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What does that mean? 你真的瞭解這個慣用語嗎?
【英文學習】
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 chiropractor gently prodded upward along the center of the man’s back till she reached a misshapen vertebra that caused a chill to run down her spine.”
「脊柱按摩師循著男子的脊背輕輕向上推，觸及一塊變形的脊椎時，她的脊椎一陣發冷。」
A “chill” in its original meaning refers to a feeling of coldness, an abrupt sensation that seems to surprise the senses. An outside door opened on a blustery winter day causes us to feel a chill that raises goose bumps on our arms and causes us to shiver involuntarily. It is not generally an enduring condition; if we are chilled for any length of time, we are said to be cold. Being chilled also generally is a disagreeable feeling; when a drop in temperature is felt to be pleasurable, we are said to be cooled. Cool, chill, cold, and frozen are somewhat different sensory experiences.
“Chill”（發冷）原指一股突如其來的寒意。狂風大作時若外門敞開，會讓人一陣發冷，手臂起雞皮疙瘩，不由自主地打冷顫。這股感覺通常不會持續很久，否則我們會覺得「寒冷」。發冷通常也是不舒服的感覺，若溫度下降讓人感覺舒適，我們會覺得「涼爽」。涼爽、發冷、寒冷、冰冷這幾種感覺有點不同。
When the chiropractor felt a “chill” run along her spine, her body was not reacting to a drop in temperature. Rather, she had discovered a physical condition in her patient that startled her and brought her a flush of anxiety. A chill in this popular usage originates internally, in the brain, rather than externally. A natural response to such low-key shock is an interrupted breathing pattern and, perhaps, a nervous shudder. That the anxious jolt was described as a “chill” that ran down her spine is, of course, a cliché, but a usefully ironic one, because another spine caused it.
脊柱按摩師感覺脊椎一陣發冷，並非因為溫度降低，而是發現患者的身體有問題，嚇了一跳，引發一陣焦慮。在此發冷不是因為外在因素，而是來自體內，源自大腦，這種形容方式很常見。發冷是種微微吃驚的感覺，通常會造成呼吸不穩，也可能讓人緊張得發抖。以「她的脊椎一陣發冷」形容突來的焦慮，這種形容確實屢見不鮮，但由於這股寒意是由另一條脊椎引起，所以頗有諷刺效果。
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 chiropractor gently prodded upward along the center of the man’s back till she reached a misshapen vertebra that caused a chill to run down her spine.”
「脊柱按摩師循著男子的脊背輕輕向上推，觸及一塊變形的脊椎時，她的脊椎一陣發冷。」
A “chill” in its original meaning refers to a feeling of coldness, an abrupt sensation that seems to surprise the senses. An outside door opened on a blustery winter day causes us to feel a chill that raises goose bumps on our arms and causes us to shiver involuntarily. It is not generally an enduring condition; if we are chilled for any length of time, we are said to be cold. Being chilled also generally is a disagreeable feeling; when a drop in temperature is felt to be pleasurable, we are said to be cooled. Cool, chill, cold, and frozen are somewhat different sensory experiences.
“Chill”（發冷）原指一股突如其來的寒意。狂風大作時若外門敞開，會讓人一陣發冷，手臂起雞皮疙瘩，不由自主地打冷顫。這股感覺通常不會持續很久，否則我們會覺得「寒冷」。發冷通常也是不舒服的感覺，若溫度下降讓人感覺舒適，我們會覺得「涼爽」。涼爽、發冷、寒冷、冰冷這幾種感覺有點不同。
When the chiropractor felt a “chill” run along her spine, her body was not reacting to a drop in temperature. Rather, she had discovered a physical condition in her patient that startled her and brought her a flush of anxiety. A chill in this popular usage originates internally, in the brain, rather than externally. A natural response to such low-key shock is an interrupted breathing pattern and, perhaps, a nervous shudder. That the anxious jolt was described as a “chill” that ran down her spine is, of course, a cliché, but a usefully ironic one, because another spine caused it.
脊柱按摩師感覺脊椎一陣發冷，並非因為溫度降低，而是發現患者的身體有問題，嚇了一跳，引發一陣焦慮。在此發冷不是因為外在因素，而是來自體內，源自大腦，這種形容方式很常見。發冷是種微微吃驚的感覺，通常會造成呼吸不穩，也可能讓人緊張得發抖。以「她的脊椎一陣發冷」形容突來的焦慮，這種形容確實屢見不鮮，但由於這股寒意是由另一條脊椎引起，所以頗有諷刺效果。
