BBC地道英語口語:Trophy Wife 花瓶一樣的老婆
Helen: 嗨，大家好，我是 Helen。
Neil: Today we’re going to look at words and phrases that have recently become part of the English language.
Helen: 在地道英語這個節目中，我們來一塊兒學習英語中出現的新鮮詞彙短語和習慣表達。那 Neil，今天我們學習的新詞是什麼呢？
Neil: Today’s new expression is trophy wife.
Helen: Trophy wife，在 wife 前面加個 trophy，這是什麼意思呢？
Neil: Well, we all know what wife means.
Helen: Wife 我敢肯定，人家都知道這就是妻子，老婆的意思。
Neil: And a trophy is a medal, something you can show off to your friends and family.
Helen: 嗯，trophy 的意思也挺簡單的，就是獎章，獎盃的意思。但是它和 wife 一起說的話，又代表什麼呢?
Neil: A trophy wife is a beautiful, young wife that proves you have been successful, as a businessman, for example.
Helen: 哦，我明白了。A trophy wife 就是一個年輕漂亮姑娘嫁給了一個很有錢的男人。那不就是我們常說的綁大款嘛？！那麼對男人來說，這樣的老婆也只不過是個花瓶罷了。那一般我們都在什麼場合用這個詞呢？
Neil: Well, it’s an informal word, and it is a negative thing to say about somebody.
Helen: 這是個貶義詞，一般用在非正式場合。
Neil: Yes. Don’t say "Ah, this is Helen. She’s my trophy wife".
Insert
A: Have you seen his wife? She’s very pretty, but she must be 20 years younger than him!
B: At least! But you know John – he’s a millionaire. He wanted a trophy wife to show off at parties, and she just wanted his money!
Neil: In the USA, many rich businessmen have trophy wives.
Helen: 真的嗎？在美國很多有錢的商人都有個象花瓶一樣的老婆。
Neil: Yes. In Beverly Hills you need a sports car, a big house and a trophy wife.
Helen: I see. So could you see yourself having a trophy wife, then, Neil?
Neil: I don’t think so!
Helen: Why not?
Neil: I want a woman who loves me. It shouldn't matter if I’m rich or poor.
Helen: 貧窮或者富有都不重要的，最重要的是擁有一個愛你的人。
Neil: Anyway, let’s recap – trophy wife – means a young, attractive wife married to a successful, rich, often older man.
