前美國總統小布希2000年就任後,因為常常講錯話、舉止失當、態度狂妄,因此有關他的笑話一直不斷。這些笑話大都在他唸錯字、缺乏 knowledge(知識)與 common sense(常識)、剛愎自用等上面打轉。下面便是一個取笑他「腦筋有問題」的笑話:
Bush got something wrong with his brain, and he went to see a doctor.
After the medical examination, the doctor told him:
“Bad news, Mr. President. Your brain has two parts:
one is left, and the other is right.
Your left brain has nothing right.
Your right brain has nothing left.”
這笑話中 went (go) to see a doctor 是「看病」之意,medical examination 是健康檢查或身體檢查。
醫生說的話中,“Your brain has two parts: one is left, and the other is right.” left 與right 分別是「左邊」與「右邊」的意思。但是在下一句的 “Your left brain has nothing right.” 中,right 指的是形容詞「對的」,意思是「你左腦中沒有什麼東西是對的」;下一句 “Your right brain has nothing left.” 更絕,left 指的是「剩下的、留下的」,比如說 there’s nothing left 就是「什麼東西都沒留下」,所以整句話是說「你的右腦則什麼也沒剩下」!
所以說,要看得懂這個笑話,你必須知道 left、right 這兩個字的多重涵義。能將雙關語玩到這樣的地步,真是不簡單!
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