书城外语课外英语-智力谜语(双语版)
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第8章 字母篇(3)

提示rock’n roll作“摇滚乐”(=rock and roll)解,直译为“滚石乐”,如果真的要滚石头的话,那么就取块石头来滚吧(get a rock and roll it)。

谜底:Get a rock and roll it.

How do you find a lost dog in the botanical gardens?

提示如何在植物园(botanical garden)里寻找走失的狗呢?注意bark的两个意义:“狗叫”和“树皮”。

谜底:Put your ears to a tree and listen to the bark.

How do you get an elephant into a car?

提示把大象装进小汽车是不可能的,但是不论可能不可能,先得把汽车门打开(open the door)。

谜底:Open the door.

How do you get an elephant out of a small car?

提示“如何把大象搬下小汽车”这个问题蕴涵着“大象已经装上小汽车”,谜底自然是叫你“如法炮制”!

谜底:The same way you got it in.How do you get cool music?

提示cool music作“缺乏感情的音乐”解,但是cool又作“凉的”解。如果想听“凉的”音乐,那么就把收音机放进冰箱里去吧。

谜底:Put a radio in the refrigerator.

How do you get elephants upstairs?

提示elevator的意思是“电梯”,想把大象运上楼去,就得用elevator(由elephant和elevator拼缀而成。巧就巧在elevator跟elevator 的读音和拼写一模一样!

谜底:In an elevator.

How do you get rid of unwanted varnish?

提示这是个字谜。varnish(清漆)去掉字母R就成为vanish(消失),清漆真的消失了。

谜底:Take away the “R”and it will vanish.

How do you join the army?

提示join the army的正常解释是“参军”,如果把join理解为“连接”,那么只能把士兵捆在一起了(tie the soldiers together)。

谜底:Tie the soldiers together.

How do you keep an idiot in suspense?

提示谜底I’ll tell you tomorrow(我明天告诉你)是个巧妙的回答,使发问的人保持悬念(keep in suspense),成了傻子(idiot)。

谜底:I’ll tell you tomorrow

How do you keep dry when you’re in the shower?

提示在淋浴的时候别打开水,自然也就不会淋湿了。这个回答既出乎意料,又在情理之中。

谜底:Don’t turn on the water.

How do you keep from getting wet in the shower?

提示keep from getting wet(不淋湿)跟keep dry(保持干燥)是一样的,这是上一个谜语的不同文本。

谜底:Don’t turn the water on.

How do you know when there’s an elephant under your bed?

提示你的床底下有一头大象(there’s an elephant under your bed)的话,你的床肯定会给抬起来,你的鼻子也就会碰到天花板了(Your noes touches ceiling)。

谜底:Your nose touches the ceiling.

How do you make a bandstand?

提示make a bandstand(搭一个室外音乐台)和make a band stand(使乐队站着)完全两回事。把椅子都藏起来(hide all their chairs),乐队成员就只能站着。

谜底:Hide all their chairs.

How do you make a fisherman’s net?

提示渔网(a fisherman’s net)有网绳和网眼,现实里当然是由网绳结出网眼,“把网眼缝在一起”(Just sew a lot of holes together)这样的回答只不过是抬杠而已。

谜底:Just sew a lot of holes together.

How do you make a lemon drop?

提示make a lemon drop是个歧义短语,一个解释是“制作柠檬糖”,另一个解释是“使柠檬掉下来”。要使柠檬掉下来,摇一摇柠檬树(shake the tree)自然是一种办法。

谜底:Shake the tree.

How do you make a sausage roll?

提示make a sausage roll是个歧义短语,一个解释是“制作香肠卷饼”,另一个解释是“使香肠滚动”。要使香肠滚动,把它推下山(push it down the hill)自然是一种办法。

谜底:Push it down the hills.

How do you make a turtle fast?

提示make a turtle fast也是个歧义短语,一个解释是“使乌龟爬得快”,另一个解释是“使乌龟禁食”。要使乌龟禁食,不给它喂食(stop feeding it)自然是一种办法。

谜底:Stop feeding it.

How do you make a witch scratch?

提示怎样使女巫搔痒(make a witch scratch)呢?这是个使人摸不着头脑的问题,其实,这是个字谜。witch一词去掉字母W,就成为itch(发痒),女巫不得不搔痒(scratch)。

谜底:Take away the W and she’ll itch.

How do you make an apple puff?

提示make an apple puff是个歧义短语,一个解释是“制作苹果松饼”,另一个解释是“使苹果喘气”。苹果当然不会喘气,非要使它喘气的话,你能把它撵得满园跑(chase it round the garden),它也就会喘气了。

谜底:Chase it round the garden.

How do you make an elephant fly?

提示怎么能使大象飞行(make an elephant fly)呢?惟一的办法是把它从摩天大楼顶上推下去(push him off the top of a skyscraper),大象就能在空中“飞”上几秒钟!

谜底:Push him off the top of a skyscraper.

How do you make seven an even number?

提示怎么能使seven(七)变成个偶数(even number)呢?原来这个谜语是个字谜,seven一词去掉字母S,就成为even(偶数的)。

谜底:Take the “S”off.

How do you mend a broken pizza?

