我们常以“如履薄冰”形容一个人做事十分小心谨慎,像在薄冰上步行。啡友B说英语中相当的说法是walk on eggs,或者tread on eggs。非常小心地步行的模样,美语有walk Spanish形容。儿童游戏,被人提着衣领踮着脚尖步行,叫作walk Spanish。此词经引伸后作小心地走路解,但现在又常作被解雇,被罢免以及被驱逐解。一个人被公司解雇,可以说:He is walked Spanish by his company。这话可以说成:He took a walk Spanish from his company;但啡友B说美语中take a walk就是革职之意(一说是原于马克吐温的幽默说法),不必再加“西班牙式”了。
Walk on eggs 令人想起放轻脚步走路。美国俚语以walk soft指言行平静:He walks a lot softer than before。指其人比以前文静得多。但是walk softly和walk soft不同,是源于圣经的成语。列王记上二十一章二十七节的旧英译:He (Ahab) rent his clothes... and went softly。在RSV译本中作...and went about dejectedly。见到walk softly是沮丧地走开(中译作:缓缓而行)。(寄自香港)