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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 guinea pigs, released from confinement at the end of the sixth hour, barreled through the gate and into the common area.”
天竺鼠在關了六個小時後被放出來，像圓桶滾動般擠出柵門，進入公共空間。
A barrel is a round container, longer than it is wide, usually bulging somewhat in the middle, with flat ends. When placed on its side, it will roll fairly easily because its bulging middle is mostly all that is in contact with the surface. However, for the same reason, a barrel rolls unsteadily and is susceptible to rocking from side to side, its path irregular. For all of these reasons, barrels on a roll are formidable objects—relatively heavy, erratic in their movement, and potentially damaging to any obstacles encountered.
圓桶是圓柱狀的長形容器，通常中間部分隆起，兩端較為窄平。側放時僅中央隆起處接觸地面，因此很容易滾動，但滾動時不平穩，搖搖晃晃，路徑不固定。所以，滾動中的圓桶既沉重且行動難以捉摸，物體遭碰撞時還可能受損傷，相當危險。
The author of the sentence described the movement of a group of excited guinea pigs in terms of barrel movement, saying the animals “barreled through the gate.” That is to say, the animals—which had been constrained—responded to freedom by rushing through a doorway into an open area in pell-mell fashion, moving hastily and in confusion. That they “barreled” their way suggests the animals bumped into one another, squeezed into and popped out the doorway, and crashed into barriers—all in a disorderly mass. Like barrels sent rolling downhill.
作者用滾動的圓桶形容一群亢奮的天竺鼠「像圓桶滾動般擠出柵門」(barreled through the gate)，這群動物原本被關著，一獲得自由，就一股腦兒的通過出入口，匆匆忙忙，一片混亂。「像圓桶滾動般」(barreled) 表示天竺鼠互相碰撞、在出入口推擠、碰撞到柵欄、凌亂失序，就像紛紛滾下坡的圓桶一樣。
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 guinea pigs, released from confinement at the end of the sixth hour, barreled through the gate and into the common area.”
天竺鼠在關了六個小時後被放出來，像圓桶滾動般擠出柵門，進入公共空間。
A barrel is a round container, longer than it is wide, usually bulging somewhat in the middle, with flat ends. When placed on its side, it will roll fairly easily because its bulging middle is mostly all that is in contact with the surface. However, for the same reason, a barrel rolls unsteadily and is susceptible to rocking from side to side, its path irregular. For all of these reasons, barrels on a roll are formidable objects—relatively heavy, erratic in their movement, and potentially damaging to any obstacles encountered.
圓桶是圓柱狀的長形容器，通常中間部分隆起，兩端較為窄平。側放時僅中央隆起處接觸地面，因此很容易滾動，但滾動時不平穩，搖搖晃晃，路徑不固定。所以，滾動中的圓桶既沉重且行動難以捉摸，物體遭碰撞時還可能受損傷，相當危險。
The author of the sentence described the movement of a group of excited guinea pigs in terms of barrel movement, saying the animals “barreled through the gate.” That is to say, the animals—which had been constrained—responded to freedom by rushing through a doorway into an open area in pell-mell fashion, moving hastily and in confusion. That they “barreled” their way suggests the animals bumped into one another, squeezed into and popped out the doorway, and crashed into barriers—all in a disorderly mass. Like barrels sent rolling downhill.
作者用滾動的圓桶形容一群亢奮的天竺鼠「像圓桶滾動般擠出柵門」(barreled through the gate)，這群動物原本被關著，一獲得自由，就一股腦兒的通過出入口，匆匆忙忙，一片混亂。「像圓桶滾動般」(barreled) 表示天竺鼠互相碰撞、在出入口推擠、碰撞到柵欄、凌亂失序，就像紛紛滾下坡的圓桶一樣。
