名人教英文：令人气恼
to get my goat
令我气恼
aari: look at the litter in our front garden!
阿里﹕看我们前花园的垃圾！
mi-yun: oh no! i only cleaned up there yesterday.
米芸﹕啊，怎么又来！我昨天才清理了那个地方。
aari: i think i must have picked up half a dozen empty drink cans from there over the past week.
阿里﹕过去一个星期，我在那里拾起的空饮料罐，应有半打左右。
mi-yun: people just throw their rubbish over our wall as they pass by.
米芸﹕不少人走过这里，就把垃圾抛过我们墙头。
aari: i know. it really gets my goat.
阿里﹕是啊，真令我气恼。
mi-yun: why don't they put it in the nearest litter bin?
米芸﹕为什么他们不把垃圾抛进路上见到的垃圾箱？
aari: or take it home if they can't find one and put it in their own trash can.
阿里﹕假如找不到垃圾箱，也应带回家，丢进自己的垃圾桶。
to get one's goat是美国成语，二十世纪初才见于文字，直译是「取去某人的山羊」，意思则是「使人气恼」。气恼和山羊有什么关系？目前唯一较合理的解释是﹕从前美国赛马，马廐会有山羊陪伴参赛马匹。据说，有山羊为伴，马匹的紧张情绪会消减。心怀不轨者有意令某匹马表现失色，就会在比赛之前一晚，偷去其山羊，令牠烦躁不安。所以，to get one's goat即「使人气恼」，例如﹕whatever they may say to you, don't let them get your goat（无论他们跟你说什么，都不要为他们动气）。
乱扔垃圾者，可以叫做litterbug，直译是「垃圾虫」。litterbug本是美式英文，英式英文称之为litter lout︰lout是「乡巴佬」或「粗鄙的男人」。不过，英国人现在深受美式英文影响，往往也会把「乱扔垃圾者」称为litterbug。当年港英政府推行清洁运动，主角就以litterbug为名。that litterbug was fined $500 for throwing banana skins out of the window即「那垃圾虫把蕉皮扔到窗外，给罚款五百元」。
留意i think i must have picked up half a dozen empty drink cans from there over the past week这一句。句中must一字，文法上可以删去，但删去must，等于说清楚计算了空罐的数目；加上must一字，则有「数目只是估算」含义。以下一句，must也有「猜想」的意思﹕he must be wrong（他一定是错了）。