用法学习: 1. come/suffer under the lash to be severely criticized: The sales team came under the lash for poor results. broadside I. a strong written or spoken attack (on someone): The candidate fired/launched yet another broadside at the president. II. specialized military the action of firing all the guns on one side of a navy ship at the same time. withhold 先不告诉, 先不公布 If you withhold something that someone wants, you do not let them have it. to deliberately not give something to someone. Several nations decided to withhold their support for the treaty. He suggested they withhold payment. withhold something from someone: She was found guilty of withholding information from the courts. Police withheld the dead boy's name yesterday until relatives could be told. Financial aid for Britain has been withheld. The captain decided to withhold the terrible news even from his officers. The withholding of property from the market may cause prices to be higher than normal. Isn't it supposed to be the woman who withholds favours 拿性作为要挟条件.
关于"要挟" (威逼 coerce, threaten): 1. take sb hostage/hold sb hostage (要挟, blackmail) If someone is taken hostage or is held hostage, they are captured and kept as a hostage. The police were unable to attack the terrorists because they were holding three people hostage. He was taken hostage while on his first foreign assignment as a television journalist. 2. hold something/it/that against someone (hold something over one's head) to feel angry with someone, because of something that they have done in the past. to like someone less because they have done something wrong or behaved badly in the past: He made a mistake but I don't hold it against him - we all make mistakes. He knows it was an accident – I don't think he'll hold it against her. 3. According to the friend, the Duchess has dealt with his "emotional blackmail" 要挟 in the past and has coping mechanisms 知道如何应对, 知道怎么对付 in place. 4. get at sb I. UK informal to criticize a person repeatedly. to keep criticizing someone in an unkind way Why is he always getting at me? He felt he was being got at by the other students. He keeps getting at me and I really don't know what I've done wrong.
II. to influence a person illegally, usually by offering them money or
threatening them. to use threats to influence the decision of people who
are involved in a court case Do you think some of the jury have been got at 被威胁, 被威逼利诱, 被要挟? The accused claimed that the witness had been got at. 5. hold sb to ransom 被要挟, 被胁迫, 被威逼(hold sb over a [moral] barrel) to force someone to do something by putting that person in a situation where something bad will happen if they do not: The government says it is being held to ransom by the actions of terrorist groups. 6. hold someone or something over 暂时渡过难关, 过渡一下 to retain someone or something (for a period of time). The storm held John over for another day. The manager held over the hit movie for another week. The authorities held the couple over for two days. Harold Anderson and his accordion act have been held over until March 13th. hold something over someone('s head) 要挟 = hold something against someone Fig. to have knowledge of something about a person and to use that knowledge to control the person. So I made a mistake when I was young. Are you going to hold that over my head all my life? Please don't hold that over me anymore. holdover n. One that is held over from an earlier time: a
political advisor who was a holdover from the Reagan era; a family
tradition that is a holdover from my grandparents' childhood. holdover tenancy n.
the situation when a tenant of real estate continues to occupy the
premises without the owner's agreement after the original lease or
rental agreement between the owner (landlord) and the tenant has
expired. The tenant is responsible for payment of the monthly rental at
the existing rate and terms, which the landlord may accept without
admitting the legality of the occupancy. A holdover tenant is subject to
a notice to quit (get out) and, if he/she does not leave, to a lawsuit
for unlawful detainer. 7. He may want to blackmail the government into direct, public negotiations. My landlord's threatening to put the rent up by 10 a week. Breaking it off: Threaten to break off negotiations as a last resort. The strikers refused to be blackmailed into returning to work. He always said he would quit, so we finally called his bluff. Somebody braced them with the idea you'd been buying services from the commission. He threatened legal action. The act of threatening to reveal personal information, esp. sexual scandals, in order to extract money 勒索钱财(exact something from someone 勒索 to demand something from someone; to take something from someone. The
bill collector sought to exact payment from them for a debt that had
been paid off long ago. You cannot exact a single cent from me.). The defensive reason for the plan is Russia's inclination to use energy a lever.
