VOA慢速英语2020 词汇掌故 小羊摇两下尾巴是有多快？

（单词翻译）

The English language has many expressions that describe a fast-moving event.

英语中有很多用以描述快速发展事件的短语。

Some expressions relate to body movements.

其中一些与身体的动作有关。

We say something happens in the blink¹ of an eye or in a heartbeat.

例如我们描述有些事情发生在眨眼之间或顷刻的心跳之间。

Other expressions are related² to the world of nature.

还有另-些表达是与自然世界相关的。

Today we will talk about a speed-related expression involving an animal.

今天，我们就要来介绍一个含动物的与速度有关的表达。

Now, because we are talking about speed and animals, you might thinkit isa big cat, such as a lion or cheetah³ -- or maybe even a small, but speedy animal such as a hare⁴.But it is none of them.

既然说到速度和动物，你很容易会想到狮子、猎豹之类的大型猫科动物。或者是小型的类似野兔这样小型的速度型的动物，但都不是。

You guessed it!The expression today involves sheep- baby lambs to be exact!

猜对了，确切点说，今天要学的表达和绵羊羊羔有关。

But why? Lambs are cute.

可从何说起呢?小羊那么可爱。

But they are not really known for their lightning speed.

它们也不是以闪电级别的速度著称的。

Well, our expression is about a specific part of the animal - its tail.

好吧，其实我们要学的这个表达与动物身体很特殊的一部分有关--尾巴。

I suspect lambs can shake their tails very fast.

我怀疑小羊摇尾巴的速度是很快的。

Because when something happens quickly, we say it happens in "two shakes of a lamb's tail."

要不然在某件事很迅速地发生的时候，我们为什么总说它在"小羊摇两下尾巴"的功夫间(马上)就发生了。

Here is an example:

这儿有个例子:

"T'm going to the store. I'll be back in two shakes ofa lamb's tail!"

我去买些东西，马上就回来!

This expression is a cuter and more descriptive way of saying "quickly."

这是对"快速"的一-种更为可爱而更具描述性的说法。

Maybe instead of sending a text message with the letters BRB (be right back), we could use the image of a lamb shaking its tail.

与其发个"赶快回来"的短信，或许发个羊羔摇尾巴的表情包更形象。

That would fun!

那多有喜感!

Being cute like a lamb may be fun.

像小羊羔一样可爱地交流也很有乐趣。

But it has its drawbacks⁵. Cute things are often not taken serlously.

不过，这样也有它的缺点。可爱的事物往往不会被认真对待。

And this cute factor is the main reason Americans rarely use "two shakes of a lamb's tail" in a serious situation.

而美国人也正是由于这个可爱的原因而很少使用这个短语的。

For example, if I see a person get hit by a car, I would not say, "Hold on! Help will be here in two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

比如说，如果我看见有人被撞了，我就会说，"坚持住!救援马.上到，就小羊摇摇尾巴的功夫! "

That would not make the injured person lying in the middle of the street feel reassured⁶.

这恐怕根本安抚不了受伤躺在马路中间的人。

In an emergency like that, I would say something like, "Help is on the way!"

在这样的紧急情境下，我会说，"救援已经在路上了"

Generally speaking, an emergency is not a good time to use cute animal expressions.

一般来说，紧急状况不是使用一些可爱表达的好时候。

Some language experts say "two shakes of a lamb's tail" was first used in written English in the 1800s.

一些语言专家表示，这个短语首次运用于书面英语是在19世纪。

They think that it was used in spoken English much earlier than that.

而它开始被用在口语里的时间就要更早了。

You should know that we often shorten⁷ this expression to simply "two shakes" - as in, "Ill be there in two shakes!"

要知道的是，这个短语经常简化为"two shakes"。例如，"我两下就到"。

You should not use that one for emergencies either.

当然，这个也不适合用在紧急情况当中。

And that is Words and Their Stories for today.

那么，以上就是今天的内容啦。