被现代英语习语搞晕了？ - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English dot com.

欢迎收听 BBC Learning English dot com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC Learning English 的六分钟英语。

I'm Rob.

我是 Rob。

And I'm Sam.

我是 Sam。

Can you wait a second, Rob? 短語搭配

能等一下吗，Rob？

I have to um spend a penny. 習語

我得，嗯，spend a penny（花一便士）。

Uh what?

呃，什么？

You're going shopping now, are you? 語法

你现在要去购物吗？

Uh we're just about to start the program. 語法

呃，我们马上就要开始节目了。

No, no.

不，不是。

I have to um you know, spend a penny.

我得，嗯，你懂的，spend a penny。

Haven't you heard that expression before? 語氣意圖

你以前没听过这个表达吗？

Spend a penny means go to the toilet.

Spend a penny 意思是去上厕所。

It's an old idiom from the days when it cost a penny to unlock the door of a public toilet. 短語搭配

这是一个古老的习语，源于公共厕所开门需要花费一便士的时代。

Okay, I see.

好的，我明白了。

Well, you're showing your age there, Sam. 習語

哎呀，你暴露年龄了，Sam。

Most young people today wouldn't know what that phrase meant. 語法

现在大多数年轻人都不知道这个短语是什么意思了。

And there aren't many public toilets left nowadays anyway. 語法

而且现在也没有多少公共厕所留下来了。

Language changes fast, 表達脈絡

语言变化很快，

and new words and phrases are being created all the time. 語法

新的词汇和短语一直都在产生。

In this program, we'll be learning some modern idioms, 表達脈絡

在本期节目中，我们将学习一些现代习语，

new expressions that have been introduced to English through the internet, TV, and social media. 語法

也就是通过互联网、电视和社交媒体引入英语的新表达。

And of course, we'll be learning their meanings as well.

当然，我们也会学习它们的含义。

Great.

太棒了。

I am raring to go, another idiom there. 習語

我已经迫不及待（raring to go）了，这又是一个习语。

But first, as usual, I have a question for you, Sam. 表達脈絡

但首先，像往常一样，我有一个问题要问你，Sam。

Many well-known idioms come from the world of sport. 短語搭配

许多著名的习语都来自体育界。

For example, throw in the towel, which means give up or surrender. 習語

例如，throw in the towel（扔毛巾），意思是放弃或投降。

But which sport does the idiom throw in the towel come from?

但是 throw in the towel 这个习语来自哪项运动呢？

Is it A, football, B, tennis, or C, boxing?

是 A 足球，B 网球，还是 C 拳击？

I think I know this one.

我想我知道这个。

It's C, boxing.

是 C 拳击。

Okay, Sam.

好的，Sam。

I'll reveal the answer at the end of the program. 表達脈絡

我将在节目最后公布答案。

So, just hold your horses for now. 習語

所以，现在请先 hold your horses（勒住你的马）。

Ah, another idiom there, Rob.

哈哈，那里又有一个习语，Rob。

Hold your horses meaning stop and think for a moment.

Hold your horses 意思是停下来想一想。

That's an idiom that Gareth Carrol might teach his university students.

那是 Gareth Carrol 可能会教他大学生的一个习语。

Dr. Carrol is the author of a new book, Dropping the Mic and Jumping the Shark.

Carrol 博士是一本新书《Dropping the Mic and Jumping the Shark》的作者。

Where do modern idioms come from?

现代习语从何而来？

He became interested in idioms when he realized

当他意识到一件事时，他开始对习语感兴趣：

that he didn't know many of the expressions his students used in their everyday speech.

那就是他不知道学生们在日常讲话中使用的许多表达。

Modern idioms like jump the shark. 習語

像 jump the shark 这样的现代习语。

Here is Gareth Carrol telling BBC Radio 4 program Word of Mouth about one source of many modern idioms, the movies. 表達脈絡

这是 Gareth Carrol 在 BBC Radio 4 节目 Word of Mouth 中讲述许多现代习语的一个来源：电影。

So, Groundhog Day, I think more or less has the meaning of deja vu now, 講解

所以，Groundhog Day（土拨鼠之日）我认为现在或多或少有 deja vu（既视感）的意思，

and it's in its completely embedded in the language. 用詞

并且它完全融入了这门语言。

Actually, that's probably one of the first phrases that got me thinking about these modern idioms in the first place because it is so ubiquitous. 短語搭配

实际上，那可能是我最初开始思考这些现代习语的短语之一，因为它太无处不在（ubiquitous）了。

It's used in a huge range of contexts, 短語搭配

它被广泛应用于各种语境，

and one of the things that kind of made me sit up and take notice is I had a number of students who know the phrase Groundhog Day, 習語

让我关注并注意到的一件事是，我有很多学生知道 Groundhog Day 这个短语，

but had no idea it was a film. 短語搭配

却不知道这是一部电影。

In the film Groundhog Day,

在电影《Groundhog Day》中，

the main character wakes up to live the same day over and over again. 短語搭配

主角醒来后日复一日地过着同一天。

Gradually, the movie title itself became an idiom, Groundhog Day, 用詞

渐渐地，电影片名本身变成了一个习语：Groundhog Day，

meaning a situation in which events that have happened before happen again in exactly the same way. 語法

意思是以前发生过的事情以完全相同的方式再次发生的情况。

It's similar in meaning to another expression, deja vu. 短語搭配

它的意思和另一个表达 deja vu 很相似。

When phrases the movies used develop into idioms, 語法

当电影中使用的短语发展成习语时，

it's often because they are ubiquitous.

