双语 | “猫把你舌头吃了吗”，7个英语表达，起源让人惊讶

这些词和短语看起来很普通，但是仔细研究你就会发现它们古老的起源。老实说：一些英语表达很奇怪…同时引起了许多问题。很多说法的起源都较近，但是有趣的是，许多俚语单词和短语都可以追溯至很远。一起来看看这7个可以追溯至古英语的短语吧。

1. Decked Out 盛装，光彩照人

This commonly used phrase stems from Dutch — the  form of the Dutch language spoken from around 1200-1500. The word decked means  "to cover," which makes sense because if someone is "decked out" they’re covered  in fancy clothes, jewelry, etc. It can also describe objects, like your house,  which might be decked out with flashing Christmas lights.

这个常用的短语起源于荷兰语 —  这种形式大概在1200—1500形成。Decked意为‘穿，覆盖’。如果用“decked  out”来描述某人，就说明他们佩戴珠宝，盛装出席，光彩照人。Deck也可以描述物体，例如，房子在圣诞节时张灯结彩。

2. Idiot 傻瓜，笨蛋

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about you. But you  can thank the Greeks for this word, which we all throw around a little too  loosely. As you probably know, ancient Greece was big on the whole democracy  thing, so people who didn’t participate in the political process or in their  community were viewed in a negative light. The Greek word idiot was used to  describe those people, who were considered ignorant and overly preoccupied with  themselves.

不要担心，我们不是在说你笨。但是你可以感谢希腊人创造了这个我们经常在日常生活中使用的词。正如你可能知道的一样，古希腊很重视民主制度，所以那些不参加政治活动的人就被视为消极。希腊单词idiot被用来描述无知和过分关注自己的人。

3. Moron 傻瓜，痴愚者

Blame the ancient Greeks again. This regularly used  insult comes from the Greek word móros, meaning "foolish" or "stupid."

Moron这个单词同样源于希腊，由希腊单词móros演化而来，意为‘傻的’，‘愚蠢的’，通常用来侮辱别人。

4. To Butter Someone Up 恭维某人

This is one of those expressions you use without  thinking. Taken literally, it sounds messy and unpleasant, but it actually means  heaping praise and flattery on someone in order to get something from them. 

这是一件你不用思考就可以做的事情。从字面上理解，这句话听起来很脏而且会令人感到不愉快，但是事实上这意味着对某人的赞美和奉承，以便从他们那里取得一定的好处。

This  phrase is rumored to originate from an ancient Indian religious custom. People  would throw balls of butter at statues of gods when seeking their favor. We  don’t recommend trying this custom on your boss…

据说这个短语起源于一个古老的印度宗教习俗。人们在向神寻求帮助时会把黄油涂在他们的雕塑上。我们不建议你对老板也这样做…

5. Goth 野蛮人，粗野的人

Remember those kids in high school who wore all  black, listened to punk rock, and went a little crazy with the eyeliner? You may  have guessed that the term goth is short for gothic, a medieval style of  architecture and literature. But you may not have known that the words goth and  gothic refer back to ancient history. The Goths were a Germanic tribe that  invaded Rome in the third century and are said to have played a role in the fall  of the Roman Empire. 

你还记得那些孩子吗？他们上高中，穿着黑色的衣服，听着朋克摇滚，眼线画得近似疯狂。你可能已经猜到goth这个词氏gothic的缩写，gothic是中世纪的一种建筑风格，也是一种文学形式。但是你可能不知道goth和gothic也指古代的历史。哥特人属于日耳曼族，在三世纪入侵罗马。据说，哥特人在罗马帝国的陷落中扮演着重要的角色。

The Romans considered the Goths uncivilized barbarians. But  those "barbarians" held pockets of power for a few centuries. Fast forward to  medieval Europe, where Gothic architecture was seen as uncultured and barbaric,  as opposed to its predecessor, Renaissance architecture. The architecture led to  the dark, horror-based literature and culture, which inspired those kids from  your high school.

罗马人认为哥特人是不文明的野蛮人。但是这些“野蛮人”却拥有了几个世纪长的权利。快进到中世纪的欧洲，与文艺复兴时期的建筑相比，哥特式的建筑被认为是野蛮的，不文明的。这种建筑指向黑，恐怖的文学和文化，这些都使那些高中的孩子们感到好奇。

6. Running Amok 胡作非为，横冲直撞

When your children are bouncing off the walls,  screaming and acting wild, you might say they are "running amok." But after you  learn the origin of that expression, you will probably think twice before using  it. 

当你的孩子尖叫着在墙边跳来跳去举止疯狂时，你可能会说他们‘疯了’。但是当你弄清楚这个短语的起源时，下次使用这个短语的时候你可能就会三思了。

The word "amok" likely comes from the Amuco — a group of warriors in  Malaysia who were known for their indiscriminate violence. It is also likely  derived from amuk, which is a Malay word meaning "attacking furiously." It was  used to describe seemingly sane tribesmen in Malaysia who would go on random  killing rampages. In Malay culture, some people believed these rampages were  caused by evil spirits possessing the attacker. The phrase "run amok" was  popularized by the explorer Captain James Cook, who wrote about the phenomenon  in his book Voyages in 1772.

‘Amok’这个词很可能来源于Amuco  —  一群在马来西亚的战士，他们以滥杀无辜闻名。它也有可能起源于amuk，这是一个马来语，意为‘疯狂的进攻’。这个词用来描述马来西亚的看似神智正常的男子，但是他们却会随意杀人。在马来西亚的文化中，这种疯狂是由有攻击性的黑暗幽灵导致的。‘Run  amok’这个短语是由探险家詹姆斯·库克在他的著作《1772年航行》中推广的。

7. Cat Got Your Tongue? 猫把你的舌头吃了吗？

Next time your snarky friend asks you this when you  can’t think of what to say, reply with this little gem of a story. Rumor has it  that in ancient Egypt, liars and blasphemers would have their tongues cut out  and fed to the cats. Cats were considered gods, so the tongues made for a nice  human sacrifice. A second unproven explanation for the saying is that the  English Navy would use a multi-tailed whip called a "cat o’ nine tails" to  brutally punish misbehaving sailors, hitting them until they were rendered  speechless. Either of these stories should leave your friend without a comeback,  to which you can say: "What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

下次当你的朋友问你问题，你不知道该怎么回答时，可以使用这个回答。有传说称，在古埃及，说谎者和亵渎者要把舌头割下来喂猫。猫被视作为神，舌头是人类可以提供的一种很好的祭祀品。另一种未经证实的解释是英国海军会使用一种叫做“cat  o’ nine  tails”的多尾鞭来残忍地惩罚行为不端的水手，他们会用这种多尾鞭一直打他们直至他们说不出话来。无论是哪种故事起源都会让你的朋友不会再继续这个话题，你可以说：“什么事？猫把你的舌头吃了吗？”。

来源：沪江英语

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