät toaùn, vaø Firm, F-I-R-M ,Firm, nghóa laø haõng, coâng ty.
Ngöôøi Myõ duøng Dirty Work ñeå chæ moät coâng vieäc xaáu xa khoâng ñöôïc ai öa thích. Trong ví duï sau ñaây, anh baïn chuùng ta noùi veà coâng vieäc khoå coâng ty cuûa moät ñoàng nghieäp trong coâng ty laø anh Jerry.
I have to feel sorry for Jerry in our office. He is the poor guy who gets all the dirty work like stalling off creditors we owe money to and can’t pay. The hardest part of his job is firing people. It isn’t easy to tell them they’re losing their jobs.