The english we speak(BBC教學)第95期:A spanner in the works 橫加阻攔;攪局
Jen: Hi, I'm Jennifer and I'm on the lookout for Helen–someone said they saw her going into the basement earlier… Oh wait, there she is, with… a tool kit? What on earth are you doing? There are pipes all over the floor!
珍：大家好，我是珍妮弗，我正在找海倫，有人說他們看見她不久前進了地下室……哦，等等，她在那兒，她拿的是工具箱嗎？你到底在幹什麼？地板上全是管子！Helen: Oh hi Jen! I'm quite busy down here trying to fix these pipes.
海倫：哦，你好，珍！我現在非常忙，我正在試圖修理這些管子。Jen: Fix the pipes? But you're not a plumber, you don't know anything about pipes!
珍：修理管子？可是你不是管道工啊，你對管道一無所知。
Helen: I know, but the boss asked me to try and fix them.
海倫：我知道，可是老闆讓我來試着修理這些管子。Jen: Really? Are you sure that's what he said? It seems strange he'd ask you to turn your hand to plumbing.
珍：真的嗎？你確定他這麼說過？他讓你學習管道的知識這看起來有點奇怪。Helen: I knew you'd say that, so I printed off his email to show you. Look, it says "About the project - someone has thrown a spanner into the works, and I'd like you to sort it out"…
海倫：我就知道你會這麼說，所以我把他的郵件打印出來給你看。你看，郵件裏寫着“有關這個項目——有人在工作中存心搗亂，我想讓你來解決這個問題”……Jen: But Helen…
珍：可是海倫……Helen: … I'm looking for the spanner in the works!
海倫：所以我在找工作中的扳手！Jen: Oh Helen, you shouldn't take it literally! In English, if someone throws a spanner into the works, it means they do something to spoil a plan or make it more complicated.
珍：海倫，你不應該按字面意思理解！在英語中，這個短語的意思是某些人會做破壞計劃或是讓計劃變得複雜的事情。Helen: Oh… A spanner in the works… So there isn't a real spanner in here.
海倫：哦……在工作中搗亂……所以其實並沒有扳手。Jen: I don't think so… Let's hear some examples to help explain the phrase.
珍：我想是的……我們來聽聽這個短語的一些例子。This hospital appointment on the 15th has thrown a real spanner in the works for our holiday–we'll have to come back early.
醫院的預約時間是15號，這真的給我們的假期造成了很大的麻煩，我們不得不提前回來。The budget cuts have thrown a real spanner in the works for the future of the project.
削減預算給這個項目的未來帶來了阻礙。Helen: So this is a phrase we can use to describe something which has gone wrong. The boss said that someone had thrown a spanner in the works of our project…
海倫：所以我們可以用這個短語來形容某件事出了差錯。老闆說有人在我們的項目上攪局……Jen: He means that something has happened that will make the project more complicated. Perhaps you should talk to him to find out what the problem is before you start taking the building to pieces!
珍：他的意思是發生了某些事，使這個項目變得更復雜。也許你應該和老闆談談，在你把這座大樓拆掉前弄清楚問題。Helen: You're right. So I suppose we'd better clear up some of this mess… But I can't remember where all the pipes go!
海倫：你說得對。我想我們最好收拾一下這裏的爛攤子……可是我不記得這些管子都是哪裏的了！Jen: Oh no! Well let's just try and fit them in as best we can.
珍：哦不！我們盡力把這些管子放回去吧。V/O: Some time later…
話化音：一會兒之後……Jen: Well the pipes are all in, but nothing's working. We're going to be in so much trouble.
珍：管子全放進去了，可是卻不能正常工作。我們要有大麻煩了。Helen: We're not defeated yet. Stand back…
海倫：我們還沒有失敗呢。往後站……Jen: Helen… what are you doing with that huge spanner….
珍：海倫……你要用那個大扳手做什麼……Helen: I'm throwing… it… into… the… works…
海倫：我要用它來讓管道工作……Helen: It works! I did it!
海倫：它正常工作了！我做到了！Jen: You did! With a real life spanner in the works!
珍：你做到了！你用真的扳手修好了管道！重點講解：
1. be on the lookout for
密切留意；尋找；警戒；
eg. I was on the lookout for someone to take me.
我正在注意物色一個人選把我帶去。
eg. I am on the lookout for a good,cheap bicycle.
我在找一輛物美價廉的自行車。
2. on earth
（用於以how， why， what 或 where 開始的問句，表示強調，通常表示問題沒有答案或很難回答）究竟，到底；
eg. What on earth will he get up to next?
下一步他究竟要耍什麼花樣？
eg. Who on earth told you that?
那件事究竟是誰告訴你的？
3. turn one's hand to do sth.
着手學做某事；
eg. I know you have always thought you could do anything you turned your hand to, and mostly you could.
我知道你一直認爲你能幹好你要做的任何事情，而且大多數你都能幹好。
eg. He does a good job at everything that he turns his hand to.
他不論着手做什麼都做得很好。
4. throw a spanner in the works
從中搗亂；橫加阻攔；攪局；
eg. A bad result is sure to throw a spanner in the works.
糟糕的成績肯定會壞事的。
eg. If the girl is intending to many John, his mother will throw a spanner in the works.
如果那個姑娘打算同約翰結婚，約翰的母親就要加以阻撓。
5. sort out
解決（問題）；理清（細節）；
eg. We will try to sort out your complaint immediately.
我們會試圖立即解決你的投訴。
eg. There are still some technical difficulties to sort out.
仍然有些技術問題需要解決。
6. go wrong
（情況）出岔子，出差錯；
eg. It all went horribly wrong.
情況完全變得一團糟。
eg. Nearly everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.
差不多可能出亂子的地方都出了亂子。
7. to pieces
成碎片地；散了架地；成組件地；
eg. If the shell had hit the boat, it would have blown it to pieces.
如果炮彈擊中了小船，它早就被炸成碎片了。
eg. He took it all to pieces, cleaned it inside and out and put it together again.
他把它全拆了，裏外清潔了一下，然後又裝了起來。
8. clear up
整理；收拾；
eg. After breakfast they played while I cleared up.
早飯後，他們玩耍，我收拾餐具。
eg. I cleared up my room.
我把我的房間整理了一下。
