Knickers in a twist
Will: Hello, I'm William and here I am in Vera's garden to present the programme today… Vera: Hi Will! Yes, I'm Vera, and well, before the programme I've got to hang up my washing! Will: No problem, actually Vera that's quite handy to have you doing that as we have an expression to teach today that many people might find quite amusing.
大家好！我是William，我现在Vera的花园为大家主持今天的节目…… 嗨！Will！是的，我是Vera。嗯，节目开始之前我得先把我洗的衣服晾了。 没问题，事实上Vera，你做这样的事情对今天的短语教学挺有帮助的。很多人应该会觉得这个短语很好玩。
To get your knickers in a twist! Vera: No, Will, my knickers are not twisted. I've got my knickers nicely hung here from this washing line, as are my blouses, my tablecloth, my jeans…
To get your knickers in a twist！ 才没有呢，Will。我的内裤才没有扭在一起呢。 我已经平整地把它们挂在晾衣绳上了，我的长裤也是，还有桌布，牛仔裤……
What are you saying about my washing hanging technique? Do you think I'm not doing my washing right? Will: No, I didn't mean that.
你是怎么说我的晾衣技术的？ 你觉得我不会衣服么？ 不是不是的。我不是那个意思。
I even like these pink pyjamas with yellow polka dots that I can see hanging further down the line. Vera, people can probably see them from the moon! They are a bit too bright for my taste, I've got to say.
我甚至喜欢那件在这里都可以看到的挂在晾衣绳那头的粉红带圆点花纹的睡衣呢。 Vera，人们甚至可以在月球上都可以看到。 但是我得说，我的品味可不允许我喜欢这么明亮的颜色。
Vera: You see, now you are poking fun at my taste in fashion! My mother's taste, actually! She gave me these pyjamas for Christmas. I hate them but … I didn't want to disappoint my mother and she keeps asking me if I wear them often.
看见没，你现在就在取笑我的时尚口味。 精确地说，是我妈妈的品味。 她圣诞节的时候给了我这件睡衣。 我并不喜欢，但是我不想让我妈妈失望，因为她老是问我是不是经常穿。
Will: Alright! Okay. Well, don't get your knickers in a twist!
好吧，好吧。但是，don't get your knickers in a twist!
Vera: Here you go again! Stop criticising my knickers! How about your own knickers? Maybe they are twisted!
你又来了！就别再责难我的内裤啦！ 你自己的内裤又怎样呢？也许正扭在一起呢。
Will: Well, okay, I must confess that sometimes … well, lots of times perhaps, I do get my knickers in a twist. And it's not when I am hanging up my washing.
呃，嗯，我必须得说明白，有时候……不是，是很多时候，也许我的短裤/内裤确实是拧在一起的。 但是我在挂衣服的时候可没有。
Knickers is a British word that refers to ladies' underwear – they're what Americans call panties.
Knickers在英式英语里面指的是女士内裤——也就是美国人所谓的Panties。
But ‘to get your knickers in a twist' has got nothing to do with it: it can be used for either a man or a woman. Vera: Oh, it has nothing to do with underwear?
但是to get your knickers in a twist跟这个一点关系都没有，既可以用在男士身上也可以用在女士身上。 哦，跟内裤一点关系都没有？
Will: Exactly. That's right. It's an expression in English that you use when you want to say that someone is getting upset about things that are not important, trivial matters. Let's listen to some examples:
正是！是的！ 这是英语中的一个短语，指的是某人因为鸡毛蒜皮的事情而恼怒：唧唧歪歪地抱怨某事。 来听一些例句吧：
(Phone ringing) •Female 1: Your phone's been ringing all morning and you haven't bothered to pick it up. •Female 2: Alright! Alright! I will do it now. Don't get your knickers in a twist!
电话铃声。 女1：你的电话响了一个早上，你都懒得接的。 女2：好吧好吧。我现在就接。别没完没了地数叨我！
•Male: My teenage son is very sensitive. Whenever I tell him to tidy up his room he gets his knickers in a twist and slams the door!
我的青春期的儿子非常敏感。 每当我让他打扫房间他总是会唧唧歪歪抱怨个不停，然后砰地把们关上！
Vera: Ah, so it has nothing to do with knickers! Will: That's right. And, by the way, the ones that you have hanging from your washing line aren't twisted either. You're doing a really great job, Vera.
啊！也就是说根本与内裤没关系！ 是的。顺便说一句，你挂在晾衣绳上的内裤也没有拧在一起，很平整。 你做得很不错了，Vera!
Vera: Thank you, Will. But… I've been doing it for some 20 minutes but now I have to take them down! It's going to rain quite heavily and I won't have dry clothes to wear tomorrow…
谢谢你，Will。 我可是晾了20分钟的衣服。但是现在我得把衣服全收起来。 会下大雨呢，明天没有干衣服穿了。
This is so annoying! Why does it have to rain so often? It is not fair!
烦死了！ 为什么总是经常下雨呢？太不公平了！
Just when I've managed to make some time to wash all these clothes. And even the pink and polka dot pyjamas I hate so much. Why can't my mother just give me socks or something else? She has never allowed me to wear what I like. When I was a teenager I wanted to wear miniskirts and she told me off.
正当我有时就洗衣服的时候…… 甚至是我那么讨厌的粉红圆点花纹的睡衣。 为什么我的妈妈就不能给我一些袜子或者什么的呢？ 她从来都没有准许过我穿自己喜欢的衣服。 还是小女生的时候，我想穿迷你裙，但是她不让。
Will: Here we go again! Knickers in a twist! Goodbye. Vera: Goodbye.
又是这样了……你又在唧唧歪歪地抱怨了。 再见！
But why do we always have to finish the programme so soon. People like to learn English. We should have longer programmes so that we can talk about some more expressions. It's not fair with learners that come to the website to improve their language skills…
你为什么老是这么草草地就结束节目呢？ 人们喜欢学英语！ 我们的节目时间应该再长点，我们可以说说其它的短语。 （结束这么快）对于来我们网站提高英语水平的听众是不公平的……（又在唧唧歪歪了Knickers in a twist）。