Why people are upset Green Book won Best Picture at the Oscars: Peter Farrelly holds aloft 高举, 高高举起(To elevate; to maintain at an elevated altitude.) his Oscar after Green Book won best picture at the 2019 Academy Awards. Green Book has taken home the coveted Best Picture award at this year's Oscars — but not everyone is happy about it. BlackKklansman director Spike Lee made headlines after attempting to walk out of the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in protest at 以示抗议 the film's win(in protest at 以示对...的抗议 The rioting began on Sept. 23 when soldiers occupied Kinshasa airport in protest at low pay. On that day thousands marched from West to East Berlin in protest at the terms of unification. On Jan. 13, several people were reported to have been wounded by security forces during demonstrations in protest at the arrests. The
four major opposition parties reportedly decided to boycott the Nov. 29
elections in protest at alleged unfair election conditions. Rock bottom: Ex-con strips off in protest at benefit refusal. She shot upright, clutching her head as it throbbed in protest at her sudden move. protest I. [countable, uncountable] something that you do to show publicly that you think that something is wrong and unfair, for example taking part in big public meetings, refusing to work, or refusing to buy a company's products. protest against: Students held a protest march against the war. Five thousand employees came out on strike in protest at the poor working conditions. II [countable] words or actions that show that you do not want someone to do something or that you dislike something very much. protest from: I turned off the TV, despite loud protests from the kids. without protest 未提出异议: He accepted his punishment without protest. She ignored his protests and walked away. The programme caused a storm of protest (=a lot of angry protest). The announcement was met with howls of protest. III. do something under protest: hold/stage/mount a protest Opponents of the plan have staged several protests. lead to/spark (off) protests (=cause them) The arrests sparked off violent street protests. organize a protest She organized a protest outside the store. protests erupt (=start suddenly) Massive protests erupted across the country. a public/popular protest The announcement led to widespread public protests. political protest Lee spent five years in prison for his involvement in political protest. a peaceful protest Some 5,000 students and others began a peaceful protest. a violent/angry protest Three people died yesterday in violent protests against the war. a mass protest 大规模抗议 (=one involving a lot of people) There were mass protests in the capital. a massive protest They reacted to the king's forced abdication with massive public protests. a student protest Student protests were crushed by police. a street protest There was a ban on street protests. an anti-government protest Religious leaders continued to lead anti-government protests. a protest group/movement Students at the heart of the protest movement have called for a general strike. a protest march They staged a protest march through the city's streets. a protest rally (=a large outdoor public meeting to protest about something) A protest rally in the capital was attended by about 400 people. IV. [intransitive, transitive] to come together to publicly express disapproval or opposition to something protest against/at/about Thousands of people blocked the street, protesting against the new legislation. protest something American English Students protested the decision. V. [intransitive, transitive] to say that you strongly disagree with or are angry about something because you think it is wrong or unfair. 'I don't see why I should take the blame for this!' she protested 抗议道. protest that Clive protested that he hadn't been given enough time to do everything. VI. [transitive] to state very firmly that something is true, when other people do not believe you. protest (that) Sarah protested that she wasn't Mick's girlfriend. Years later, he is still protesting his innocence. howls of protest 声声抗议, 一阵阵抗议, 抗议的怒吼. 抗议的呼号 Inevitably there would be howls of protest but there are several valid responses to these. This has generated howls of protest from the firms. 抗议的手段: protest to do something to show publicly that you disagree with something – used especially when a large group of people do this together Huge crowds gathered in the capital protesting against the war.Drivers blocked roads around the capital to protest about the rising cost of fuel. march to walk in a large group from one place to another in order to protest about something Hundreds of students marched through the city in protest against the employment laws. demonstrate to walk or stand somewhere in a large group, in order to protest about something About 200 people were demonstrating outside the US Embassy. Environmentalists have been demonstrating against plans to dump waste at sea. riot 暴乱 to protest by behaving in a violent and uncontrolled way Hundreds of workers rioted after pay negotiations broke down.The prisoners were rioting against their appalling conditions. boycott to protest about the actions of a