20世紀20年代的那些英語俚語，你都能看懂幾個？

Calling all flappers and fly boys! As 2019 comes to a close we’ll find ourselves back in the Roaring Twenties … 2020, that is. This new decade marks 100 years since the iconic Jazz Age. It was also the time of Prohibition, first-wave feminism, and the automobile.

呼叫所有的新時代女性和男性！隨着2019年接近尾聲，我們會發現自己又回到了喧囂的二十年代……也就是2020年。這個新的十年標誌着爵士樂時代的100週年。同時也是禁酒令、第一波女權運動和汽車時代。

The 1920s were rich in slang … we’re sure you’ve heard some of it from films and books set in the time period. But, some ‘20s slang is a bit more obscure.

20世紀20年代充滿了俚語……我們相信你已經從以那個時代爲背景的電影和書籍中瞭解到了一些。但是，有些20世紀20年代的俚語更加晦澀難懂。

So let’s take a linguistic trip through time and look at some words from the 1920s that we could bring back in this new year.

讓我們來一次語言學上的時間旅行，看看20世紀20年代的一些詞彙，我們可以在新的一年裏回憶一下這些詞彙。

alarm clock

The sound of an alarm clock is usually met with moans and groans; the same reaction after learning there’s going to be a chaperon at a dance or on a date.

鬧鐘的聲音通常伴隨着呻吟聲和抱怨聲；同樣的反應也會發生在舞會或約會有同伴的時候。

Alarm clocks, a slang term for "chaperon," at the dance in the 1920s meant you couldn't neck on the dance floor ... or pet each other in the petting pantry (which is the movie theater, of course).

alarm clocks是“chaperon”的俚語，20世紀20年代的舞會意味着你不能在舞池裏扭脖子…或者在寵物儲藏室(當然是電影院)互相愛撫。

cash or check?

Alarm clocks at the dance often led to the question cash or check?Translation? Apparently “should we kiss now, or later?”

由此引發的"cash or check"的問題?如何翻譯嗎?當然是“我們該現在接吻，還是等會兒?”

Likely, the answer would be “cash”—and quick! —before the alarm clock screeches again.

答案很可能是“cash”——而且要快！——-在鬧鐘再次響起之前。

know one's onions

Speaking of knowing his onions ... this doesn’t refer to the vegetable.

說到knowing his onions …這不是指蔬菜。

This phrase was first recorded in a 1922 issue of the magazine Harper’s Bazaar. If you know your onions, it means that you know what you’re talking about, or are knowledgeable about a particular subject.

這個短語最早出現在1922年的《時尚芭莎》雜誌上。如果你know your onions，意思是你知道你在說什麼，或者對某個特定的主題很瞭解。

Nowadays, we tend to simplify this phrase as know one’s stuff, but comparing it to food seems more interesting!

現在，我們傾向於將這個短語簡化爲knowone 's stuff，但是將它與食物相比較似乎更有趣!

egg

Now, an egg, as slang for "a person," goes all the way back... to the 1600s. But by the 1920s, egg took a rotten turn, shall we say.

現在，雞蛋是“一個人”的俚語，這可以一直追溯到…到1600年代。但是到了20世紀20年代，我們可以這樣說，雞蛋開始變質了。

Egg as insult for an "obnoxious person" was popularized in the 1920s. A particularly bad egg was a double-yolker.

用雞蛋侮辱一個“討厭的人”在20世紀20年代開始流行。特別壞的蛋是雙黃蛋。

But it's not all bad for egg because old egg, an affectionate 1920s slang term for one's partner, was a popular phrase as well!

但這對雞蛋來說也不全是壞事，因爲oldegg是20世紀20年代用來指代伴侶的俚語，當時也很流行。

face-stretcher

If you were called a face-stretcher in the 1920s, you were being bullied.

如果你在20世紀20年代被稱爲“塗脂抹粉的老婦人”，那你一定是被人欺負了。

Face-stretcher means "an old woman trying to look younger."

Face-stretcher的意思是“一個試圖讓自己看起來更年輕的老婦人”。

One way one might attempt to accomplish the impossible is by putting on too much powder (which just settles into fine lines and wrinkles and makes them even more noticeable). And even worse, if you were known as a face-powder addict, you were a flour lover.

一個人想要完成這種不可能完成的事的一種方法就是塗多點粉(這種物質會形成細紋和皺紋，甚至使它們變得更加明顯)。更糟糕的是，如果你是一個喜歡抹粉的人，你就是一個粉末愛好者。

giggle water

Giggle water is the stuff the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement fought tooth and nail against—booze.

“咯咯笑”水是婦女基督教禁酒運動竭力反對酗酒的東西。

This term, specifically used for champagne, whiskey, and gin, was popularized in the 1920s, though recorded inthe previous decade.

這個詞專門用來指香檳、威士忌和杜松子酒，在20世紀20年代開始流行，儘管在之前的10年裏有記錄。

hotsy-totsy

Hotsy-totsy generally meant "excellent" or "first-rate."

Hotsy-totsy一般的意思是“優秀的”或“一流的!”

But if you saw your date as hotsy-totsy, it meant you found them "attractive."

但如果你認爲你的約會對象hotsy-totsy，那就意味着你覺得他/她“很有吸引力”。

And a situation itself could become hotsty-totsy too ... meaning it was pleasing and fun.

情況本身也可能變得很好……意思是說，這是愉快和有趣的。

blind date

Being in a blind date situation can either be magical or embarrassing! The mystery, the intrigue … the icy mitt?

相親的時候，不是很神奇就是很尷尬！神祕，陰謀，冰冷的手套?

But regardless of the good or bad outcomes, blind dates have been such a popular phenomenon in the US that the phrase actually goes all the way back to the 1920s!

但是不管結果是好是壞，相親在美國已經成爲一種非常流行的現象，這個短語實際上可以追溯到20世紀20年代!

Blind is a metaphor, referring to the fact that a blind date is arranged by a third person for two people who haven't met.

Blind是一個比喻，指的是由第三者爲兩個素未謀面的人安排相親。

cutie-pie

Here's a term of endearment you might have used with your own significant other ... and another entry into slang centered around food.

這裏有一個你可能會用來稱呼你的另一半的愛稱……另一個俚語是關於食物的。

A cutie-pie, usually a young woman, is someone who is adorable or attractive. You’d be lucky to have one as a blind date! cutie-pie

(可愛派)，通常是指年輕女性，指那些可愛或有吸引力的人。你要是有個相親對象就太幸運了!

freebie

The sweetest things in life are free. The people of the Roaring Twenties must havet hought so, too! This word, which especially applies to a sample or promotion, was spelled both freebie and freeby.

生活中最美好的東西就是免費。咆哮的二十年代的人肯定也這麼認爲!這個詞，特別適用於樣品或促銷，可以寫成freebie或freeby。

It’s thought that freebie could have originally been a phrase, free bee. In this case, bee could be put the bee on, or borrowing money without paying it back.

人們認爲，freebie原本可能是一個短語，freebee。在這種情況下，bee可以是放蜜蜂，也可以是借錢不還。