He/she/they would, wouldn't he/she/they?


He/she/they would, wouldn't he/she/they?
Хорошо известное выражение приобрело иной подтекст в 1963 г. во время суда над Стефаном Уордом, которого обвинили в сутенёрстве. Одна свидетельница представила суду список имён мужчин, с которыми у неё были определённые связи. В этом списке значилось и имя лорда Астора. На вопрос суда: 'Do you know that Lord Astor has made a statement to the police saying that your allegations are absolutely untrue?' (Вам известно, что лорд Астор заявил в полиции, что Ваши обвинения — абсолютная ложь?), она ответила: 'He would, wouldn't he?' (С него станется, как же!). Публика была в диком восторге - крайне редко можно было услышать в суде живую разговорную речь, а предположение, что такой человек, как лорд, будет лгать, было и вовсе неслыханным. С тех пор эта фраза используется, чтобы выразить скептическое, недоверчивое отношение к чему-либо.

'The manufacturers say that they are increasing prices solely to keep up with inflation, not to increase their profits.' 'Well, they would, wouldn't they?' — «Производители утверждают, что они поднимают цены, только чтобы поспевать за ростом инфляции, а не для того, чтобы увеличивать свои прибыли». «Да неужели!»


English-Russian dictionary of expressions. 2014.

Смотреть что такое "He/she/they would, wouldn't he/she/they?" в других словарях:

  • would — [[t]wəd STRONG wʊd[/t]] ♦ (Would is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb. In spoken English, would is often abbreviated to d.) 1) MODAL You use would when you are saying what someone believed, hoped, or expected to happen or be… …   English dictionary

  • would — [ wud ] modal verb *** Would is usually followed by an infinitive without to : A picnic would be nice. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: They didn t do as much as they said they would. In conversation and informal writing,… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • would — W1S1 [wud] modal v negative short form wouldn t ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(past intentions/expectations)¦ 2¦(imagined situations)¦ 3¦(past habits)¦ 4¦(requesting)¦ 5¦(offering/inviting)¦ 6¦(what somebody wants)¦ 7¦(past purpose)¦ 8 would not …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • would */*/*/ — UK [wʊd] / US modal verb Summary: Would is usually followed by an infinitive without to : A picnic would be nice. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: They didn t do as much as they said they would. In conversation and informal… …   English dictionary

  • would*/*/*/ — [wʊd] modal verb summary: ■ Would is usually followed by an infinitive without ‘to : A picnic would be nice. Sometimes it is used without a following infinitive: They didn t do as much as they said they would. ■ In conversation and informal… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • would — /wUd/ verb (modal verb) 1 used instead of will to describe what someone has said, asked etc: They said they would meet us at 10.30 at the station. 2 used instead of will with a past tense verb or to show what is likely or possible: What would you …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Singular they — is a popular, non technical expression for uses of the pronoun they (and its inflected forms) when plurality is not required by the context. The Chicago Manual of Style notes: On the one hand, it is unacceptable to a great many reasonable readers …   Wikipedia

  • He Wouldn't Kill Patience — infobox Book | name = He Wouldn t Kill Patience title orig = translator = image caption = | author = John Dickson Carr writing as Carter Dickson cover artist = country = United Kingdom language = English series = Henry Merrivale genre = Mystery,… …   Wikipedia

  • butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth — butter wouldn t melt in (someone s) mouth if butter wouldn t melt in someone s mouth, they look as if they would never do anything wrong although you think they would. She looks as though butter wouldn t melt in her mouth but I ve seen her… …   New idioms dictionary

  • butter wouldn't melt in mouth — butter wouldn t melt in (someone s) mouth if butter wouldn t melt in someone s mouth, they look as if they would never do anything wrong although you think they would. She looks as though butter wouldn t melt in her mouth but I ve seen her… …   New idioms dictionary

  • Oh No They Didn't — ONTD posts on August 25, 2010 URL …   Wikipedia