Stealth call is when you have to call someone back but don't want to really talk to them, so you wait until you know they can't talk and leave a voice mail.
“逃避電話”(stealth call)指當你不得不給誰回電話,但是又真的不想和他們直接講話時,你就瞅準時間,在一個他們不可能接電話的點打過去,這樣直接在語音信箱留言就行。
比如下面這個例子:
I don't want to tell Karen I can't make it tonight, so I'll Stealth-call her when she's on her flight and has her phone shut off.
我不想親口跟凱倫說我今晚去不了,所以我趁她還在飛機上、手機關機的時候打電話過去。
說到打電話,那么我們就順便說一說跟打電話相關的另外幾個說法。一個是手機裝在褲兜里被誤撥出去的電話,叫butt call;另外一個是出去相親前跟朋友約好,過20分鐘打電話把你解救出來的“解困電話”,英文為escape call。
我們分別來看看這兩個說法的英文解釋:
Butt call refers to an unintended phone call placed by sitting on one's cell phone. Maybe the phone bumped up against something in a purse or briefcase, or rubbed up against a seat belt. Or maybe the phone fell on the floor. Maybe the person just sat on their phone—which explains why some industry insiders call inadvertent dialing "butt calls."
Butt call(誤撥電話)指誤坐在手機上而撥出的電話。也可能是手機放在錢包或公文包里碰到了什么東西,或者碰到安全帶了。也或許是手機掉到地板上了。甚至可能是有人坐在手機上了——這也正是業(yè)內(nèi)人士把“誤撥電話”稱為butt call的原因。
跟butt call相似的另一個說法是pocket call,即手機放在衣服口袋里不小心碰到通話鍵而撥出的電話。
Escape call is a planned call or beep from a co-worker that allows you to feign an emergency in order to escape a particularly boring or meaningless meeting, or from a friend that helps you escape from an unsatisfying, even embarrassing blind date.
Escape call就是無聊會議期間接到事先安排好的同事來電,好讓你佯裝出了緊急狀況逃離那個毫無意義的會議;或是相親過程中朋友打來幫你逃離不滿意對象、從尷尬約會中救出的那通電話,我們統(tǒng)稱為“解困來電”。