20150127-Michael Chugani：又中又英——white knight,white magic,white hope
Michael Chugani：又中又英——white knight,white magic,white hope
2015-01-27
ATV is in dire straits. It urgently needs a white knight to save it. I no longer have any connection with ATV because it recently cut all my shows for financial reasons. But as a journalist, I do not want to see a media company fail. More than 600 people will lose their jobs if ATV closes down. I hope a white knight is waiting in the wings to rescue it. If you are in dire straits, it means you are in deep trouble or in a very difficult situation. If someone is waiting in the wings, it means that person is waiting and ready to take over from another person. If you are fired from a very good job, there will always be many other people waiting in the wings to take your job.
A white knight, as I have explained before, is a person or company that agrees to buy a company in financial trouble. A few white knights have expressed interest in buying ATV. I hope at least one of them will agree to buy it so that 600 people will not lose their jobs. A reader asked me to explain other expressions that use the word "white". There are many expressions that use this word. For example, "white magic" means magic used only for good purposes. The opposite is "black magic", which means magic used for evil purposes. A "white lie" is a harmless lie that people tell to avoid hurting the feelings of others. If your best friend's wife is starting to look old, you can tell a white lie by saying she looks very young.
The expression "white hope" means a person who is expected to bring much success to an organization or company. For example, ATV needs a white knight to save it but that white knight should also be a white hope who can make ATV successful. It is useless for a white knight to buy ATV but cannot make it successful. White lightning is an American slang expression that means illegal, colorless (colourless in British English) whiskey made at home. The slang word "moonshine" has a similar meaning.
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亞視正身處險峻困境（dire straits），急需白武士（white knight）出手營救。我跟亞視再沒有任何聯繫，因為它礙於財困終止了我所有的節目。但身為新聞工作者，我不欲見到一間傳媒公司敗倒。若亞視倒閉，超過六百人會失業。我希望有一位白武士（white knight）正準備就緒（waiting in the wings）去營救它。若你在dire straits中，即是指你正身陷艱難的困境。若某人正在waiting in the wings，即是說他已準備好，正等待接手。若你在一個很好的職位上被辭退，一定有許多其他人已準備就緒（waiting in the wings）去接掌你的職位。
正如我之前解釋過，white knight就是願意收購財困公司的人或公司。好幾個白武士（white knights）也已表達過收購亞視的意欲。我希望他們之中至少一間會願意收購，好讓六百名員工不致失業。一位讀者希望我解釋一下其他用到white一字的習語。用上white的習語可多了。例如white magic，是指善意的魔法，相反就是black magic，也就是邪惡的黑魔法。White lie就是為了不去傷害人感受而說的善意謊言。若你好友的太太開始變老了，你可說個善意的謊言（white lie），說她看上去很年輕。
習語white hope解作被寄予厚望，會為機構或公司建功立業的人。譬如，亞視需要白武士（white knight）去拯救它，但那位白武士（white knight）也應是可以令亞視成功的 white hope。 White lightning是美式俚語，解作非法在家釀製的無色威士忌。俚語moonshine也是類似的意思。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2015-01-27
ATV is in dire straits. It urgently needs a white knight to save it. I no longer have any connection with ATV because it recently cut all my shows for financial reasons. But as a journalist, I do not want to see a media company fail. More than 600 people will lose their jobs if ATV closes down. I hope a white knight is waiting in the wings to rescue it. If you are in dire straits, it means you are in deep trouble or in a very difficult situation. If someone is waiting in the wings, it means that person is waiting and ready to take over from another person. If you are fired from a very good job, there will always be many other people waiting in the wings to take your job.
A white knight, as I have explained before, is a person or company that agrees to buy a company in financial trouble. A few white knights have expressed interest in buying ATV. I hope at least one of them will agree to buy it so that 600 people will not lose their jobs. A reader asked me to explain other expressions that use the word "white". There are many expressions that use this word. For example, "white magic" means magic used only for good purposes. The opposite is "black magic", which means magic used for evil purposes. A "white lie" is a harmless lie that people tell to avoid hurting the feelings of others. If your best friend's wife is starting to look old, you can tell a white lie by saying she looks very young.
The expression "white hope" means a person who is expected to bring much success to an organization or company. For example, ATV needs a white knight to save it but that white knight should also be a white hope who can make ATV successful. It is useless for a white knight to buy ATV but cannot make it successful. White lightning is an American slang expression that means illegal, colorless (colourless in British English) whiskey made at home. The slang word "moonshine" has a similar meaning.
* * *
亞視正身處險峻困境（dire straits），急需白武士（white knight）出手營救。我跟亞視再沒有任何聯繫，因為它礙於財困終止了我所有的節目。但身為新聞工作者，我不欲見到一間傳媒公司敗倒。若亞視倒閉，超過六百人會失業。我希望有一位白武士（white knight）正準備就緒（waiting in the wings）去營救它。若你在dire straits中，即是指你正身陷艱難的困境。若某人正在waiting in the wings，即是說他已準備好，正等待接手。若你在一個很好的職位上被辭退，一定有許多其他人已準備就緒（waiting in the wings）去接掌你的職位。
正如我之前解釋過，white knight就是願意收購財困公司的人或公司。好幾個白武士（white knights）也已表達過收購亞視的意欲。我希望他們之中至少一間會願意收購，好讓六百名員工不致失業。一位讀者希望我解釋一下其他用到white一字的習語。用上white的習語可多了。例如white magic，是指善意的魔法，相反就是black magic，也就是邪惡的黑魔法。White lie就是為了不去傷害人感受而說的善意謊言。若你好友的太太開始變老了，你可說個善意的謊言（white lie），說她看上去很年輕。
習語white hope解作被寄予厚望，會為機構或公司建功立業的人。譬如，亞視需要白武士（white knight）去拯救它，但那位白武士（white knight）也應是可以令亞視成功的 white hope。 White lightning是美式俚語，解作非法在家釀製的無色威士忌。俚語moonshine也是類似的意思。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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