解读8个简单的日常短语的来源

 　　这里有一群经常使用的日常短语，它们的来源却会惊得你虎躯一震~到底是那些“妖孽”短语?快快来收了它们吧!

　　1.Pass the buck¹----shift the responsibility to someone else 推卸责任

　　We all know that buck is informal American English for a dollar. Indeed, it can also be used for an Australian dollar, a New Zealand dollar, a South African rand, and an Indian rupee – but none of those senses are related to pass the buck.

　　我们都知道buck是美元dollor非正式的美式英语表达。实际上，buck也可用于表达澳元，新西兰元，南非兰特和印度卢布-但所有这些含义都和pass the buck 这个习语没有联系。

　　This particular buck is ‘an article placed as a reminder² in front of a player whose turn it is to deal at poker³’ – which means passing it make much more sense. This item also gives us the phrase the buck stops here; both figurative phrases have moved far beyond their poker origins.

　　这里的buck是特指“在纸牌游戏中当轮到某人发牌时，放置在玩家面前作为提示的物品”，这样传递这个物品便有了更多的含义。这件物品同样给了我们另一个短语the buck stops here(责无旁贷);这两个比喻意味的短语，其含义已经远远超出了扑克的起源。

　　2.Turn over a new leaf----start to act or behave in a better or more responsible way 改过自新

　　It has nothing to do with foliage,but relates to another common use of leaf: one of the pages in a book. A similar derivation gives us to take a leaf out of someone’s book, meaning ‘imitate or emulate⁴ someone in a particular way’.

　　这个短语和叶子无关，而和leaf另一个常见的含义有关：书中的一页。类似的引申出to take a leaf out of someone’s book这个短语，表示“模仿某人”。

　　3. Push the envelope----to approach or extend the limits of what is possible 接近甚至超越限度

　　This envelope isn’t the sort you’d put letters in.Push the envelope was originally aviation slang relating to graphs of aerodynamic performance and exceeding the set of limiting cobinations of speed and altitude.

　　这个信封并不是我们装信的信封。Push the envelope最初是航空俚语，与空气动力性能的图表相关并且超过速度和高度的合并限制。

　　4. Ring the changes----vary the ways of expressing or doing something 以不同的方式做(或说)同一件事

　　This phrase has nothing to do with pen and paper. Instead, it came originally with allusion⁵ to bell-ringing and the different orders in which a peal⁶ of bells may be rung.

　　这个短语和笔纸无关。反而，它来源于钟声和敲钟时不同的顺序。

　　5. Leave someone in the lurch⁷----leave an associate or friend abruptly⁸ and without assistance or support when they are in a difficult situation让 某人陷入困境

　　The word lurch in this phrase derives⁹ from the French lourche, which is the name of a game resemblingbackgammon.

　　Lurch在这个短语中源于法语词lourche，是一个游戏名字像西洋双陆棋。

　　6. Lick into shape----act forcefully to bring someone or something into a fitter, more efficient, or better-organized state 塑造;使成型

　　In Medieval Europe, it was believed that bears’ young were born shapeless, and licking into shape refers to the alleged¹⁰ practice of bears licking their offspring into ursine¹¹ form.

　　在中世纪的欧洲，人们认为熊生下来是没有形状的，lick the shape指的是熊将他们的后代舔成熊的形状。

　　7. Flash in the pan----a thing or person whose sudden but brief success it no repeated or repeatable 昙花一现

　　If you’re thinking anything to do with cooking or panning for gold, then you’re barking up the wrong tree: flash in the pan is with allusion to the priming of a firearm. The flash arises from an explosion of gunpowder¹² within the pan, which was a part of the lock that held the priming in old types of gun.

　　如果你想到的是烹饪或者淘金相关，那么你便找错了目标，flash in the pan与火枪的推进器有关。光亮由火药盘内的火药爆炸时产生，火药盘是枪支保险栓的一部分，在老式枪支中用来完成推进。

　　8. Pull out all the stops----make a very great effort to achieve something 使出浑身解数;全力以赴

　　These stops are organ pipes of a particular tone and range of pitch and the handles which control them; by pulling all the stops out, you would create a louder, more elaborate sound.

　　这里的stops(音栓)指的是管风琴的音调、音高范围和控制这些因素的手柄，通过弹动所有的音栓，可以发出更大、更复杂的声音。

1 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

2 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

3 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

4 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。

5 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

6 peal   

n.钟声；v.鸣响

参考例句：

• The bells of the cathedral rang out their loud peal.大教堂响起了响亮的钟声。
• A sudden peal of thunder leaves no time to cover the ears.迅雷不及掩耳。

7 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。

8 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

9 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 ursine   

adj.似熊的，熊的

参考例句：

• A few weeks later a better use of beer was discovered by an innocent ursine in the Pacific Northwest.几周后，美国西北太平洋岸有只无邪的熊，发现了善用啤酒的好方法。
• Accordingly,hare bravery already became ursine bravery substitute.因此，兔胆已成为熊胆替代品。

12 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。