Up the Ante

加碼

英文裡有個up the ante的成語,乍看常會不知是什麼意思。其實這個詞和賭博(gambling)有關,特別是玩撲克牌時,當你up the ante時,實際即increase the bet(增加賭注)。字典對up the ante一詞的解釋是:If you up the ante, you increase the value of something, but there is an element of risk involved since the term comes from gambling where it means to increase the stake.(如果你加碼,即增加某一東西的價值,但有冒險成分在內,因此一用語源於賭博,在那兒作增加賭注解。)

Up the ante並不限在賭場上用,任何加碼的情況都可用之。譬如伊拉克的法庭現正審判前總統Saddam Hussein和他的同僚,他們都有可能被判死刑。新聞報導即說The Iraqi court may up the ante by sentencing Hussein and his co-defendants all to death.(伊拉克法院可能加重量刑,把哈珊及其共犯都判處死刑。)

陳水扁總統的女婿趙建銘涉嫌內線交易,遭收押禁見。用英文表達可說The law enforce ment officials upped the ante when they took into custody Mr. Chao Chien-ming, Taiwan President's son-in-law, for his alleged role in insiden trading.

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