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🇺🇸全美瘋棒球：Baseball Idioms 棒球用語 Part 2📣
有關棒球的諺語一集實在介紹不完，本週繼續聊與球棒╱球⚾有關的片語 ：
1. play hardball
2. throw sb. a curve (ball)
3. right off the bat
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Baseball is sometimes called “hardball” because it’s played with a small, hard ball, unlike softball, which is played with a bigger, softer ball. Because hardball is more challenging than softball, 📍“play hardball” means “to be aggressive and do whatever is necessary to achieve a goal.” Ex: If you want a good deal on a new car, you need to play hardball with the dealer.
A curve ball is one of the hardest pitches to hit—it looks like it’s moving in a straight line, and then curves right before the batter tries to hit it. So 📍“throw sb. a curve (ball)” has come to mean “to do sth. unexpected that surprises or confuses sb.” Ex: I hope they don’t throw me any curve balls during the job interview.
As soon as the ball leaves the bat, the batter needs to start running to first base right away. For this reason, 📍“right off the bat” means “right away, immediately.” Ex: I knew right off the bat that Mark and I would be best friends.
【📕中譯】
棒球也稱hardball，因為棒球所使用的球，跟壘球相比較小又偏硬，也因棒球比壘球更為激烈困難，故📍 play hardball 在商場或政治上使用時，有『採強硬手段；為達目的不擇手段』之意。如：if you want a good deal on a new car, you need to play hardball with the dealer.（如果你要用好價錢買到新車，就得跟車商採強硬手段。）
曲球是投手所投出的一種最難打的球──球像直線飛出去，但在打者要打擊時突然轉彎。因此📍 throw sb. a curve (ball)可指『出其不意刁難某人、給某人出難題』。如：I hope they don’t throw me any curve balls during the job interview.（我希望他們不要在面試的時候出突擊問題。）
當球被打擊出去，打者必須立刻跑向一壘，因此📍right off the bat（球一離開球棒）有『立刻、馬上』的意思，如：I knew right off the bat that Mark and I would be best friends.（我當時馬上知道馬克會成為我的好麻吉。）
【✍關鍵單字】
1. related：「相關的」，baseball-related「跟棒球相關」。
2. softball：「壘球」，比起棒球（hardball）壘球較大偏軟。
3. dealer：「經銷商、商人」。
4. curve ball：「曲球」，棒球術語，前大聯盟投手王建明除了使用伸卡球，也會搭配曲球使用。
5. pitch：「投球」，可當動詞與名詞，pitcher為「投手」。
6. base：「壘」。
圖片取自：Aspen Photo / Shutterstock.com
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