前情提要

尼尔买彩票中奖了-但是菲菲不清楚他到底中了多少钱。不过中奖的钱至少可以让尼尔付清一些债务。因此，菲菲用一个短语来表表示尼尔目前的财务状况。现在，我们来看看吧！

Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak with me, Feifei…

Neil
…and me, Neil.

Feifei
Neil, you’re looking very pleased with yourself. （尼尔，你看上去心情很不错啊。）

Neil
Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I won some money on the lottery.

Feifei
So, are you a millionaire now?

Neil
No – I didn’t win a large amount of money,  but enough to pay off my bills, buy some new clothes. And finally I can  afford to get my old car fixed.

Feifei
Great. Congratulations. So now you are sitting pretty?

Neil
Pretty? What have my good looks got to do with it?

Feifei
I’m not talking about your looks – it’s  about your finances. When we say someone is ‘sitting pretty’, we mean  they are in a good situation, particularly financially. So, I’m saying  you’re in a comfortable position, as far as money goes. （我并不是说你的长相，而是说你的财务状况。当我们说某人‘sitting pretty’，我们指的是他们的状况，特别是财务状况很不错。所以，我说的是你目前的财务状况很可观。）

Neil
You could say that.（你说的没错）

Feifei
Well, let’s hear some examples of other people who are ‘sitting pretty’…

Examples（更多举例）
After selling our house for a huge profit, we’re now sitting pretty.

The rent on this flat is really cheap, so we’re sitting pretty.

With more wins than any other team, we’re sitting pretty at the top of the league table!

Feifei
This is The English We Speak from BBC  Learning English. We’re talking about the phrase ‘sitting pretty’ which  describes someone’s favourable situation – it’s often financial. And  Neil, you’re sitting pretty after your lottery win. Maybe you could pay  me back the ten pounds I lent you?（这里是BBC英语教学的地道英语节目。我们现在说谈论的短语‘sitting pretty’指的是某人的处境非常好-这里通常是指经济宽裕，不愁吃喝）

Neil
Of course, Feifei… there you go – ten pounds. I might even buy you a cappuccino if you’d like one – a small one?

Feifei
Err, yes, Neil - that would be great. Thanks!

…. Is everything OK?

Neil
No. I’ve just got the bill for repairing my car - £1000!

Feifei
Oh… well, you did say it was an old car. Never mind, Neil – you win some, you lose some. Shall I buy the coffee?

Neil
Yes, please… and I can have that ten pounds back, please?

Feifei
Oh dear, Neil – sitting pretty didn’t last long. Better luck next time.

Neil
Thanks!

来源：BBC Learning English

编辑：译锐君