Helen: 大家好，欢迎收听地道英语。我是 Helen.

Rob: And I'm Rob. Helen, you look like you've been rushing. Here, have some water.
我是 Rob。Helen，你看起来很匆忙。来喝点水吧。

Helen: Oh thanks. I'm a bit out of breath. 我好久没锻炼了，有点喘不上气了。抱歉，我在银行办事儿迟了。

Rob: You got here just in the nick of time then.

Helen: Just in the nick of time? Shouldn't it be just in time?

Rob: Well, you can say both.

Helen: 你刚才说的 “in the nick of time” 这个短语经常能听到吗?

Rob: Yeah, I think so. It means at the very last moment. Let's hear how this phrase is used.
是的。它的意思是“在最后时刻”，我们来听下这个短语是如何使用的。

-----------
Example

Woman 1: Alice gave birth to a baby girl last night.
Alice昨晚生了个女孩。

Woman 2: I thought she wasn't due for another three weeks.
我还以为想她还得三周才到呢。

Woman 1: It was early and they got to the hospital just in the nick of time.
是早产，他们在最后一刻到了医院。

Man: Sarah and I were on our way to see Beyonce in concert. But she left her mobile in the office, so we had to go back and get it.
Sarah和我一起去看Beyonce的演出。但是她将手机忘在办公室里了，所以我们得回来拿手机。

Woman: Did you miss the show?
你们错过演出了吗？

Man: Thankfully not, we got there just in the nick of time.
还好没有，我们在最后的时刻赶到了。

Helen: 我们刚才听到一位孕妇正好在孩子出生前一刻赶到医院，而另一对恋人差点没赶上 Beyonce 的演唱会。

Rob: That would've been awful. You hear this phrase often used to suggest a disaster had been averted. If the action happened any later, then something awful could happen.
那还不错。你挺这个 短语常用来表示“不好的事被避开了”。如果行动晚些，一些不好的事就会发生。

Helen: I see. 这个短语的意思是刚好，恰好，最后一刻赶到了。那么这是在英式英语吗？

Rob: I don't think the phrase 'in the nick of time' is specifically British. It originated from the UK, but English speakers from all over the world use it now.
我认为in the nick of time这个短语并不特别像英式英语。它源自美国，但是全世界说英语的人现在都这么用。

Helen: 让我们听听例子吧。

-----------
Example

Man: We arrived just in the nick of the time. Another five minutes, our plane would have left without us.
我们在最后一刻赶到了。再玩5分钟，就会错过飞机。

Woman: Sam was experimenting with stir frying last night and the wok caught fire. Luke rushed in with the fire blanket just in the nick of time.
Sam 昨晚正在试着炒菜，但是着火了。Luke 在最后可是拿着防火毯冲了进来。

-----------
Helen: That was close. 热锅烧菜起火了，还好 Luke 机灵没浇水灭火。就差那么一点点，不然就闯大祸了。

Rob: That would have been a catastrophe. So Helen, are you the kind of person who likes to do things at the very last minute?
是啊，差点就酿成灾难。Helen，你是那种喜欢在最后的时间是才去做事的人吗？

Helen: Well, I'd like to think of myself as a person who can do things in the nick of time. Thanks for listening. Bye.
我认为自己能在最后一刻做事的人。感谢收听，再见。

Rob: Bye.