通常是因为它们 ubiquitous（无处不在）。

They seem to appear everywhere.

它们似乎随处可见。

And one of the ways they appear everywhere is, of course, 表達脈絡

它们随处可见的方式之一，当然是，

the internet.

互联网。

Here's Gareth Carrol again telling more to Michael Rosen,

再次回到 Gareth Carrol 与 Michael Rosen 的对话，

presenter of BBC Radio 4 program Word of Mouth.

后者是 BBC Radio 4 节目 Word of Mouth 的主持人。

The vocabulary of the internet, even the word internet, 表達脈絡

互联网词汇，甚至 internet（互联网）这个词本身，

is relatively modern. 短語搭配

都相对较新。

The idea of breaking the internet is now a phrase that I think people uh would use and recognize. 習語

breaking the internet（打破互联网）这个概念现在是一个我认为人们会使用并认识的短语。

So, something that causes such a stir online 習語

所以，这表示在网上引起了巨大的轰动

that metaphorically so many people rush to a website that it sort of threatens to bring it down, something like that. 講解

形象地说，太多人涌入一个网站，以至于它有可能使网站崩溃，诸如此类。

In early days, we had go viral, 習語

早期我们有 go viral（病毒式传播），

which has stayed with us, hasn't it? 短語動詞

这个词保留了下来，对吧？

Yeah.

是的。

Yeah, so the idea of something going viral is certainly very much in the vocabulary now.

是的，所以某种东西 go viral 的概念现在确实在词汇中很常见。

Um but things like Twitter have lent uh sort of phrases.

呃，但是像 Twitter 这样的平台贡献了某种短语。

So, the idea of first-world problems, 習語

比如 first-world problems（第一世界问题）的概念，

uh meaning uh sort of ironically things that we complain about, 語氣意圖

呃，带有讽刺意味的是，它指的是我们抱怨的事情，

but actually compared to other parts of the world may well be relatively minor. 講解

但实际上与世界其他地区相比，可能相对微不足道。

Uh that started life as a Twitter hashtag, for example. 文化背景

呃，举个例子，它最初是一个 Twitter 标签。

Another modern idiom is breaking the internet,

另一个现代习语是 breaking the internet，

causing so much excitement about something online that too many people visit the website at the same time,

指在网上对某事引起极大的兴奋，导致太多人同时访问该网站，

making it crash. 語法

导致其崩溃。

Social media outlets like Twitter have also created their own idioms, 講解

像 Twitter 这样的社交媒体平台也创造了它们自己的习语，

including first-world problems.

包括 first-world problems。

A trivial problem that does not seem very important when compared to the serious problems faced by people in poorer parts of the world. 講解

与贫困地区人们面临的严重问题相比，这是一种似乎并不重要的琐碎问题。

If you don't know some of these idioms, don't worry. 語氣意圖

如果你不知道其中一些习语，别担心。

Unlike general vocabulary, 表達脈絡

与普通词汇不同，

a native speaker's full knowledge of idioms takes longer to develop, 講解

母语人士全面掌握习语需要更长的时间来发展，

usually at around the age of 30 to 40. 短語搭配

通常在 30 到 40 岁左右。

Meanwhile, you can still rely on classic English idioms like pull my leg, kick the bucket, and throw in the towel, 講解

与此同时，你仍然可以依赖经典的英语习语，比如 pull my leg（开玩笑）、kick the bucket（翘辫子）和 throw in the towel，

which I think comes from the sport of boxing,

我认为它来自拳击运动，

Rob. Ah, yes.

Rob。啊，是的。

In my question, I asked which sport gave birth to the phrase throw in the towel. 習語

在我的问题中，我问的是哪项运动催生了 throw in the towel 这个短语。

And Sam's answer was correct.

Sam 的回答是正确的。

Well done.

做得好。

The idiom throw in the towel comes from boxing,

习语 throw in the towel 来自拳击，

where the coach of the losing boxer would literally throw a towel into the ring to surrender. 文化背景

处于劣势的拳击手的教练会真的把一条毛巾扔进拳击台表示投降。

Okay, let's recap the rest of the idioms, old and new, 表達脈絡

好了，让我们来回顾一下今天学到的其他习语，新旧都有。

that we've learned today.

我们今天学到的。

To spend a penny is an old-fashioned way of saying go to the toilet. 用詞

To spend a penny 是去厕所的一种老式说法。

Groundhog Day describes a situation in which events that have happened before

Groundhog Day 描述了一种以前发生过的事情

happen again exactly the same way.

以完全相同的方式再次发生的情况。

If something is ubiquitous, 用詞

如果某物是 ubiquitous 的，

it seems to appear everywhere.

那么它似乎随处可见。

The modern idiom break the internet means to cause so much excitement about something online

现代习语 break the internet 意思是引起了人们对网上某事物的极大兴奋

that you can make the website crash. 語法

以至于能让网站瘫痪。

And finally, a first world problem is a problem that does not seem very important

最后，first world problem（第一世界问题）是一个似乎不太重要的问题

when compared to the serious problems faced by people in poorer parts of the world.

当与较贫穷地区的人们面临的严重问题相比时。

Unfortunately for us, 語氣意圖

对我们来说遗憾的是，

our six minutes are up. 短語搭配

我们的六分钟到了。

Bye for now.

先说到这儿了。

Bye-bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

来自 BBC 的六分钟英语。