PETS－2語法講解(304)

I've got money to burn.
　　我們形容有錢人錢多到可以用來儅柴燒，英文也有類似的說法：I've got money to burn. (我有錢用來燒)，比喻我很有錢。形容一個人富有英文可以說：He's loaded/ rich/ a fat-cat。暴發戶可以叫new money。
　　對 話
　　Rita: You spend so much shopping, don't you worry about budgeting?
　　Vivian: I never worry about it. I'm loaded.
　　Rita: But you don't have a job or anything.
　　Vivian: But my husband does, so I've got money to burn.
　　莉達：你花這麽錢多購物，不怕會花光錢嗎？
　　維維安：我從不擔心這個問題，我很富裕。
　　莉達：但你沒有工作。 　　維維安：但我的丈夫有錢嘛，所以我有燒不盡的錢拿來花。
　　莉達自言：I'm loaded. I've got money to burn。Loaded本義是‘載了貨的’，俚語常引申解作‘有錢’，也作loaded with dough。Dough原是‘生麪團’，俚語則用來說‘錢’，例如：(1) I took up a part-time job to earn some dough.（我要賺點錢，從事兼職工作）。(2) Don't spend so much dough on her.（別在她身上花那麽多錢）。
　　To have money to burn直譯是‘有錢要燒掉’。這同樣是‘很有錢’的意思，也可解作有餘錢’，例如：If you have money to burn, save it for a rainy day.（假如你有餘錢，應儲蓄起來，以備不時之需）。
　　漢朝崔烈以五百萬錢買個官職，‘論者嫌其銅臭’。英文也有類似‘銅臭’的說法：to stink of money或to be stinking rich。Stink是‘發臭味’，過去式和過去分詞(past participle)是stank、stunk，例如：The fish stinks. Throw it away（魚已經發臭，扔了吧）。To stink of money或to be stinking rich即‘很有錢’，帶貶義，例如：He stank of money, and of course many girls set their caps at him（他廣有金銀，儅然得到不少女郎垂青）。從前女人多戴帽子(cap)；要引起男人注意，會挑看的一頂，一絲不苟的戴上，所以to set one's cap at a man是指女人設法吸引意中人追求。此外，rolling in money（在錢裡打滾）、made of money（是錢造的）、(well) heeled（鞋子有後跟的）等，都是說‘很有錢’。He must be rolling in money/made of money/heeled即‘他一定很有錢’。