Now, the Special English program Words and Their Stories.
Every week at this time we tell the story of words and expressions used in American English. Some of them are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people.
Some popular expressions are a mystery -- no one is sure how they developed.
One of these is the expression carry a chip on your shoulder. A person with a chip on his shoulder is a problem for anybody who must deal with him. He seems to be expecting trouble. Sometimes he seems to be saying m not happy about anything, but what are you going to do about it?
A chip is a small piece of something, like a chip of wood. How did this chip get on a persons shoulder? Well, experts say the expression appears to have been first used in the United States more than 100 years ago.
One writer believes that the expression might have come from an old saying. The saying warns against striking too high, or a chip might fall into your eye. That could be good advice. If you strike high up on a tree with an axe, the chip of wood that is cut off will fall into your eye. The saying becomes a warning about the dangers of attacking people who are in more important positions than you are.
Later, in the United States, some people would put a real chip on their shoulder as a test. They wanted to start a fight. They would wait for someone to be brave enough to try to hit it off.
The word chip appears in a number of special American expressions. Another is chip off the old block. This means that a child is exactly like a parent. This expression goes back at least to the early 1600s. The British writer of plays, George Colman, wrote these lines in 1762:
Youll find him his fathers own son, I believe. A chip off the old block, I promise you!
The word chip can also be used in a threatening way to someone who is suspected of wrongdoing. An investigator may say, Were going to let the chips fall where they may. This means the investigation is going to be complete and honest. It is also a warning that no one will be protected from being found guilty.
Chips are often used in card games. They represent money. A poker player may, at any time, decide to leave the game. He will turn in his chips in exchange for money or cash. This lead to another meaning: A person who finished or died was said to have cashed in his chips, which is a way of saying it is time for me to finish this program.
You have been listening to the Special English program Words and Their Stories.
Im Warren Scheer.
体坛英语资讯:Buffon expects to return in January
体坛英语资讯:Cruzeiro beats Fluminense 1-0, assumes leadership
体坛英语资讯:Badminton world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei reaches semis at Comm Games
学好语文 Learning Chinese
体坛英语资讯:Elite counter-terror police unit formed to guard Guangzhou Asian Games
体坛英语资讯:Georgian judo chief coach resigns over Olympic gold medalist being expelled from 2010 worlds
文明旅游 Travel Politely
万万没想到:求婚场所TOP10 第一竟然是…
体坛英语资讯:Southern Chinas Guangzhou stepping up security for Asian Games
体坛英语资讯:Sharapova eliminated at China Open
日"口罩相亲"杜绝外貌党
体坛英语资讯:Guangzhou Asian Games flame lit at Great Wall
打造明星衣柜:这5件衣饰一定要舍得花钱
体坛英语资讯:Netherlands beat Moldova in Euro 2012 qualifier
体坛英语资讯:Estonia stuns Serbia 3-1 in Euro 2012 qualifying
体坛英语资讯:Serena Williams to back to tennis court next week
体坛英语资讯:Italy-Serbia match abandoned due to crowd trouble
体坛英语资讯:Pirates eye South African Premier Soccer League title
体坛英语资讯:Brazil retain title with easy win over Cuba
葡萄牙:列车延误只因晕倒乘客太多
体坛英语资讯:China out after losing to France
泰国黑衣涨价脱销 志愿者街边免费扎染黑衣
体坛英语资讯:Netherlands coach Van Marwijk: Nigel de Jong went too far
鲍勃迪伦无视诺贝尔奖邀请?! 这TM就很尴尬了
体坛英语资讯:South African coach gives applause to soccer players
体坛英语资讯:Dutch maintain perfect momentum with easy win over Swedes
体坛英语资讯:Over 100,000 people apply to be London 2012 volunteers
李克强总理在中国—葡语国家经贸合作论坛第五届部长级会议开幕式上的主旨演讲3
体坛英语资讯:Brazil ease into semis after win over Germany
15种最棒的燃脂食物,越吃越瘦!赶快备起!