kettle of fish: 糟糕;两码事
今天谈的词组——kettle of fish——可是正儿八经的口语,学会了它,一定会让您在英语会话中有“语出惊人”的效果。先来看下面两个例句: This is a fine kettle of fish! I forgot my book.(太糟糕了,我忘记带书了。)
Making money and keeping it are two quite different kettles of fish.(挣钱和存钱完全是两码事。) 很明显,kettle of fish有两层含义:在第一句话中,“a(fine)kettle of fish”指an awkward or embarrassing situation(尴尬糟糕的局面),其渊源可追溯到18世纪苏格兰贵族的“河边野炊”;第二句话中的“different kettles of fish”则是指a very different matter(另一码事),直到20世纪初才被英美人使用。 早在18世纪,kettle可不是如今“带有壶嘴的烧水壶”,而是泛指任何用来煮东西的“锅”。当时,苏格兰贵族常常在Tweed(特威德河,位于英格兰和苏格兰边界上)河畔进行野炊,他们把从河里抓来的大马哈鱼放在kettle(大锅)里,然后升起篝火煮鱼、吃鱼、并欢歌笑语,“kettle of fish”由此得来,实指“野炊”。 有说法认为,可能野炊时的场面很热闹也很混乱,所以,kettle of fish(野炊)才有了后来的词义转变——“尴尬糟糕的局面”。但语言学家认为这种猜测缺乏学术依据,虽然他们也不能说出kettle of fish(糟糕的局面;另一码事)究竟是如何演变而来的。不管怎样,这个渊于“野炊”的词组确实已融入英语词汇,下次若有机会和外国人聊天,不妨试着用一用!
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