Crunch time 關鍵時刻

[圖片來源：Getty Images]

內容簡介

動詞 crunch 有 “嘎吱嘎吱咬嚼” 的意思，但把它和 “time” 搭配使用，意思還和 “吃東西” 有個關嗎？本集節目中介紹一個地道的表達，描述在面對困難時需要做決定的時刻。

文字稿

（關於臺詞的備註: 請註意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）

Feifei
Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English. 歡迎來到《地道英語》節目，我是馮菲菲。

Rob
And hello, this is Rob. And it’s an important day in the office today, isn’t it, Feifei?

Feifei
Err, is it?

Rob
Yes it is! Remember that big project we’ve all been working on?

Feifei
Big project? 我不懂你說的是哪個大項目？

Rob
Well it’s crunch time.

Feifei
Oh great – I’m starving. I’ll get my crisps.

Rob
No no no, I didn’t say ‘lunch time’.

Feifei
我知道你沒說“lunch time 午飯時間”，但你說“crunch time 嘎吱咀嚼時間”。所以我提議咱們吃“crisps 薯片”。I love crisps.

Rob
No, no – I didn’t mean it’s time to crunch crisps. Crunch time is an important or critical time when a decisive or difficult decision has to be made – and it’s crunch time for our big project.

Feifei
If you say so, Rob. Crunch time 其實和嘎吱嘎吱吃東西沒有任何關系。它用來比喻事件進行到“關鍵時刻，重要時刻，做決定的時刻”。So, Rob, why don’t I finish these crisps while we hear some examples of the expression ‘crunch time’?

Examples
We’ve reached crunch time in our relationship – I’m going to ask my boyfriend to move in with me. I wonder what he’ll say?

The team are doing well but come crunch time, will they score that vital goal?

It’s crunch time for us tomorrow – that’s when we find out if our building plans have been approved.

Feifei
這裡是 AYYBLOG 英語教學的《地道英語》節目。我們在這集節目中教給大傢的地道說法是“crunch time”，它用來描述面對困難時，必須做出決定的“關鍵時刻，緊要關頭”。But, Rob, I’m still not clear why it’s crunch time for our big project?

Rob
Come on, Feifei, you know – the project we’ve been working on for months.

Feifei
哦，你是在說咱們的那個“餅幹項目”吧？

Rob
Exactly! We have to decide today which biscuits we’re going to buy for our meetings. If we don’t order them today, we won’t have anything to eat in tomorrow’s meeting.

Feifei
Err. So, Rob, your crunch time is just about what you’ll be crunching tomorrow. You really need to change your priorities. I think I’ve reached crunch time in this programme.

Rob
What’s that? You’ve got a big decision to make?

Feifei
Yes – to finish this programme or finish my crisps.

Rob
Shall we just eat the crisps?

Feifei
OK. Bye.

Rob
Bye. Pass them over then.

Rob
…mmm.