company, country, or industry by refusing to buy something, or refusing to go to a place or event They may boycott the next Olympic Games. Shoppers are boycotting battery-farmed eggs. hold/stage a sit-in 静坐示威 to protest by refusing to leave a place The students have been staging a sit-in to protest about overcrowding at the polytechnic. go on a hunger strike (also go on hunger strike British English) to protest by refusing to eat Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence. ) before ushers stopped him from leaving. Speaking after the stunt, Lee said the "refs made a bad call" in handing Green Book the Best Picture gong. Lee was not the only one to voice his discontent 表达不满, 表示不满. Social media was flooded with posts after Green Book took home the top Oscars gong — and a large number of them were far from happy. Green Book followed the (reportedly true) story of a black musician and his white driver, the film's protagonist, in the Deep South of America in 1962. But while it was praised for the performances of its actors — Mahershala Ali won the Best Supporting Actor award — it has also been criticised for perpetuating white saviour 白人拯救世界, 白人充当救世主 stereotypes, and for exaggerating the story it tells. It was written by Nick Vallelonga, the son of the white driver Tony "Lip" Vallelonga, who was paid to escort concert pianist Dr Don Shirley on his eight-week concert tour of the South. As the pair make their way through the Mid West and Deep South of America, Tony eventually comes to respect Don for his talent as a piano player. As this respect grows, Tony becomes increasingly appalled by the racism Don encounters on a daily basis, prompting him to intervene in several racist incidents along their journey. New York Times writer Wesley Morris explained the issue with this oft-employed dynamic: "[The relationship in Green Book] symbolises a style of American storytelling in which the wheels of interracial friendship are greased by employment, in which prolonged exposure 长期相处, 长期待在一起 to the black half of the duo enhances the humanity of his white, frequently racist counterpart." Speaking in the media room after the Academy Awards ceremony, Lee compared Green Book to 1990 film Driving Miss Daisy, which focused on the same — albeit reversed — dynamic. The director, who picked up Best Adapted Screenplay for BlackKklansman, said: "I'm snakebit(having or characterized by bad luck; marked by a series of misfortunes, mistakes, etc. unlucky; experiencing misfortune). Every time someone is driving somebody, I lose." In the wake of Lee's comments, social media users have criticised the film, claiming it helps mainstream audiences feel good about social progress and racism from the perspective of a white protagonist who must come to terms with his black employer's character before he deems him worthy of basic human rights. Green Book has had to face more than claims of perpetuating the white saviour narrative. Here's where things get even dicier(dicey [daɪsi] adj Something that is dicey is slightly dangerous or uncertain. [British, informal] There was a dicey moment as one of our party made a risky climb up the cliff wall.). While Nick Vallelonga's film claims to mirror 真是反映 the events that took place on his father and Dr Shirley's journey as they occurred, Dr Shirley's family has disputed this. In an interview with Shadow and Act in December last year, the Shirley family described the film as "jarring", and said it amounted to a "symphony of lies" that depicted Dr Shirley as "embarrassed by his blackness". This portrayal came despite Dr Shirley being an active participant in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, friends with Dr Martin Luther King and close friends with several prominent black musicians, the family said. Edwin Shirley III told Shadow and Act this aspect of his uncle's depiction "was very hurtful" and "100 per cent wrong". Making matters worse, the Shirley family have said they were not consulted 征询 or contacted during the writing and production of the film. Vallelonga rejected these claims, insisting his version of the story was informed by his father and Dr Shirley directly. The filmmaker told Variety he spoke with Dr Shirley ahead of his death in 2013, when he said the pianist gave him his blessing and told him not to speak to any other sources about the screenplay. Ahead of this year's Oscars ceremony, Twitter users dredged up 挖出 a 2015 tweet by Vallelonga that agreed with US President Donald Trump's claims that Muslims celebrated the 9/11 attacks. The since-deleted tweet read: "100% correct. Muslims in Jersey City cheering when towers went down. I saw it when you did, possibly on local CBS News." Vallelonga apologised two days later, saying he was sorry "to everyone associated with Green Book … and all members of the Muslim faith for the hurt I have caused". It's not as if it's a terrible film. It's an enjoyable road movie-cum-buddy comedy that touches on some serious issues – racism, sexual bigotry, a whole bunch of preconceptions about what it means to be black (and, to a lesser degree, white) – before resolving them in a great big bear hug of "if only we took the time to get to know one another" washed down with a feast of