又中又英｜A whole new ballgame

Just a few weeks ago, former US President Donald Trump thought he would romp to victory in the November 5 presidential election. He was certain he would romp to victory after President Joe Biden looked confused during an election debate against him. Trump was even more certain he would romp to victory after a failed assassination attempt against him, which made him a hero among many Americans. His Republican Party spent millions of dollars on TV ads attacking Biden. But Biden turned the tables by stepping aside and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to challenge Trump. Biden created a whole new ballgame by not seeking reelection.

To romp to victory means to easily win an election or competition. To turn the tables means to completely change the situation from being in a weaker position against someone to a stronger position. The American slang expression “a whole new ballgame” means a completely different situation that is more difficult than the previous situation. It’s a whole new ballgame for Trump because Harris is harder to beat than Biden. Trump was ahead of Biden in opinion polls, but new polls show it will be a tight race between him and Harris. Future poll results may change because the election is three months away.

If Harris wins, she will become the first woman president in US history. She will also be the first president with a Black father and an Indian mother. Biden, aged 81, was the oldest presidential candidate. Now that he has quit the race, Trump, aged 78, has become the oldest presidential candidate, and the first to be convicted of a crime by covering up a sex scandal.

几个星期前，前美国总统唐纳德‧特朗普以为自己会在十一月五日的总统选举中轻易取胜（romp to victory）。在总统祖‧拜登跟他对决的一场选举辩论中，拜登看来相当糊涂之后，特朗普颇肯定自己稳操胜券（romp to victory）；他遭人暗杀未遂，而令他成为许多美国人心目中的英雄之后，特朗普就更肯定自己能轻而易举地获胜（romp to victory）。他的共和党花了数以百万计美元投放电视广告攻击拜登，然而，拜登扭转局面（turned the tables），退选并支持副总统贺锦丽去挑战特朗普。拜登不再寻求连任，创造了一个全新的局面（a whole new ballgame）。

To romp to victory即是轻松赢得选举或比赛。To turn the tables 是指完完全全地扭转局面，由弱势转为占上风。美国俚语“a whole new ballgame”是指一个全新而且比之前更艰难的局面。对特朗普来说，这是一个完全不同的情况（a whole new ballgame），因为贺锦丽比拜登更难战胜。之前在民调中，特朗普领先拜登，但新的民调显示，他跟贺锦丽将会争持激烈。将来的民调结果仍会改变，因为选举还有三个月才举行。

要是贺锦丽胜出选举，她将会成为美国史上第一位女总统。她亦将会是第一位总统有着黑人父亲与印裔母亲。年届八十一的拜登是最老的总统候选人。现在他退出了选举，年届七十八的特朗普就成为了最老的总统候选人，并且是首位就掩饰性丑闻遭到刑事检控的候选人。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