聚會(huì)結(jié)束時(shí)常常能聽(tīng)到這樣的對(duì)話：“改天一起吃飯啊？”“好啊，一定！”然后，雙方就沒(méi)了下文。似乎這樣的約定只是聚會(huì)結(jié)束時(shí)的一種告別方式，并不真正算數(shù)的。所以，我們把這樣的約定叫做party promise。

Party promises are those "plans" you make at the end of social gatherings where one, if not both, promiser never actually intends on following through.
Party promise（“派對(duì)諾言”或“聚會(huì)上的約定”）指的是在某個(gè)社交聚會(huì)結(jié)束時(shí)跟別人做出的“約定”，但約定的一方，甚至雙方，其實(shí)并沒(méi)有打算真正履行這個(gè)約定。

For example:

-Dude, we should totally grab coffee sometime soon!

-Yea, totally!

－哥們兒，我們應(yīng)該找時(shí)間一起喝咖啡！

－嗯，一定要的！

(one or both thinking: "this coffee date will never happen, but I can stop talking to them now")
（其中一人或者兩人都在想：“這咖啡是喝不上了，不過(guò)至少現(xiàn)在不用跟他們閑扯了”）

一到過(guò)年過(guò)節(jié)，單身的朋友們都會(huì)很困擾。各類聚會(huì)都會(huì)成為家人和朋友逼問(wèn)“個(gè)人問(wèn)題”的絕佳場(chǎng)合。為了應(yīng)付這樣的情景，不少人在過(guò)節(jié)的時(shí)候會(huì)臨時(shí)找個(gè)異性朋友做擋箭牌，好躲過(guò)家人朋友們的盤問(wèn)。在英語(yǔ)里，這樣做臨時(shí)擋箭牌的朋友叫做safety date。

Safety date is a person that accompanies you to friend's or family event, in order to give the appearance that you are seeing people and not isolated from society, or avoid being set up on blind dates by well meaning friends.
Safety date（臨時(shí)伴侶）就是去參加朋友或家庭聚會(huì)的時(shí)候臨時(shí)帶去的男/女伴，這樣做的原因有二：一是為了讓人們看到你并沒(méi)有讓自己與世隔絕，還是在跟人交往的；二是為了杜絕朋友們善意安排的相親的活動(dòng)。

For example:

Jack brought a safety date to his aunt's dinner party. He did this because his aunt considered herself an "accomplished match maker."
杰克帶了個(gè)臨時(shí)伴侶去參加她姨媽的聚餐。他這樣做是因?yàn)樗虌屢恢弊栽倿椤俺晒Φ募t娘”。

（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Helen）