"a wild card" 是什么意思？~名师答疑
30 September 2022
美国朋友常说"a wild card."它是什么意思?
这种表达在美式英语的牌游戏中很多，尤其在扑克牌。
每套牌中都有两张多余的牌。这些可以代替丟失或损坏的牌。这些叫作"百搭牌。"它们常常有个小丑的图案。有时候也叫小丑。
在牌游戏中，"Jokers."牌可以与任何牌搭。如我有三个王和一个Jokers.我将用这个百搭牌作王，所以现在我有四个王。
但是我们不只在牌游戏中听到"wild card."在运动中用这种表达表示一个被邀请竞争冠军的队。如:
For example, in American football, the best teams play each other at the end of the season – in a series of games called "playoffs." A few teams that might not have the best records are invited to play against the top teams. It is possible, if the wildcard team is good enough, that it can win the championship.
Here is an example showing how a wild card team won the championship of American football, the Super Bowl.
In 2007, the New York Giants entered the playoffs as a wild card team, but they went on to beat the New England Patriots and win the Super Bowl.
你可能会猜测我们也能用"a wild card."描述人。如果一个人神秘莫测，你不确信他将怎么行动，那么你可以说:
My brother is a wild card when it comes to holidays – we never know if he is coming to our family dinners.
最后，在计算机的世界里，wild card描述通配符。它看起来是个星号。如:
For example, if you want a computer to find all the words in a document that start with the prefix dis- so you can write a command: "Find dis*." The result will be a set of words like these: discover, discuss, dismiss, and the like.
(原文供参考)
American friend usually says. It is the... expression "a wild card." What does it mean?
This expression is like many that come to American English from card games, especially the game of poker.
Each set of playing cards has two extra cards. These can take the place of lost or damaged cards. These cards are called "Jokers." They often have a picture of a clown-like person sometimes called a jester.
In some card games, the "Joker" card is dealt to the players along with the usual kinds of cards. It serves as a "wild card" in the game. That means, if you have it in your hand, you can use it as any other card. Here is an example of how a player might talk about their use of a wild card in a game.
I have three kings and one joker. I'll use the wild card as a king, so now I have four kings.
But card games are not the only places you will hear the term "wild card." In sports, we use the expression for a team that is invited to compete for a championship. For example, in American football, the best teams play each other at the end of the season – in a series of games called "playoffs." A few teams that might not have the best records are invited to play against the top teams. It is possible, if the wildcard team is good enough, that it can win the championship.
Here is an example showing how a wild card team won the championship of American football, the Super Bowl.
In 2007, the New York Giants entered the playoffs as a wild card team, but they went on to beat the New England Patriots and win the Super Bowl.
And, as you can probably guess, we use "wild card" to describe people as well. If a person is unpredictable, you cannot be sure of how they will act. Then you might say:
My brother is a wild card when it comes to holidays – we never know if he is coming to our family dinners.
Finally, in the world of computers, the term "wild card" describes a symbol that programmers use. It looks like a little star and is called an asterisk. It means anything can appear in that place. For example, if you want a computer to find all the words in a document that start with the prefix dis- so you can write a command: "Find dis*." The result will be a set of words like these: discover, discuss, dismiss, and the like.