fried chicken and jazz-blues. What's the problem with that? On the surface of it, Green Book is a perfect fit for an Oscars that oozed diversity from its every pore 每一个毛孔都散发着多样性 but with far less righteous anger than in recent years. It was as if everyone had concluded that in 2019 enough ground has been won that the campaigning of #OscarsSoWhite and #TimesUp et al could be shelved – for now at least. The complaint, though, is that Green Book is feel-good 自我感觉良好的 liberal hogwash(If you describe what someone says as hogwash, you think it is nonsense. [informal, disapproval] Sugar said it was a 'load of hogwash' that he was not interested in football.), a "white saviour" fantasy that does nothing to examine the structures of racism and prejudice in America (or elsewhere). And I agree with that. Compared with the other choices available in the best picture category, Green Book was the soft option in a field positively dripping in diversity(soft option 少争议的选择: an easier alternative. "probation should in no sense be seen as a soft option by the judiciary". If you take the soft option, you do the thing that is easiest or least likely to cause trouble in a particular situation. We take the soft option. I like to keep the crowd happy because that's what they pay for. The job of chairman can no longer be regarded as a convenient soft option.). And, in my view, that makes it a poor one. Consider the alternatives. Roma is a careful study of ethnic and economic inequality in Mexico dressed as a piece of beautifully constructed nostalgia. The Favourite shatters our preconceptions of 打破传统观念 what a costume drama can be and puts female sexuality front and centre. Vice is an unflinching 不遗余力的, 大胆的 portrait of mendacity [menˈdæsəti] ( lies. Mendacity is lying, rather than telling the truth. ...an astonishing display of cowardice and mendacity. mendacious [menˈdeɪʃəs] not telling the truth. a. used about deliberately false statements, information, etc. ) and entrenched corruption at the very top of the political system. What it means to be black in America is at the heart of both BlacKkKlansman and Black Panther. One an angry, funny and (mostly) true story that draws a line from the Confederacy to Charlottseville via the 1970s, the other a fantasy that re-examines 重新审视 the Malcolm X-Martin Luther King dialectic of violent versus passive resistance through the prism of the superhero movie (Unfortunately, the best film about the lived black experience, If Beale Street Could Talk, wasn't among the best picture contenders, though Regina King did win best supporting actress for it. If you have any interest in seeing real life breathed into the slogan "black lives matter", watch this magnificent, beautiful work adapted from James Baldwin's 1974 novel. It is heartbreaking, yet strangely optimistic.) A Star is Born retreads an old story about an impossible showbiz romance but Bohemian Rhapsody has at least one foot in the diversity camp. Crowd-pleasing concert re-enactments aside, it addresses (some might say rather timidly) the issue of Freddie Mercury struggling to accept and assert his sexual identity at a time when being gay was far from OK. Was Green Book the best film of the year? Not on your nelly(not on your nelly British slang not under any circumstances; certainly not. ). Was it even the best among this crop? Again, no way. But it may just have been the least divisive. Roma had the double stigma of Netflix and subtitles. The Favourite's liberal 随意的 use of the C-bomb will have appalled as many as it delighted. Plenty of people still think superhero movies are inherently inferior and Spike Lee is a polemicist ( [pəˈlemɪsɪst] someone who writes newspaper articles or books that express very strong opinions. A polemicist is someone who is skilled at arguing very strongly for or against a belief or opinion. ...the greatest polemicist of the 20th century.) whose fury infuses every frame of his sometimes heavy-handed film. And even if you agree with the politics of Adam McKay's Vice, being lectured like that does get a bit tiresome. In this field, Green Book may have benefited not from being the best or even many people's favourite. It might have risen to the top of the pile simply by being a consistent top-two or -three pick. As other films fell away in the preferential voting by which best picture is decided, it is possible that it simply did a Bradbury and stayed upright long enough to claim the prize. Because the votes are secret, we'll probably never know. Lee's anger at the result is understandable (and widely shared), even if his film was never likely to win. It feels like a rerun of 1990, when his masterful and incendiary ( [ɪnˈsendiˌeri] I. designed for the purpose of causing a fire an incendiary device/bomb. II. likely to cause anger or violence. incendiary statements. ) Do The Right Thing was passed over 被无视 – not even earning a best picture nomination (though it was nominated for best screenplay) – while Driving Miss Daisy took home the big one. Three decades on, it suddenly feels like things have barely moved. The Academy may be happy to talk the diversity talk but, when it comes to the crunch, it still prefers a Driving Mr Daisy to actually walking the walk.
