美國人盡管喊了多少年的「性開放」,但很多美國人在談情說愛方面,仍然喜歡采用一些含蓄保守的詞句或語句,表現文明和禮貌。以下舉一些例句,或許能說明一二。
to have a crush on (someone);
to feel an instant magnetism;
to catch one‘s eyes; to hit it off;
to have the hots for (someone);
to be attracted to each other.
這些片語,都是描寫男女間互相傾慕,兩情相悅,有吸引力或一見鍾情。
例如:
* He (she) has a crush on her (him) (他對她十分愛慕) 。
* He felt an instant magnetism when their eyes met. (他們見面時,他立即感到磁性般的吸住)。
意指女的外表吸引; 如果是 she felt …… 那么就是指男的外表吸引。
* A nice-looking girl caught his eye.(漂亮的妞兒吸住)。 注意:不用 eyes。
* He was introduced to a pretty woman and they seem to hit it off immediately.(他被介紹給一位漂亮女子後,他們似乎就一見鍾情)。 或
* They were attracted to each other the moment their eyes met.
* When he met her, he had the hots for her.(當他見到她,他就對她愛慕不已。)(多半指 sexual attraction。)
例如說,女對男的沒有興趣,那么也可以說:
* She did not feel any attraction toward him.(她對他毫無興趣); 或
* He is the man for whom she feels no attraction, catch or no catch.(不管他的條件好或壞,她對他就是沒有興趣)。
這里的 catch,可指財富、地位、名望和外表。
to be a lady‘s man (或 ladies‘ man);
to be a prince on a white horse;
to be a casanova;
to be a womanizer.
這些都是指男人英俊瀟灑,作風奔放,野性旺盛,喜歡在「女人窩」里。例如:
* Mr. Lin has been considered a prince on a white horse.(林先生被認為是白馬王子。)
這是中古時代女子對男人的夢中理想,然而現在也有老外認為美男子應該是:全身盔甲燦爛光輝的王子。
* He is a prince in a shining armour.(動詞時態:shine, shone 或 shined。)
* Many people think that Mr. Smith is a real lady‘s man.(或 a real womanizer)(許多人認為史密斯先生喜歡在女人窩里。)
*As a casanova, he has many girl friends.(由於他是美男子,他有許多女友。)
(Casanova 是意大利人,據說是頂尖的美男子,他的全名是:Casanova de seingalt Giovanni Giacomo 在此 casanova 被當做普通名詞,故 c 不必大寫。
如果形容男人外表魅惑力大,能使女人「如饑似渴」般崇拜他,也可以說:
* He has melted her down and made her knees buckle.(他把她溶化了,使她拜倒他的西裝褲下)。
這句話老外通常不用在男人身上,也許因為男子應該比較堅強些吧!或且說:
* So many women swarmed him like bees to the honey.(許多女人看到他,就像一群蜜蜂見到蜜那樣蜂擁而至。)
倘若說:…… like flies to the garbage 指像一群蒼蠅喜歡垃圾那樣,當然就不是恭維了。
to be a beauty queen; to be a dream boat;
to be a cutie; to be a babe;
to be a fox.
這些都是形容女人漂亮,曲線玲瓏,身材曼妙,揮身性感或散發一種性感的野性。
例如:
* She is a beauty queen.(= very beautiful)
* She is a cutie.(= pretty and attractive)(漂亮迷人)
* She is a dream boat.(= ideal type of woman)(理想女人)
* She is a babe.(= very beautiful and attractive)
* She is a fox.(= She is a foxy lady = She is sexy.)(她很性感)。
注意:如果說: She is as sneaky(或 cunning)as a fox. 又是指她像狐貍一樣的狡猾。
假如女人能使男人拜倒她的石榴裙下或神魂顛倒那么就能說:
* Her beauty (attraction) has caused his knees to shake. (或 to quiver)(她的漂亮迷人使他膝部發抖)。或
* She made him feel up there in the clouds.
(= on clouds nine = on the top of the world)(她使他神魂顛倒,飄飄然如仙。)
其實,所謂「情人眼里出西施」(Beauty is in the eyes of beholder),世上的美或丑,只是主觀的看法而已。
to fall in love with (someone);
to fall head over heels in love; to love (someone) from head to toe.
都是指男歡女愛,沉溺情海,或是愛得暈頭轉向。
例如:
* They have fallen in love with each other for years.(他們相愛多年)。(動詞時態:fall, fell, fallen)
* He fell head over heels in love with her.
(= He fell for her head over heels = He is head over-heels in love with her.)(他與她沉溺情海,愛得暈頭轉向。)多半指很快落入情海。
* He loves her from head to toe.(他從頭到腳地愛她)。多指經過較長時間後才熱戀, 或
* He falls madly in love with her.
至於男女熱戀時「目中無人」或「形影不離」,也可以說:
* They are two peas in a pod. (他們像豆莢里的兩粒豆子--即形影不離。)
* They only have eyes for each other(and forget the entire world.)(世界上似乎只有他們兩個人。)