Explain是解释的意思,explain away就是搪塞,辩解的意思。上面的例子里,我的同事显然试图用缺少维他命来为她的工作效率低下做辩解,in the end, that excuse couldn't explain away her inefficiency at work. 最终,她没法再为自己的低效率辩解。下面例子里,我们的职业顾问要给我们一些工作中的建议,让我们来听听看:
Are you having trouble finding employment because of gaps in your resume? Rather than explaining away why you were laid off or took time off, consider being honest. Let employers know why you lost your job or needed to stop working to raise a family or tend to a sick relative. Often a good reason will help you get hired again.
我觉得,大家一般都是害怕雇主不能理解他们的境遇,迫不得已,才编出各种故事来掩饰事实。与此相同的,如果你觉得工作太难或者有什么不懂的地方,不如诚实地告诉你的老板,rather than explaining away why you didn't finish the work, you should just go ahead and let your boss know what you don't understand.
The daycare worker asked the mom how her child had gotten such a terrible bruise. She said he'd fallen out of bed. But that didn't explain away some of the other marks found on his body. When investigators determined he'd been beaten by his mother, she stopped trying to invent reasons for her son's injuries.
据说全世界每天有数百万孩子受到父母或者监护人的殴打或者虐待。所以如果你听到了什么或者怀疑什么,千万要站出来质问。Be suspicious when someone's trying to explain away a cause of concern, you may be saving a life! 对一些试图辩解的人特别小心,你可能将挽救一条生命!