Jo: Hello, this is Real English from BBC Learning English, I’m Jo.
Sun Chen: 還有我,孫晨。這裏就是我們的地道英語。
Jo: In Real English, we look at words and phrases that you might not find in your dictionary.
Jo: And today’s expression is ‘over the top’ – ‘over the top’.
Sun Chen: 那這個詞組的.意思又是什麼呢?
Jo: Well it can be used to describe a person, a place, an object, a way of behaving, a –
Sun Chen: 好了好了。我知道這個詞組可以用在這兒,用在那兒,但是你不是先跟我們說說這個詞組到底是什麼意思呢?
Jo: It really means that something or someone is not normal. It’s going beyond what is considered ordinary.
Sun Chen: 遠遠地超出了普通的範疇。那他到底說的是好事兒,還是壞事兒啊?
Jo: Well, it’s sometimes seen as a bad thing I suppose. Here’s an example.
Insert
A. Did you see her outfit last night – that tiny miniskirt and low-cut top?
B. Yeah it was completely over the top - really not very appropriate for a business dinner!
Jo: So we heard there that ‘over the top’ was used in a disapproving way to talk about something outrageous or flamboyant.
Sun Chen: Over the top 可以用來諷刺那些出圈或特別過分的事兒。
Jo: There’s even a short version of this expression – OTT!
Sun Chen: 那這種縮寫在人們說話的時候,又該怎麼用呢?
Jo: Yes, I could say – his behaviour is really OTT.
Sun Chen: 好了,別忘了我們今天說的詞兒就是
Jo: Over the top or OTT.
Sun Chen: 就是說什麼東西太棒了,要不就是太過分了.
Jo: Join us again for more Real English from BBC Learning English. Goodbye!
Sun Chen: Bye!