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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 alarm sounded when the first clouds appeared on the horizon, but the mushrooming frenzy didn’t begin until the leading winds began to ripple treetops.”
「第一簇雲朵出現在地平線上時警報響起，但直到風開始沙沙吹動樹梢，狂亂景象才如蘑菇生發般快速滋長。 」
Mushrooms are a fungus. They crop up outdoors, sometimes in vibrant colors of red and green and purple but more often in white and gray. Sometimes they grow in the traditional shape of the “toadstool,” a short stem with a canopy-like top. Some are edible and are considered delicacies. Others are quite toxic, and still others have hallucinatory powers. In addition, some medical applications have been developed as well as several other commercial applications. All in all, the lowly mushroom has an enduring reputation as a spore of delight and danger.
蘑菇這種真菌生長在室外，有些呈紅、綠、紫等鮮豔的顏色，但多半是白色與灰色；有些外型呈典型的傘狀，有短柄與頂蓋；有些是盤中珍饈，有些是有害毒菌，有些甚至能造成幻覺。此外，有些菇經研發具有醫療價值，另外有些則具商業用途。總而言之，蘑菇看似平凡，但不僅歡樂從中萌發，危險也從中滋生。
In writing about “mushrooming frenzy,” the writer is not alluding to toxicity nor to vibrancy of color, but to speed. That is because many types of mushrooms pop up seemingly overnight to astonish a viewer. In fact, they develop rather slowly but expand quickly once their basic structure has been established. Writers often use the speed with which mushrooms grow visible to describe the speed of something else. Hence, the panic of the crowd “mushroomed” when the wind came ashore, even though a lower level of concern had been felt for quite some time.
本句「mushrooming frenzy」（狂亂景象才如蘑菇生發般快速滋長）指的不是毒性、鮮豔的色彩，而是生長速度。許多種類的蘑菇似乎會在一夜間快速生長，看了令人吃驚。事實上，蘑菇發育緩慢，但只要基本結構成熟，就會快速長大。寫作時常以蘑菇肉眼可觀察的生長速度，來比喻其他事情的速度。所以本句形容，群眾即便長期來一直隱隱不安，風吹上岸時，恐慌才「mushroomed」（如蘑菇生發般快速滋長）。
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 alarm sounded when the first clouds appeared on the horizon, but the mushrooming frenzy didn’t begin until the leading winds began to ripple treetops.”
「第一簇雲朵出現在地平線上時警報響起，但直到風開始沙沙吹動樹梢，狂亂景象才如蘑菇生發般快速滋長。 」
Mushrooms are a fungus. They crop up outdoors, sometimes in vibrant colors of red and green and purple but more often in white and gray. Sometimes they grow in the traditional shape of the “toadstool,” a short stem with a canopy-like top. Some are edible and are considered delicacies. Others are quite toxic, and still others have hallucinatory powers. In addition, some medical applications have been developed as well as several other commercial applications. All in all, the lowly mushroom has an enduring reputation as a spore of delight and danger.
蘑菇這種真菌生長在室外，有些呈紅、綠、紫等鮮豔的顏色，但多半是白色與灰色；有些外型呈典型的傘狀，有短柄與頂蓋；有些是盤中珍饈，有些是有害毒菌，有些甚至能造成幻覺。此外，有些菇經研發具有醫療價值，另外有些則具商業用途。總而言之，蘑菇看似平凡，但不僅歡樂從中萌發，危險也從中滋生。
In writing about “mushrooming frenzy,” the writer is not alluding to toxicity nor to vibrancy of color, but to speed. That is because many types of mushrooms pop up seemingly overnight to astonish a viewer. In fact, they develop rather slowly but expand quickly once their basic structure has been established. Writers often use the speed with which mushrooms grow visible to describe the speed of something else. Hence, the panic of the crowd “mushroomed” when the wind came ashore, even though a lower level of concern had been felt for quite some time.
本句「mushrooming frenzy」（狂亂景象才如蘑菇生發般快速滋長）指的不是毒性、鮮豔的色彩，而是生長速度。許多種類的蘑菇似乎會在一夜間快速生長，看了令人吃驚。事實上，蘑菇發育緩慢，但只要基本結構成熟，就會快速長大。寫作時常以蘑菇肉眼可觀察的生長速度，來比喻其他事情的速度。所以本句形容，群眾即便長期來一直隱隱不安，風吹上岸時，恐慌才「mushroomed」（如蘑菇生發般快速滋長）。
