英語世界：火燒木屋 一撻即着

電視劇中，男主角結交了女朋友，介紹給媽媽和妹妹認識，起初擔心她們能否好好相處，不料她們一見如故，趣味相投，迅即成為好友，形容她們是hit it off。

這短語動詞hit it off，早期是hit off，後來口語成了hit it off，形容初相識的朋友一見如故，認識後立刻發覺趣味相近，極為投緣，很快變成好友，有點像click，是合得來、投契的意思，指的不只是男女朋友。在後面加上with someone，即是與這個人初見面即發覺有相同興趣或愛好，自然而然地相處融洽，成為友好。

He was worried that his girlfriend wouldn't get along with his mother and sister, but it turned out that she hit it off with them right away.

他很擔心女朋友與母親和妹妹合不來，誰料她們一見如故，一拍即合。

The two of them just didn't hit it off. They don't have anything in common.

他們兩人一開始便不大投契，彼此沒有共同的志趣。

They hit it off when they first met in the college because both of them liked art and literature.

他們在大學初相識便一見如故，因為彼此都喜愛藝術和文學。

與剛剛認識的人感覺一見如故，除了可以用hit it off，亦可以用get on / along like a house on fire來表達。真是個有趣的比喻，字面上house on fire 是屋子起火。以前屋子用木材建造，一旦起火便瞬即蔓延，迅速而且猛烈。短語用了這情況作比喻，形容一見如故，一旦認識了，友誼突然而來，而且發展得快速和旺盛，廣東話是「一撻即着」。因此get on like a house on fire是指大家認識不久後，與對方性格和興趣相近，互相欣賞，很快的成為了好朋友，很合得來，相處得很好。

The two composers met in Vienna, and they got on like a house on fire. The friendship encouraged them in their music compositions.

兩位作曲家在維也納相遇，一見如故，這份友誼鼓勵了他們的音樂創作。

Once they started a conversation, they got on like a house on fire. All of them like trail running and now they often run together.

他們一聊起來，便十分投契。全都酷愛跑山，現在常常一起去跑。

They got along like a house on fire when they discovered that they had a common financial interest in the project.

當他們發現彼此在那個項目都有經濟利益，隨即變得很投契。

豆配胡蘿蔔 配菜喻融洽

要說合得來、相處得好，除了用like a house on fire作比喻，或許亦可用like peas and carrots。用食物作比喻，豆（peas）和胡蘿蔔（carrots）是美國餐常見的配菜，經常在同一碟菜餚出現，和諧配合，電影《阿甘正傳》中，阿甘就用了like peas and carrots形容他和好朋友阿珍，get on like peas and carrots雖沒有一見如故的意思，卻也可以形容意氣相投，相處和睦，融洽的在一起。

The sisters are like peas and carrots.

姊妹們融洽地相處。

She manages to get along with her mother-in-law like peas and carrots.

她能夠與家婆融洽和睦相處。

通常「hit it off」或「get on like a house on fire」是用來形容新相識的朋友一見如故，一拍即合，大都基於性格相近，共同興趣或者對事物有相同見解，自然而然地情投意合，成為好友。「Get on like peas and carrots」不一定說一見如故，但描述了兼容和睦共處的關係。

●Lina CHU（linachu88@gmail.com）

隔星期四見報