VOA慢速英语2018--你有没有“刮过桶底”?

Have You Ever 'Scraped the Bottom of the Barrel?'

Now, Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English.

Today we talk about a problem we have all faced. It is when you have to make a decision, but the choices you have are not very appealing. In fact, some of those choices are really bad.

We have all had to choose from leftovers² that no one else wanted. In other words, we had to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

As you probably know, a barrel is a round, usually wooden container. It has curved sides and flat ends.

Barrels are often found on farms. They are usually strong and good for holding tools. Some makers³ of alcoholic⁴ drinks, such as wine and bourbon, let their products age in oak barrels. Some people say the right wood gives the final product a smoky quality.

Hundreds of years ago, barrels had another -- much more important -- purpose. This was long before the United States became independent. Before then, people often stored preserved food in barrels and then put the barrels in cold rooms. This would keep the food from going bad.

A professor at the University of Connecticut studied this custom. D. M. Kinsman⁵'s report is called Meat Preparation and Preservation⁶ in Colonial America.

Kinsman writes that many colonial families got through cold winters by keeping their meat supplies in a barrel filled with salted water, or brine. Then they kept the barrel in a cold room.

He added that the salted meat “barrel … and the icy chilliness⁷ of winter cold rooms saw many a northern colonial family through what might otherwise have been a disastrous⁸ year.”

Over time as people ate from the barrel, the food stored would slowly disappear. Finally, when supplies were nearly gone, hungry people had to take whatever they could find from the bottom of the barrel. This was probably the worst food available.

And this is where the expression "to scrape the bottom of the barrel" comes from.

You can also simply say the “bottom of the barrel.” When you have used up all of the good choices, you have hit the bottom of the barrel. So, hitting the bottom of the barrel means you will probably have to settle for a less desirable option.

You are choosing something simply as a last resort. When nothing else is available or works, we simply choose the last resort.

These are all great ways to describe times when your choices are less than perfect.

Now, let's hear how to use these expressions in a conversation.

Two friends are on vacation. They have gone to a quiet seaside town for a week. However, the clouds are moving in. Let's listen as they discuss their options for some quiet reading time indoors. You can also learn some useful beach terms!

Too bad it's raining.

Well, it's a good thing we spent all day yesterday enjoying the sun and swimming in the ocean.

You're right. I think I'll sit back with a good book.

Good idea. Hey, there are some books on this bookcase.

Perfect. I love how people on vacation leave behind their beach reads. Can you read some of the titles?

Let's see. Would you rather read Love at Low Tide or Sandcastle Romance?

I'm not really in the mood for a romance novel. What else is there?

Hmm. There’s some self-help books: Surviving a Coast-to-Coast Relationship and When it Comes to Love Are You Lost at Sea?

No, thanks.

Romance on the Waves?

Are you serious?!

Okay. As a last resort, you could read The Sexiest Sunburn.

Who thinks of these titles?! There has to be something else other romance novels.

Nope. We are really scraping the bottom of the literary barrel with these choices. We may have to settle on reading some take-out menus.

Oh, I give up! We're on vacation. Hand me Romance on the Waves. If we’ve reached the bottom of the barrel, I might as well enjoy it! What about you?

I wasn’t kidding about reading the take-menus. I’ll find us something good for dinner.

And that's Words and Their Stories.

When you listen to our programs, we sure hope you don't feel as if you're scraping the bottom of the barrel.

I'm Anna Matteo.

Do you have a similar expression that means “scraping the bottom of the barrel” in your language? Let us know … in the Comments Section!

Words in This Story

leftover¹ – n. a thing that remains⁹ after something is finished or ended

scrape – v. to remove from a surface by usually repeated strokes of an edged instrument

preserve – v. to prevent (food) from decaying

settle – v. to be content with

last resort – n. something done only if nothing else works : “Asking for more time should be our last resort.”

beach – n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake

low tide – n. the tide when the water is at its lowest point

sandcastle – n. a small model of a castle or other structure that is made with sand on a beach

romance – n. to have or try to have a romantic relationship with someone

mood – n. an emotional state of mind or feeling

sunburn – v. to burn or discolor by the sun : – n. inflammation of the skin caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation especially from sunlight

take-out – adj. of, relating to, selling, or being food not to be consumed on the premises¹⁰

menu – n. a list of the foods that may be ordered at a restaurant

1 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

2 leftovers   

n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
• She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

5 kinsman   

n.男亲属

参考例句：

• Tracing back our genealogies,I found he was a kinsman of mine.转弯抹角算起来他算是我的一个亲戚。
• A near friend is better than a far dwelling kinsman.近友胜过远亲。

6 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

7 chilliness   

n.寒冷，寒意，严寒

参考例句：

• Without the piercing chilliness of the snowfall,where comes the fragrant whiff of the plum blossoms. 没有一朝寒彻骨，哪来梅花扑鼻香。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She thought what a kind heart was hidden under her visitor's seeming chilliness. 她心里想，这位客人外表这样冷冰冰，可藏有一颗多和善的心。 来自辞典例句

8 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。