這7個表達，它們的起源讓人驚訝

這些詞和短語看起來很普通，但是仔細研究你就會發現它們古老的起源。老實說：一些英語表達很奇怪…同時引起了許多問題。很多說法的起源都較近，但是有趣的是，許多俚語單詞和短語都可以追溯至很遠。這裏將列出7個可以追溯至古英語的短語：

1. Decked Out

盛裝，光彩照人

This commonly used phrase stems from Dutch — the form of the Dutch language spoken from around 1200-1500. The word decked means "to cover," which makes sense because if someone is "decked out" they’re covered in fancy clothes, jewelry, etc. It can also describe objects, like your house, which might be decked out with flashing Christmas lights.

這個常用的短語起源於荷蘭語 — 這種形式大概在1200—1500形成。Decked意爲‘穿，覆蓋’。如果用“decked out”來描述某人，就說明他們佩戴珠寶，盛裝出席，光彩照人。Deck也可以描述物體，例如，房子在聖誕節時張燈結綵。

2. Idiot

傻瓜，笨蛋

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about you. But you can thank the Greeks for this word, which we all throw around a little too loosely. As you probably know, ancient Greece was big on the whole democracy thing, so people who didn’t participate in the political process or in their community were viewed in a negative light. The Greek word idiot was used to describe those people, who were considered ignorant and overly preoccupied with themselves.

不要擔心，我們不是在說你笨。但是你可以感謝希臘人創造了這個我們經常在日常生活中使用的詞。正如你可能知道的一樣，古希臘很重視民主制度，所以那些不參加政治活動的人就被視爲消極。希臘單詞idiot被用來描述無知和過分關注自己的人。

3. Moron

傻瓜，癡愚者

Blame the ancient Greeks again. This regularly used insult comes from the Greek word móros, meaning "foolish" or "stupid."

Moron這個單詞同樣源於希臘，由希臘單詞móros演化而來，意爲‘傻的’，‘愚蠢的’，通常用來侮辱別人。

4. To Butter Someone Up

恭維某人

This is one of those expressions you use without thinking. Taken literally, it sounds messy and unpleasant, but it actually means heaping praise and flattery on someone in order to get something from them. This phrase is rumored to originate from an ancient Indian religious custom. People would throw balls of butter at statues of gods when seeking their favor. We don’t recommend trying this custom on your boss…

這是一件你不用思考就可以做的事情。從字面上理解，這句話聽起來很髒而且會令人感到不愉快，但是事實上這意味着對某人的讚美和奉承，以便從他們那裏取得一定的好處。據說這個短語起源於一個古老的印度宗教習俗。人們在向神尋求幫助時會把黃油塗在他們的雕塑上。我們不建議你對老闆也這樣做…

5. Goth

野蠻人，粗野的人

Remember those kids in high school who wore all black, listened to punk rock, and went a little crazy with the eyeliner? You may have guessed that the term goth is short for gothic, a medieval style of architecture and literature. But you may not have known that the words goth and gothic refer back to ancient history. The Goths were a Germanic tribe that invaded Rome in the third century and are said to have played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire. The Romans considered the Goths uncivilized barbarians. But those "barbarians" held pockets of power for a few centuries. Fast forward to medieval Europe, where Gothic architecture was seen as uncultured and barbaric, as opposed to its predecessor, Renaissance architecture. The architecture led to the dark, horror-based literature and culture, which inspired those kids from your high school.

你還記得那些孩子嗎？他們上高中，穿着黑色的衣服，聽着朋克搖滾，眼線畫得近似瘋狂。你可能已經猜到goth這個詞氏gothic的縮寫，gothic是中世紀的一種建築風格，也是一種文學形式。但是你可能不知道goth和gothic也指古代的歷史。哥特人屬於日耳曼族，在三世紀入侵羅馬。據說，哥特人在羅馬帝國的陷落中扮演着重要的角色。羅馬人認爲哥特人是不文明的野蠻人。但是這些“野蠻人”卻擁有了幾個世紀長的權利。快進到中世紀的歐洲，與文藝復興時期的建築相比，哥特式的建築被認爲是野蠻的，不文明的。這種建築指向黑，恐怖的文學和文化，這些都使那些高中的孩子們感到好奇。

6. Running Amok

胡作非爲，橫衝直撞

When your children are bouncing off the walls, screaming and acting wild, you might say they are "running amok." But after you learn the origin of that expression, you will probably think twice before using it. The word "amok" likely comes from the Amuco — a group of warriors in Malaysia who were known for their indiscriminate violence. It is also likely derived from amuk, which is a Malay word meaning "attacking furiously." It was used to describe seemingly sane tribesmen in Malaysia who would go on random killing rampages. In Malay culture, some people believed these rampages were caused by evil spirits possessing the attacker. The phrase "run amok" was popularized by the explorer Captain James Cook, who wrote about the phenomenon in his book Voyages in 1772.

當你的孩子尖叫着在牆邊跳來跳去舉止瘋狂時，你可能會說他們‘瘋了’。但是當你弄清楚這個短語的起源時，下次使用這個短語的時候你可能就會三思了。‘Amok’這個詞很可能來源於Amuco — 一羣在馬來西亞的戰士，他們以濫殺無辜聞名。它也有可能起源於amuk，這是一個馬來語，意爲‘瘋狂的進攻’。這個詞用來描述馬來西亞的看似神智正常的男子，但是他們卻會隨意殺人。在馬來西亞的文化中，這種瘋狂是由有攻擊性的黑暗幽靈導致的。‘Run amok’這個短語是由探險家詹姆斯·庫克在他的著作《1772年航行》中推廣的。

7. Cat Got Your Tongue?

貓把你的舌頭吃了嗎

Next time your snarky friend asks you this when you can’t think of what to say, reply with this little gem of a story. Rumor has it that in ancient Egypt, liars and blasphemers would have their tongues cut out and fed to the cats. Cats were considered gods, so the tongues made for a nice human sacrifice. A second unproven explanation for the saying is that the English Navy would use a multi-tailed whip called a "cat o’ nine tails" to brutally punish misbehaving sailors, hitting them until they were rendered speechless. Either of these stories should leave your friend without a comeback, to which you can say: "What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

下次當你的朋友問你問題，你不知道該怎麼回答時，可以使用這個回答。有傳說稱，在古埃及，說謊者和褻瀆者要把舌頭割下來喂貓。貓被視作爲神，舌頭是人類可以提供的一種很好的祭祀品。另一種未經證實的解釋是英國海軍會使用一種叫做“cat o’ nine tails”的多尾鞭來殘忍地懲罰行爲不端的水手，他們會用這種多尾鞭一直打他們直至他們說不出話來。無論是哪種故事起源都會讓你的朋友不會再繼續這個話題，你可以說：“什麼事？貓把你的舌頭吃了嗎？”。

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