密歇根新闻广播 关于牙齿的一些问题

What comes to mind when you think of something being "full of teeth?" For many people, it's probably a creepy image, like a shark's mouth or a root canal. But as it turns out, the English word "toothsome" means the opposite.

"It's a good thing," says University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan.

To understand why, we may have to rethink our understanding of the word "tooth."

"In the 14th century, the word 'tooth' came to refer to the things that one likes," says Curzan. This is where we get expressions like "sweet tooth," which, of course, refers to your desire for candy, not sugar-coated dentures.

According to Curzan, this is also where the "tooth" in "toothsome" comes from, though the meaning has shifted a little. "It now means something like 'agreeable¹' or 'attractive,' or it can mean that something has a good flavor."

While 'toothsome' doesn't get a lot of usage² today, it's probably not surprising where it does show up: in food writing. But after a little searching, Curzan found that, among food writers, it's contentious³. "I found some examples, in blogs and other places, of people complaining," says Curzan, "and saying 'stop using this in food writing, it's totally overused!'"

But clichés aren't the only problem with "toothsome.'"

"The other concern is that it shows up sometimes on lists of words that are misused," says Curzan, "because not everybody uses it to mean 'appealing' or 'attractive.'"

In a few cases, Curzan explains, writers have taken the word a bit more literally⁴. "Some people use it to mean 'toothy,' as in a 'toothsome grin⁵' or a 'toothsome smile.'"

"It also is sometimes used to mean 'chewy,' that 'toothsome' food is dense⁶ or chewy food."

Tooth may expressions may change a bit over time, but they aren't going away any time soon. If only the same could be said for actual teeth!

1 agreeable   

adj.符合的，一致的，欣然同意的，令人愉快的

参考例句：

• He was quite agreeable to accepting the plan.他乐意接受这项计划。
• I enjoyed an agreeable holiday this summer.今年夏天我度过了一个愉快的假期。

2 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

3 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 grin   

n./vi.露齿而笑，咧嘴一笑

参考例句：

• I know she is joking because she has a big grin on her face.我知道她是在开玩笑。因为她满脸笑容。
• She came out of his office with a big grin on her face.她笑容满面地走出他的办公室。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。