T he word "crumble" means to break into very small parts. For example, very old walls can sometimes crumble, or break into very small parts. But if you say "the walls around me are crumbling down", it means you have gone from a strong position to a weak position, or your situation has suddenly turned bad. For example, if a policeman believes he has very strong evidence that you murdered your wife and arrests you but finds out later the evidence was not reliable, he can say: "The walls around my evidence have crumbled". The friend who phoned me believes the walls around the democracy camp are crumbling because of the scandal about Lai Chee-ying's donations.
This means he believes the democracy camp has gone from a strong position to a weak position. Its situation has suddenly become very bad. If you say "the dust has settled", it means the situation has calmed down. There are too many unanswered questions about Lai Chee-ying's donations. That is why I told my friend the dust won't settle, or the situation won't calm down, for some time. If you try to distance yourself from someone, it means you try not to be involved with that person. Documents sent to newspapers showed that some legislators received money from Lai Chee-ying, but these legislators have denied receiving any money. They are trying to distance themselves from him.
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上星期，我有位朋友打電話給我，說：「我們四周的城牆正在崩塌（The walls around us are crumbling down）。」我回應說我同意他所言。然後他問我：「你認為甚麼時候會塵埃落定（the dust will settle）﹖」我跟他說，應該好一陣子也不會塵埃落定（the dust won't settle）。我的朋友屬於所謂的泛民陣營。《蘋果日報》老闆黎智英捐巨額予泛民人士的醜聞，令他很不自在。他惱怒某些收受捐款的立法會議員沒有正確地向立法會申報。他也惱怒怎麼有些立法會議員嘗試跟黎智英劃清界線（distance themselves）。
Crumble是指物件碎成細屑。例如，破舊的牆壁有時會崩坍粉碎（crumble）。但若你說the walls around me are crumbling down，即是說你從有利的位置轉為不利的位置，或你的境況突然變得嚴峻，岌岌可危。例如，若有一位警員相信自己持有你謀殺妻子的有力證據而拘捕你，稍後卻發現那證據並不可靠，他就可以說："The walls around my evidence have crumbled"。 打電話給我的朋友相信，因著黎智英捐款的醜聞，泛民陣營的城牆搖搖欲墜、正在崩塌（the walls around the democracy camp are crumbling）。
也即是說，他相信泛民陣營由強勢轉為弱勢，形勢頓然轉壞。若你說the dust has settled，即是塵埃落定，一切大局已定。但關乎黎智英的捐獻，仍然有許多未解的疑團。因此我跟朋友說the dust won't settle，大局還有好一陣子未能平定。若你嘗試distance yourself from someone，即是說你嘗試與某人保持距離。傳給報紙的文件中透露，有些立法會議員也收了黎智英的錢，但這些立法會議員卻否認收過任何金錢。他們在嘗試與他劃清界線（distance themselves）。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=297086§ion_name=wtt&kw=126