2016年7月28日星期四

feckless wuss, predestination, tram

英文很複雜。此則"新聞"中的"wuss" ，是20世紀70年代的俗語。

21世紀初，我在元智大學的一場演講，提到

"身不由己，動必循規，只許作有軌電車，欲求為公共汽車而不可得。（ An engine that moves/ In predestinate grooves,/ I'm not even a bus, I am a tram. ）（《管錐篇》第930頁 ）"

當時查原詩，有一行 "I must choose between better and wuss"

當時沒查此wuss。

今天想/查，這wuss (M19--19世紀中葉) 是(=)worse 

The president is far from the feckless wuss portrayed by his critics. But neither is he a master of grand strategy

Obama's foreign policy: a mix of cautious pragmatism, pessimism and cool realism

Playing it long

ECONOMIST.COM

身不由己，動必循規，只許作有軌電車，欲求為公共汽車而不可得。（ An engine that moves/ In predestinate grooves,/ I'm not even a bus, I am a tram. ）（《管錐篇》第930頁）

There was a young man who said, "Damn.

I begin to perceive that I am

A creature that moves

In determinate grooves.

I'm not even a bus, I am a tram."

To this there is a reply:

There was an old man who said, "Cuss.

I must choose between better and wuss.

By ruling of Fate,

I must keep myself straight.

I'm not even a tram; I'm a bus.

Predestination

There once was a man who said "Damn!
It is borne in upon me I am
An engine that moves
In predestinate grooves;
I'm not even a bus, I'm a tram."
--Maurice E. Hare (1886-1967)
There is a somewhat better variation of the above, also attributed to Maurice E. Hare, and given the date 1905:
There was a young man who said "Damn!
I perceive with regret that I am
But a creature that moves
In predestinate grooves
I'm not even a bus, I'm a tram."
And someone wrote a nice reply:
"Young man you should stay your complaint,
For the grooves that you call a constraint
Are there to contrive
That you learn to survive
Trams arrive, buses may or they mayn't."
--Unknown
(Thanks to Dr. Karl Wuensch for bringing the second version of the Hare limerick to my attention, and also the response limerick.)

蠔卡勿丟棄退卡可取回三鎊

2009-04-25 05:42:00

(本報訊)倫敦交通局TFL的資料顯示，每年有大約100萬張蠔卡被丟棄，對倫敦環境造成污染，同時也對交通局的行政成本造成了浪費。而造成蠔卡浪費的主體人群，是購買倫敦交通季票的乘客。據統計，迄今為止TFL共向70萬名使用「旅行通票（travelcard）」的旅客，以及30萬名使用「公共汽車及有軌電車通票（Bus & Tram Pass）的乘客，發放了700萬張蠔卡。在那些附有7日旅行通票或公共汽車通票的新發放的蠔卡中，有三分之一在使用一周後被丟棄，另有一半以上會在5周內被丟棄。TFL的票務總監Shashi Verma表示：「每年有超過100萬張蠔卡被浪費或丟失，這些廢棄的塑料對環境造成巨大污染，同時也令售票處等候購買新卡的隊伍變得更長。」為了鼓勵蠔卡使用者保管好蠔卡和減少浪費，TFL對購買新卡的乘客收取3鎊押金。Verma表示：「所有購買新卡的乘客，都必須支付3鎊的押金，這在返回蠔卡時可退還。這樣做的目的是為了減少每年被浪費的蠔卡數量，以及減少大約300萬鎊的行政成本，用於更好地提高倫敦的交通服務質量。」儘管如此，那些已經在TFL網站上登記過蠔卡信息的使用者，以及一些帶有特殊優惠的蠔卡，如附照片的學生卡或自有通票（Freedom Pass）等，如果發生蠔卡被盜或者丟失等情況，則無需在申請新卡時支付押金。　　另外，從今年5月17日開始，所有購買新倫敦交通蠔卡（Oyster Card）者須繳納3鎊押金，該押金在退還蠔卡時可返還。

feckless

Pronunciation: /ˈfɛkləs/

ADJECTIVE

Lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible:her feckless younger brother

I must choose between better and wuss
wuss (M19) = worse