第一課:kick-off

今天要講的英語詞是kick-off 。Kick-off不就是足球比賽時踢的第一個球嗎?  沒錯，但這是kick-off 的原始意思，現在kick-off 也可以指任何事情的開始。今天開始的是什麽事呢？今天我們開始播出"學個詞"這個新節目。We kick-off the new program "Learn A Word" today.

競選官職的候選人往往以發表講話來開始競選活動。Candidates kick off their campaigns with a speech. 有的美國學生學期開始先開個party。Students kick-off the semester with a party!  我們則以講解kick-off 這個詞來開始我們的新節目。We kick-off our program by teaching the word kick-off. 今天學的詞是kick-off...

Expansion: 

以上是美國之音"Learn A Word"的課文材料。看了"不過癮"，下麵加上我自己對kick一詞的理解。

kick-off 的同義詞是start,begin, 和commence。 kick(踢)，是個很有意思的英文詞，有關的表達性也很精彩傳神。比如:  

1。老美很喜歡用的一詞有kick-ass or kick butt。字麵上看是"踢屁股"的意思，但老美用這詞時，引伸為"不服輸一定要贏"。如在體育比賽(或任何其他比賽)前，為表達和烘托想要贏的氣氛和鬥誌，老美參賽者都會嗷嗷: "Come on! Let's kick ass."或，"Let's go! I want to kick some butt!". 比賽結束後，贏方往往還會調侃敗者: "Hey! I kicked your butt today!".

2。大概老美真的喜歡踢東西，kick一詞是經常使用。沒事閑聊或到處轉遊以消磨時光叫做 kick around or kick about (=kill time)。例: He spent the next three years in Italy, kicking around the country on a motor scooter = 接下來的三年他在意大利度過，開一輛小破車在這個國家到處閑逛。

3。做生意拿傭金叫做 kickback(=commission), 尤其是私下不公開的那種。傭金的意思不就是你讓人家賺了錢人家再"踢回"一些錢給你嗎!  kick back作動詞時還有休息放鬆的意思: Yesterday afternoon he kicked back at home and watched TV. = 昨天下午他在家休息看電視(kick back = 自己沒事來回"踢腳")。

4。kick in有"捐贈"和"交自己應交的那份"的意思: Our school wanted to raise fund for its basketball team and expected that parents would kick in some cash to start with(我們學校想要給籃球隊募捐並希望家長們率先捐些現金)；Each colleague in my office kicked in a few dollars for the office party。= 我辦公室的每位同事都交了幾塊錢要辦個聚餐會。

5。kick up(=stir up, provoke)就是要刺激(某人謀事)了，如: Clouds of dust were kicked up by passing cars = 過往的車輛把一團團灰塵都揚起來了； A sandstorm kicked up while we drove through the desert. = 當我們駕車穿過沙漠時，沙塵暴起來了。

6。中國人喜歡足球，很多足球詞匯用到kick: corner kick = 角球；free kick = (間接)任意球；goal kick = 球門球；penalty kick = 罰球。中國足球很臭，隊員素質球技兩差，有時真想kick他們的butt。

英文詞匯的一詞多義總是難點，kick-off 是開始(或開場、開球)，但也還有別的用途，如: The coach eventually kicked him off the team (教練最終把他開除出隊)。 kick一詞本身既可以作動詞又可以作名詞。這種一詞多義的難點開頭會給我們中國人造成困難，不易習慣，但多讀多看慢慢就會有感覺。請看:

作動詞 :

1。The powerful rifle kicked upon being fired. = 開槍時這杆槍的後座力很大(不及物)。

2。The rifle kicked my shoulder when I fired it. = 開火時這槍撞擊我的肩膀 (及物)。

作名詞 :

1。a rifle with a heavy kick = 一杆後座力大的槍;

2。a car engine with a lot of kick = 一台大功力的汽車引擎(這兒kick = power);

3。He got a kick out of the show. = 他從看表演中得到了刺激(或能量);

4。They went bowling last night just for kicks. = 昨晚他們去打保齡球隻是為了刺激(或消磨時光);

5。I'm on a science fiction kick. = 我最近迷上科幻小說(kick = a temporary obsessive interest)。

另外還有用到kick的四條諺語:

1。kick the bucket: 如果某人kicked the bucket, 則不是說他(她)踢到了那個桶，而是表示他(她)以死了。The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102. = 那位老人在 102 歲時去世了。或:  When I kick the bucket, bury me on top of that mountain。

2。kick up one's heels: 也不是說踢到腳後跟，而是表示突然的興奮快樂鮮活，有點像中文的"因興奮而手舞足蹈起來"； When she retires, she plans to kick up her heels and travel. = 她計劃退休後要自己好好享受到處旅遊。

3。kick upstairs: If we kick someone upstairs, 那不是僅僅把某人踢上樓去，而是把人提升(踢上樓去)而後閑止起來，有點中國話的"明升暗降" 的意思。Brown is being kicked upstairs to become chairman of a small and unimportant committee. = Brown 雖提升了，但被踢上了樓掛了起來當了一個不起眼的委員會的頭。

4。kick the habit: 戒掉(不良)習慣(如吸煙)，也就是說，把不良習慣踢出掉。No coffee for me, thanks. I'm trying to kick the habit. = 我不要咖啡了，謝謝!(我正在戒除喝咖啡的壞毛病)。'Does she still smoke?' 'No, she kicked the habit a couple of years ago. = '她還抽煙嗎?' '不了, 她兩年前就戒煙了'。

記住了，學英語的過程也就是讓我們習慣英美人士表達方式的過程。理解上也要靈活，不要死摳中文譯文。舉兩個例子說:

(1) I just love this car. When you slightly push the gas pedal, the power kicks in immediate. 在這句中，kick in就不是"交錢"，而是"交出力量"，並且是作為不及物動詞來用，中文譯作"我很喜歡這輛車。稍踩油門力量馬上就起來"較為合適。

(2) 我們在上麵看到 The coach eventually kicked him off the team. 這句也完全可以說成 The coach eventually kicked him out of the team. 人說話時會因場合、情緒、語氣而選擇一些不同的詞匯(盡管意思相近)。

學習外國語還得多琢磨體會，死記字典上的詞條往往會框死思維和理解。

最後是一則閱讀小故事: Where the Phrase kick the bucket Originated

There are two main explanations about this one.

(1) The word bucket here doesn't refer to the conventional English bucket at all. It is believed that this word actually came from the French buque, meaning a yoke or similar piece of wood. Such a piece of wood was used as the beam from which a pig was hung and slaughtered. Helplessly, the pig, when hung by his heels, would struggle during the process and would kick the buque. Somehow, this French word buque became bucket later in England and the phrase “kick the bucket” came to signify “to die”.

(2) The second one is probably a little more "human". It explains that the bucket is the one on which a suicide stands before hanging himself or herself ─ if the bucket is kicked, the job is done. This explanation is of course less credible than the first one.