"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything else by that..."

[Gharial]

So I'd dusted off my Longman English-Chinese Dictionary of English Idioms and started browsing the A section when my eye fell upon the following entry:

ACTRESS

as the actress said to the bishop coll, humor (used to call attention to a remark that is not meant to have a sexual meaning but could be understood as having one 用以表明所说的话并无淫秽成分，以免被误解成如此）： Well, you've seen the kitchen and bathroom. Now perhaps you'd like to follow me into the bedroom, as the actress said to the bishop. 你已看过厨房和浴室啦，现在也许你想随我进卧室了，对不起，我没有别的意思。

Is that a good translation? The Chinese version taken literally misses out on the sly humour and potentially risqué nature of the English. (I certainly don't recall English people being or sounding particularly apologetic when using this idiom!). Or do the Chinese just not do humour (at least, not this particular kind) very well? An "inquiring mind" needs to know! ;)

[Gharial]

Hmm perhaps this would've been better as a blog - then nobody would really notice if it didn't get any replies!

Anyway, one thing I haven't been able to find in my dictionaries is an entry or translation for 'lead balloon'.

[smiletrl]

Well，i'd like to say,this translation seems good to me.As for your mentioned humor sense in English,but not in Chinese,we chinese often end a joke by '对不起，我没有别的意思' used to tell others 'sorry, I didn't mean anything else.But in fact, i have already implyed something else.'

[David Wong]

we chinese often end a joke by '对不起，我没有别的意思' used to tell others 'sorry, I didn't mean anything else.But in fact, i have already implyed something else.'

Hahaha. So the Chinese approach would be, after making a deliberately suggestive remark, to deny that it was intentional. I like it, I like it a lot.

[Gharial]

Heh, thanks for the replies! Hmm, I still think there's a bigger kick to be had from the English approach to making the joke, but it has its dangers of course:

(the classic Monty Python 'Nudge nudge, wink wink' sketch ).