金與銀，同樣是金屬，待遇的差別有時會很大。奧運會金牌得主出盡風頭，銀牌健兒的成就，住往被傳媒冷落，很不公平。上屆冬季奧運會，加拿大華裔選手陳偉群獲得男子單人花樣滑冰比賽亞軍，無緣金牌，只得銀牌。網上竟然出現這段文字：Patrick Chan had the gold on a silver platter. He chose the platter。
On a silver platter
Gold on a silver platter 形象上是將金子恰當地放在銀盤上，以示隆重。這個成語多用於各個動詞之後，例如：give something to someone on a silver platter；present it on a sliver platter；serve it on a sliver platter；want it on a silver platter。例句：Aren’t paper plates good enough for you? You want dinner on a silver platter? The rich kids expect to have it all handed to them on a silver platter 這些富家子弟指望一切都有人拱手送上，無須努力。
Gold 和 golden 配詞和用法都不同：gold-plated 是鍍金的；gold rush 是淘金熱；gold digger 指以色相騙取男人錢財的年輕女人；gold mine 則是大財源，very profitable business。Golden boy 形容有成就的男子：Hollywood’s golden boy 好萊塢的金牌男明星；golden opportunity is a very favourable chance 良機；golden rule is the basic principle which should always be adhered to 金科玉律；golden oldies are song recording, films, or other entertainment items that were once very popular and are still well known and admired，例如披頭四的流行金曲、歷久不衰的經典電影。
「金手銬」
西方商業市場，流行的幾個說法，均是資本主義社會的創新詞語：golden handshake 常指金額大筆的提前退職金或解僱費；golden parachute 指聘約時，規定員工如被解職，即可獲得大筆補償金優厚條款的金降落傘；golden handcuffs 誘人安於現職不覓高就的一大筆津貼或其他福利，離職時才可兌現的「金手銬」。
配上 silver 較新的流行詞語，也有兩個例子：silver surfer 銀髮網民 is an old person who spends a lot of time using the Internet，指經常上互聯網的老年人。而 silver bullet 銀色子彈 is a highly accurate projectile of death or destruction，相當於殺傷力大而準的萬靈丹。Now, it is widely used to mean a specific, fail-safe solution to a problem，即靈丹妙药。
Gold 的習用語：As good as gold means very good, usually used to describe children. If a child is as good as gold, he is very well behaved，小孩子規規矩矩的，很聽話：The children were as good as gold today 孩子們一整天都很乖。
If you strike gold，你找到了可以帶來財富或成功的門，踏上了成功或財富之路：The author struck gold with his latest novel。體育記者也很喜歡用 strike gold，meaning to win a gold medal in a sports competition：Patrick Chan was widely expected to strike gold in the Olympic figure skating competition, but he only got a silver。
All that glitters is not gold 閃閃發光的未必都是金子：人不可貌相，中看未必中用，appearances are deceptive；流金其外者，本質未必盡美好。If you have a heart of gold 你有一顆金子般的心，表示心腸很好，you are generous, sincere, and friendly。有朝一日，希望可以得一大筆金錢，可以用 pot of gold 來形容：a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow，通常指不大可能得到的大筆獎賞或報償。
Silver 的習用語：Cross someone’s palm with silver = pay somebody in advance for services，就享受服務或詢問等，預先付費。如果你預先付費給停車場管理員，他總會給你安排個車位，即使停車場已掛上牌告知顧客車子已停滿：If you cross his palm with silver, the car park attendant can always find you a place, even when the sign says full up。
烏雲背後是銀邊
Every cloud has a silver lining 黑暗中總有一綫光明，where there is life there is hope 否極泰來。烏雲背後是銀邊，相近於漢語：留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒。例句：I’m sorry your business is going badly, but don’t despair. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Golden idioms 比 Gold idioms 更豐富生動：
The golden age was never the present age 人往往身在福中不知福：現在絕非黃金時代，好日子絕不在今天。即使生活在繁榮的時代，人們仍然渴望更好的生活，而不知道那將是後人所稱頌的黄金時代。Golden days were the pleasant and prosperous time in the past: the golden days of Hong Kong cinema were in the 1980s 香港電影的黃金歲月是上世紀八十年代。
A golden key opens every door，相等於 Money talks，有錢萬事通，有錢使得鬼推磨。Kill not the goose that lays the golden eggs 勿殺雞取卵；勿殺生金蛋的鵝。不要貪得無厭，既貪心，又沒有耐性。
Speech is silver, silence is golden
最後的忠告：有時無聲勝有聲，speech is silver, silence is golden: there is a time to speak and a time to be silent; sometimes to keep quiet is a great virtue。說話、沉默，各有其時。所謂：he cannot speak well that cannot hold his tongue 不能保持緘默者，說話不得體；silence is golden 沉默是金。
本專欄逢周二、五發表
