Larry 剛剛給自己的公寓貼了新的墻紙，可是他覺得效果很不理想。 李華今天會學到兩個常用語：diddlysquat和rub it in。

LL: Today, Li Hua, I discovered that I don't know diddlysquat about putting up wallpaper.

LH: 什么? diddlysquat？聽你的意思，你好象是說你對貼墻紙什么也不懂，是嗎？

LL: That's right. I don't know diddlysquat means I don't know anything.

LH：噢，Don't know diddlysquat就是什么也不懂，一竅不通。

LL：Right. When I was wallpapering my apartment, I didn't get the pieces perfectly straight before I put them on, and now the pattern doesn't line up.

LH: 我也對貼墻紙一竅不通。不過，貼之前好象總得把墻紙弄直了。否則，墻紙的花樣怎么對得起來呢！

LL: Yeah, but it is harder to do than you might think. I really needed to read instructions in a how-to book before I started, but I didn't do diddlysquat to prepare.

LH: 原來你什么準備都沒有做就開始貼墻紙呀！美國有很多關于如何裝修房屋的書，你什么沒看就動手啦？你膽子也夠大的。得了，你來幫我點忙， 分散一下注意力，心情就會好一些。好嗎？

LL: Sure, how can I help?

LH: 我昨天買了一個新的電腦硬盤，可我在這方面什么也不懂，I don't know diddlysquat about computer。 你來幫我裝一下，好嗎？

LL: You are just like my mom, Li Hua. She doesn't know diddlysquat about computers either─but I am happy to help out. When should I come by?

LH: Larry，你能幫我裝上，那太好了。午飯以后可以過來嗎？

LL: OK, I'll do that. But maybe you can come help me remove the wallpaper I put up.

LH: 幫你撕墻紙，I don't know diddlysquat about that! 讓我看看再說吧。

******

LH: Oh, Larry, 這墻紙還真是沒對齊。

LL: Yeah, I know. Please don't rub it in.

LH: 不要抹進去？我們不是要把墻紙撕下來嗎？

LL: No, no. By "rub it in", I didn't mean rub the wallpaper into the wall. I meant that I already know the wallpaper doesn't line up, so you don't need to tell me again and make me feel worse.

LH: 我明白了， rub it in的意思是在傷口上抹鹽，令人更難堪。 墻紙沒貼好，你已經很難過了，我又提起這件事，就是rub it in - 讓你更難受，對嗎？

LL: Yeah, especially when it is something you are not happy about. "Rubbing it in" just makes a person feel worse.

LH: Rub it in，只會讓人更難過， 所以我們的朋友Rick撞車之后，你并沒有對他說， “你怎么這么不小心”，因為你不想讓他更難堪。

LL: Right, I didn't want Rick to feel even worse about his car.

LH: 上個星期考試，我考得好， 你考得不好，我說，“你本來就該好好復習嘛”。這又是 rubbing it in，往傷口上抹鹽，對 不對？

LL: Exactly.

LH: 可是我只是想對朋友提出忠告，并沒有 抹鹽的意思。

LL: I know you didn't mean to rub it in, Li Hua. Well, let's go see what we can do about your hard drive.

LH: Great. 好吧，去看看我的電腦吧。

LL: You are really lucky that we are friends! I mean, you don't know diddlysquat about computers. You'd never be able to install the hard drive without me.

LH: 我知道我對電腦一竅不通， 你就別往傷口上抹鹽了。You don't have to rub it in！

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是don't know diddlysquat about something，意思是對某件事一無所知，一竅不通。李華學到的另一個常用語是 rub it in， 意思是在某個人的傷口上抹鹽，令人更加難過。