In a television show or radio program, a controversial or exciting segment designed to get people talking about the show is called “watercooler moment”.

 

在电视或广播节目中，那些提前设计好的较具争议性或者很精彩的节目片断通常会成为人们的谈资（即我们平时常说的节目的“噱头”），这些片断就叫watercooler moment。

 

It's a classic workplace scene: Two or three co-workers arrive at the office watercooler more or less simultaneously¹ and a brief — and ideally non-work-related — conversation ensues. Nowadays, these confabs are just as likely to break out in the coffee room, alongside the photocopier², or while waiting to use the fax machine. But the "watercooler" was long ago chosen as the symbolic³ location for spontaneous workplace chinwagging.

 

这个短语为我们展现的是办公室常见的一个情景：三两个同事前后来到茶水间，然后一些简短的寒暄就开场了，寒暄内容通常与工作无关。现在，这样的寒暄或闲聊可能会发生在咖啡间、复印机旁，或者等候使用传真机的间隙。但是watercooler（茶水间、饮水机）在很久以前就被选为办公室闲聊的标志性场所了。

 

That's the idea underlying⁴ this phrase. Insert some controversial or titillating⁵ content into a show, and the next day the watercooler conversations will begin with the phrase "Did you see/hear last night's episode of X?"

 

这也就是这个短语出现的缘由。如果在节目中加入一些具有争议性或者比较刺激的内容，那么第二天茶水间寒暄的开场白可能就会是：“你看了/听说昨晚那…事儿了吗？”

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