下班后晚饭前，做饭忙不停，这时孩子吵猫狗叫，巴不得世界赶紧静一静。这就是一天中的“砒霜时间”。

Arsenic hour is the time after parents arrive home from work and before dinner is served; any extremely hectic part of the day, especially when dealing with young children.

“砒霜时间”指的是父母下班后，晚饭开饭前的这段时间，或者是一天中非常忙碌的时段，特别是带年幼的孩子时。

It’s almost dinnertime. Mom or Dad, or both, are trying to get dinner going. They’ve just arrived home from work or they’re reeling from a long day of parenting. They’re tired, the kids are wired and everyone is hungry. Among other things.

快到晚饭时间了，母亲或父亲，或是两个人都在做饭。他们刚下班，或者已经带了一天孩子。他们非常疲惫，但孩子们极其兴奋，每个人都很饿，等等。

Let’s peek inside one household:

让我们看看这一家：

The oldest child has a million questions. The middle child needs a hand in the bathroom. The baby wakes up cranky from his afternoon nap. Then he poops. The dog starts scratching the paint off the door and then begins barking as if a serial killer is in the house. Simultaneously, the cat relieves itself in an unauthorized location.

老大问个没完，老二在厕所需要人帮忙，最小的娃午觉醒后还有起床气，然后他拉了。狗狗把门抓花了，然后狂吠不止，就好像屋里进了个连环杀手。这时，猫随地大小便了。

This is the time of day known as “the arsenic hour.” Why? Because you either want to dispense some arsenic or take some.

这就是一天中的“砒霜时间”。为什么这样说？因为这时你巴不得分点儿毒药下去，或者自己吃点儿（开玩笑了）。

The best that can be said about the above situation is that it’s not my house. Our only pets are fish, who are usually very polite and well-behaved, particularly if you drop an occasional mention of “fillet” as you pass by the tank. The children are another matter.

最好的消息是，这不是在我家。我们唯一的宠物是金鱼，非常礼貌，也很乖，特别是你路过鱼缸，偶尔往里面扔个鱼片时。孩子们就是另一回事了。