| 查看: 1001 | 回复: 8 | |||
[交流]
【ZZ】Words and Their Stories: Deep Six
|
|
Sailors seem -- to those of us on land -- to lead exciting, even mysterious lives. Many things are different at sea. Even the language is different. Simple words like "right" and "left" are not the same.On a ship, "right" is "starboard." And "left" is "port." Sailors are responsible for many colorful English expressions. One of these is deep-six. It means to hide something or put it where it will not be found. You can also deep-six, or reject a proposal. One language expert says that deep six is the bottom of the ocean. "Deep," in this case, means deepest. The "six" in the expression comes from the six feet that make up a fathom -- which is a little less than two meters. Sailors measure the depth of the water in fathoms. Thus, the deep six is the deepest fathom...the final six feet at the bottom of the ocean. A sailor who never wants to see something again will give it the deep-six. He will drop it from the ship to the ocean bottom. You can deep-six something even if you are not a sailor. All you do is throw it away or put it where it will never be found. You might, for example, deep-six an unplesant letter from a former friend. Another expression linked to sailing is batten down the hatches. That is what sailors do to prepare their ship for a storm at sea. Battens are thin pieces of wood. Hatches are the openings in the deck. Before a storm, sailors cover the hatches with waterproof material. Then they nail on battens to hold the hatch coverings firmly in place. This keeps rain and waves out of the ship. Now, people use the expression to mean to prepare for dealing with any kind of trouble. A news report, for example, might say that people in Washington were battening down the hatches for a big winter storm. Or a newspaper might report that "defense lawyers were 'battening down the hatches' for testimony by someone who observed the crime." An old expression of the sailors that is still heard is to sail under false colors. Experts on language say the expression was born more than two hundred fifty years ago, when pirates sailed the seas, attacking and robbing trade ships. Pirate ships often flew the flag of a friendly country as they sailed toward the ship they planned to rob.They sailed under false colors until they were close enough to attack. Then the pirates pulled down the false flag, and showed their true colors. They raised the pirate flag -- with its picture of a skull and crossed bones. Today, a person, not a ship, is said to sail under false colors. Such a person appears to be something he is not. His purpose is to get something from you. If you are careful, you will soon see his true colors, and have nothing to do with him. adress： https://voa.52en.com/voa-se-html/20113/voa-201141894701.html |
回复此楼» 猜你喜欢
272分材料子求调剂
已经有36人回复
-
275求调剂
已经有8人回复
-
调剂求收留
已经有5人回复
-
一志愿211，化学学硕，310分，本科重点双非，求调剂
已经有20人回复
-
070300化学学硕311分求调剂
已经有19人回复
-
材料与化工调剂
已经有13人回复
-
材料与化工调剂
已经有33人回复
-
复试调剂
已经有7人回复
-
一志愿哈工大 085600 277 12材科基求调剂
已经有17人回复
-
还有化工二轮调剂的学校吗
已经有47人回复
★
小木虫(沙发+1，金币+0.5):恭喜抢个沙发，再给个红包
小木虫(沙发+1，金币+0.5):恭喜抢个沙发，再给个红包
 |
2楼2011-09-19 21:44:31
★
小木虫(金币+0.2):抢了个小板凳，给个红包
小木虫(金币+0.2):抢了个小板凳，给个红包
 |
3楼2011-09-19 21:44:37
 |
4楼2011-09-19 21:44:43
 |
5楼2011-09-19 23:02:59
soundhorizo
荣誉版主 (文坛精英)
九九
- 应助: 64 (初中生)
- 贵宾: 3.506
- 金币: 21597.2
- 散金: 22517
- 红花: 132
- 沙发: 67
- 帖子: 14227
- 在线: 1578.2小时
- 虫号: 955296
- 注册: 2010-02-13
- 性别: MM
- 专业: 天然药物化学
- 管辖: 分析
6楼2011-09-19 23:11:30
soundhorizo
荣誉版主 (文坛精英)
九九
- 应助: 64 (初中生)
- 贵宾: 3.506
- 金币: 21597.2
- 散金: 22517
- 红花: 132
- 沙发: 67
- 帖子: 14227
- 在线: 1578.2小时
- 虫号: 955296
- 注册: 2010-02-13
- 性别: MM
- 专业: 天然药物化学
- 管辖: 分析
7楼2011-09-19 23:14:17
8楼2011-09-20 08:27:56
|
|
9楼2011-09-20 10:10:35
