What does that mean? 你真的瞭解這個慣用語嗎?
很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“The committee was chronically slow in responding to public concerns until protestors began showing up at monthly meetings to badger the committee chairman.”
「該委員會回應大眾疑慮向來反應遲緩，直到抗議人士出現在每月例會上糾纏主席，情況方才改觀。」
Badgers are members of the weasel family that live in burrows and eat grubs and rodents and such. They are not dangerous to larger mammals, or people, unless cornered and then can become quite vicious in their defense. The hair of the badger is commercially popular for use in various brushes. They have short legs perfect for digging but also handy for galloping at a quick pace, which badgers can do for short distances. It is a night hunter. All in all, the badger is a tough little omnivore that has adapted well to various climates and thrives in many of them.
獾是鼬鼠科動物，住在洞穴裡，以蛆蟲和嚙齒類為食。獾對大型哺乳動物和人類不具威脅性，不過若逼急了，在防衛時也相當兇惡。獾的毛很有用處，常用來做各種刷子。獾四肢短小，適合挖洞，也能快跑一小段距離。獾也是夜行性掠食動物。總而言之，獾是強悍的小型雜食類動物，能適應各種氣候，在其中幾種氣候生長良好。
When a person is said to “badger” another person, he is being accused of harassing the other person. The usage came about from the experience of pioneer peoples who found badgers to be noisome creatures. The human response was to trap the animals and set dogs upon them. They thus harassed the badgers, usually unto death. The term now is generally used to describe people who persistently harass someone. Such people seem not to know when enough is enough and insist on making a point ad nauseam. Note: Persisting is a good thing, badgering is not.
若說某人「badger」（糾纏）別人，意思是說他騷擾對方。該用法來自墾殖先民的經驗，他們發現獾是種惹人厭的動物。於是設陷阱捕捉，放狗去咬。被狗糾纏的獾通常會被咬死。「Badger」這個詞現在多用來形容某人騷擾他人，不知適可而止，鬧個不休，令人生厭。注意，持續不懈是好事，但持續不懈的騷擾可就不受歡迎了。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.
“The committee was chronically slow in responding to public concerns until protestors began showing up at monthly meetings to badger the committee chairman.”
「該委員會回應大眾疑慮向來反應遲緩，直到抗議人士出現在每月例會上糾纏主席，情況方才改觀。」
Badgers are members of the weasel family that live in burrows and eat grubs and rodents and such. They are not dangerous to larger mammals, or people, unless cornered and then can become quite vicious in their defense. The hair of the badger is commercially popular for use in various brushes. They have short legs perfect for digging but also handy for galloping at a quick pace, which badgers can do for short distances. It is a night hunter. All in all, the badger is a tough little omnivore that has adapted well to various climates and thrives in many of them.
獾是鼬鼠科動物，住在洞穴裡，以蛆蟲和嚙齒類為食。獾對大型哺乳動物和人類不具威脅性，不過若逼急了，在防衛時也相當兇惡。獾的毛很有用處，常用來做各種刷子。獾四肢短小，適合挖洞，也能快跑一小段距離。獾也是夜行性掠食動物。總而言之，獾是強悍的小型雜食類動物，能適應各種氣候，在其中幾種氣候生長良好。
When a person is said to “badger” another person, he is being accused of harassing the other person. The usage came about from the experience of pioneer peoples who found badgers to be noisome creatures. The human response was to trap the animals and set dogs upon them. They thus harassed the badgers, usually unto death. The term now is generally used to describe people who persistently harass someone. Such people seem not to know when enough is enough and insist on making a point ad nauseam. Note: Persisting is a good thing, badgering is not.
若說某人「badger」（糾纏）別人，意思是說他騷擾對方。該用法來自墾殖先民的經驗，他們發現獾是種惹人厭的動物。於是設陷阱捕捉，放狗去咬。被狗糾纏的獾通常會被咬死。「Badger」這個詞現在多用來形容某人騷擾他人，不知適可而止，鬧個不休，令人生厭。注意，持續不懈是好事，但持續不懈的騷擾可就不受歡迎了。
Posted at 2012-09-21 10:53:23
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