The english we speak(BBC教學)第86期:Put your money where your mouth is 說到做到
Rosie: Hi, I'm Rosie, and this is Li… Li? Hurry up! Ah, here's the karaoke bar.
羅茜：大家好，我是羅茜，這是李……李，快點！到卡拉OK酒吧了。Li: Ahhh! Rosie, why is the bar on the top floor? So many stairs… Help me please. I'm so unfit. I need to start doing more exercise. I'm going to join the gym tomorrow.
李：啊！羅茜，爲什麼酒吧要在頂層呢？臺階太多了……請幫幫我。我爬不動了。看來我需要多鍛鍊鍛鍊。我明天要去健身房。Rosie: Why don't you join the gym today?
羅茜：你爲什麼不今天就去健身房呢？
Li: I'll join it tomorrow and then I'll go every single day… I will. I really will.
李：我明天再去，然後我每天都會去，我會的。我真的會這麼做的。Rosie: Li, you've been saying that for months but you never actually do it!
羅茜：李，你幾個月前就說過這句話，可你從來沒做過！Li: This time I will, I promise.
李：這次我會的，我保證。Rosie: That's what you always say. You need to put your money where your mouth is.
羅茜：你總是這麼說。你要說到做到。Li: You want me to put my money where my mouth is? You want me to eat my coins and banknotes? That's disgusting!
李：你想讓我把錢放在我的嘴裏？你想讓我吃掉硬幣和鈔票嗎？那真噁心！Rosie: No, Li, that's not what I meant. To put your money where your mouth is means to stop just talking about something and to take action!
羅茜：不是，李，我不是那個意思。To put your money where your mouth is這個短語的意思是不要只是說說，要實際去行動！Li: Ah, so you didn't really want me to put all these coins in my mouth?
李：啊，所以你不是讓我把所有這些硬幣放進嘴裏的意思啊？Rosie: No, please don't. I want you to stop talking about joining the gym-and to join it for real! Here are some more examples:
羅茜：當然不是，請不要那麼做。我希望你不要再只是說說要去健身房，你要真的去才行！這裏還有一些例子：A: If we played a game of tennis I would easily win!
A：如果我們比賽網球，我會輕鬆取勝的！B: Why don't you put your money where your mouth is? I challenge you to a game!
B：你爲什麼不證明一下呢？我要跟你比一場！He always talks about how great the charity is–I think he should put his money where his mouth is and donate some money.
他總是說慈善事業有多偉大，我認爲他應該用實際行動證明，他應該捐些錢。Li: So to put your money where your mouth is means to support your words with actions?
李：所以這個短語的意思就是要用行動支持你說的話？Rosie: Yes–I think it's a great expression. So many people just talk and talk about doing things and never actually do them!
羅茜：對，我想這是個很棒的表達。有太多人只是嘴上說要做什麼事情，可是從來沒有實現過！Li: So you'd say you’re one of those people who puts their money where their mouth is?
李：所以你是說你是那種說到做到的人？Rosie: Definitely.
羅茜：絕對是！Li: That's interesting. So the other day you were saying that you love singing... and here we are in a karaoke bar...
李：這真有意思。那天你說你喜歡唱歌，現在我們來到卡拉OK酒吧了……Rosie: Well yes but... I'm really terrible actually. And some of our colleagues are here-how embarrassing.
羅茜：嗯，好的，可是……實際上我唱得很糟。一些同事也在這裏，這真令人難堪啊。Li: No excuses! Put your money where your mouth is and sing a karaoke song!
李：別找藉口！你要說到做到，你要唱首歌！Rosie: I have to... Oh, OK. Here we go.
羅茜：哦，我真的要……好吧。我要唱了。Li: Oh–maybe, just maybe sometimes it's best NOT to put your money where your mouth is!
李：天哪，看來有時不要說到做到可能是最好的選擇！重點講解：
1. hurry up
趕緊；趕快；
eg. We are pressed for time; we must hurry up.
我們時間緊迫，必須加緊。
eg. You must hurry up or you cannot finish it in time.
你必須趕緊些，否則不能及時完成。
2. put one's money where one's mouth is
用行動證明自己的話；說到做到；說給錢就給錢；
eg. The government might be obliged to put its money where its mouth is to prove its commitment.
政府也許會被迫付出行動，以兌現承諾。
eg. If you're so sure of yourself, why don't you put your money where your mouth is.
如果你對自己那麼有把握，爲什麼你不能說到做到呢？
3. for real
真實地；真正地；不是假裝；
eg. He says he's got a new bike, but I don't know if that's for real.
他說他已買了一輛新自行車，但我不知道是否真有其事。
eg. I don't think her tears were for real.
我認爲她的眼淚不是真的。