提示怎样修补破了的比萨饼(mend a broken pizza)呢?paste可以作“糨糊”解,那么tomato paste(番茄酱)也能充当糨糊吧!

谜底:With tomato paste.

How do you prevent a summer cold?

提示怎样防止夏天得感冒(prevent a summer cold)呢?夏天不得感冒就在冬天感冒吧(catch it in the winter)!

谜底:Catch it in the winter.

How do you pronounce VOLIX?

提示VOL是volume(卷)的缩写,Ⅸ是罗马数字“九”(nine)。所以,VOLIX应该读作volume nine(第九卷)。

谜底:Volume nine.

How do you start a flea race?

提示赛跑比赛开始以前的口令是“One,two,three,go!”(一,二,三,跑!)。如果是跳蚤(flea)的比赛,“one,two,flea,go!”是个聪明的口令,three和flea的发音也十分相似。

谜底:Says“One,two,flea,go!”.

How do you stop a mouse from squeaking?)

提示squeak这个象声词可以用于老鼠的吱吱叫声,也可以用于未经润滑的铰链等的轧轧声。谜底oil it(给它加点油)看来不合情理,其实,给老鼠喝点油,它还真可能不叫了。

谜底:Oil it.

How do you stop a chimney from smoking?

提示smoking的一个意思是“冒烟”,另一个意思是“抽烟”。谜底是根据第二个意思而得出的。

谜底:Take away its cigarettes.

How do you stop a cold from going to your chest?

提示怎样防止寒气进入胸腔(stop a cold from going to your chest)?可以有各种有效的办法,谜底给了一个馊主意,但是没有错。

谜底:Tie a knot in your neck.

How do you stop a dog from barking in the front seat?

提示怎样制止狗在前排座位上吠叫(stop a dog from barking in the front seat)?既然不让它在前排座位上吠叫,那么就把它放到后排座位上去吧(put him in the back)。

谜底:Put him in the back.

How do you stop a skunk from smelling?

提示smell有两个意思,一个是“发出气味”,另一个是“嗅”。谜面的意思当然应该取第一个意思,如果取第二个意思的话,即“怎样阻止臭鼬闻气味”,那么谜底“堵住它的鼻子”(hold its nose)不失为一种办法。

谜底:Hold its nose.

How do you stop milk from going sour?

提示怎样防止牛奶变酸(stop milk from going sour)?谜底“把它放在母牛里”(keep it in the cow)只不过是戏言而已。

谜底:Keep it in the cow.

How do you stop the rabbits from digging in the yard?

提示怎样阻止兔子在院子里挖土(keep the rabbits from digging in the yard)?谜底“把铁锹藏起来”(hide the spade)也是一句戏言。

谜底:Hide the spade.

How do you stop your dog from barking in the hall?

提示怎样制止狗在大厅里吠叫(stop a dog from barking in the hall)?既然不让它在大厅里吠叫,那么就把它放到花园里去吧(put him in the garden)。

谜底:Put him in the garden.

How do you stop your dog from digging in the garden?

提示怎样阻止狗在花园里挖土(keep the rabbits from digging in the garden)?谜底“把铁锹拿走”(take away his spade)自然是一句戏言。

谜底:Take away his spade.

How do you take a sick pig to hospital?

提示送病人上医院用的是ambulance(救护车),而ham是“火腿”的意思。送病猪上医院用hambulance是个杜撰的混成词:ham+ambulance,读音跟ambulance非常相近。

谜底:In a hambulance.

How do you tell the naked truth?

提示naked truth(真相)和bare facts(赤裸裸的事实)是英语中两个常用的搭配,分别用于谜面和谜底,显得十分贴切。

谜底:Just give the bare facts.

How do you train for a long race?

提示runner beans是“红花菜豆”的意思,跟长跑毫无关系,因为里面有runner(赛跑的人)这个成分,用在这里制造幽默的效果。

谜底:Eat lots of runner beans.

How does a broom act?

提示扫帚怎样表演(How does a broom act)呢?谜底巧妙地运用了英语中的惯用搭配sweeping gestures(大幅度的挥手动作),因为sweeping(打扫)通常是跟扫帚联系在一起的。

谜底:With sweeping gestures.

How does a dog stop a VCR?

提示录像机(VCR)的停止键是pause button,狗要用它的爪子(paws)来停止录像机,pause和paws的读音相同,paws button是谐音的用法。

谜底:He presses his paws button.

How does a fish in a hurry travel?

提示计程车是taxicab,海里有crab(螃蟹),taxicrab是戏谑的说法。

谜底:By taxicrab.

How does a footballer keep cool?

提示keep cool的字面意义是“保持凉快”,比喻意义是“保持镇静”。足球运动员(footballer)重要的是需要保持镇静,如果他要凉快的话,那么就站到风扇旁边去吧(stand next to the fan)。

谜底:He stands next to a fan.

How does a ghost open his gate?

提示skeleton key是“万能钥匙”的意思,skeleton是“骷髅”的意思,鬼魂开门用skeleton key当然是戏言而已。

谜底:With a skeleton key.

How does a hippopotamus get down from a tree?

提示河马(hippopotamus)怎样从树上下来?谜面的前提是河马已经上树,既然已经上去,那么就坐在树叶上等着往下掉吧(sits on the tree and waits for a fall)。