名人教英文：把某人弄得很苦
to lead someone a merry dance
把某人弄得很苦
dolores: is it true that kylie and faisal have finally got engaged?
多洛雷斯﹕凯莉和费萨尔据说终于订婚了，是真的吗？
keiko: i know they've been together for some time, but i don't think so.
惠子﹕我知道他们走在一起已有一段时间，但据我所知，没有订婚。
dolores: it wouldn't be the first time that they were going to and then didn't.
多洛雷斯﹕他们准备订婚却又临阵退缩，这也不是第一次。
keiko: i think it's kylie. she can't seem to make up her mind.
惠子﹕问题看来是在凯莉。她似乎拿不定主意。
dolores: she never could. always blowing hot and cold.
多洛雷斯﹕她总是犹豫不决，反反复覆。
keiko: yes. i feel sorry for faisal. she's been leading him a merry dance.
惠子﹕不错，我真觉得难为了费萨尔。凯莉把他弄得很苦。
dolores: his parents are so keen for him to get married and start a family.
多洛雷斯﹕费萨尔的父母很想他结婚，生儿育女。
keiko: she'd better be careful. he might start to lose interest.
惠子﹕凯莉最好小心一点。费萨尔可能对她死心。
to lead someone a merry dance直译是「带领某人跳一场愉快的舞」，本来是指领导他人跳复杂难学的舞蹈，后来引伸解作「一再留难、改变主意等，令人难以做成某事」。这成语也作to lead someone a (pretty) dance，例如﹕i must say they led us quite a dance before agreeing to enter into a contract with us（他们答应和我们订立合约之前，真把我们玩得苦了）。
留意to start a family的family一字。family可以解作「家庭」，也可解作「子女」，意思得看上下文而定。theirs is a happy family这一句，当然是说「他们有一个幸福家庭」，但请看以下两句﹕(1) the widow worked hard and raised a large family（那寡妇辛勤工作，养大了一群子女）。(2) she has a family of five children（她有五个子女）。假如把第一句的large family当做中文说的「大家庭」，那就错得厉害。而to start a family则是指「开始生儿育女」，即to begin to have children。
又请留意some time和sometime不同。some time最好用来说「一段时间」，而sometime则表示「某个时间」，例如﹕(1) he came for a short stay with us sometime in june last year（去年六月，他曾经来我们这里小住）。(2) it is some time since i have been to macau（我有一段时间没有去澳门了）。some time有时也用来说「某个时间」，和sometime同义，但写sometime会清楚一点。