Dial down 緩和，減輕

內容簡介

單詞 “dial” 除瞭可以作動詞表示 “撥號” 之外，還可以作名詞表示 “調整音量等數值的按鈕”。不過，在 “dial down” 這個表達中，我們並不需要一個實際的按鈕來 “緩和，減輕一件事的強烈程度”。聽節目，跟主持人菲菲和 Phil 學習 “dial down” 的用法。

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, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I’m Feifei.

Phil
And I’m Phil. I’m so happy!

Feifei
How are you so bouncy at the start of the week? Can you dial down the energy a little bit, I’m getting tired just listening to you.

Phil
OK, I’ll dial it down a bit. And actually, that’s what we should learn in this programme – what ‘dial down’ means.

Feifei
Well, imagine you’re looking at the controls of a machine. A dial can be something that you turn to change the intensity of something. “Dial” 作名詞時可以指 “用於調節音量、頻率等等的按鈕”。’Dial’ is also a verb. If you dial something down, you reduce its intensity.

Phil
Now, you told me to dial down the energy. Obviously there aren’t actually any controls – it’s just a metaphor. So, we use it much more generally to talk about reducing the intensity of something.

Feifei
Yes. If you want someone to make something simpler, then you can ask them to dial down the complexity. If you want to resolve an awkward situation at work, then you might ask people to dial down the tension.

Phil
OK, listen to some more people using the expression ‘dial down’.

Examples
OK kids, it’s getting really noisy in here. It’s time to dial down the volume.

Wow! This curry is so spicy! Can you dial down on the chilli please?

Urgh! He’s always so arrogant in meetings. I really wish he’d dial it down a bit.

Feifei
你正在收聽的是 AYYBLOG 英語教學的 “地道英語” 節目。以上我們一起學習瞭如何使用 “dial down” 這個表達。“Dial down” 的字面意思是 “調低音量”，但在日常交流中，“dial down” 可以用來比喻 “降低或緩和某事的強烈程度”。在口語交流中，有時我們也可能會用 “dial back” 來表達和 “dial down” 相同的意思。

Phil
Yes, so a shop might decide to dial back the number of discounts they offer if they need to make more money. And don’t forget that the opposite of ‘dial down’ or ‘dial back’ is ‘dial up’.

Feifei
Yes. For example, a sports team might decide to dial up the pressure on their opponents to make sure they win a game. 和 “dial down” 意思相反的表達是 “dial up”，它的意思就是 “增強或者提高某事的強烈程度”。

Phil
And if you want to dial up your efforts to learn English, make sure you come back next time. See you then!

Feifei
Bye-bye!