VOA朗讀: Words and Their Stories: Insect Expressions

 

There are many American expressions about insects -- like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They always appear to be busy, moving around their homes, or hives. So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house.

In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn.

Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the nineteen twenties. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee's knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!

If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet.  If someone asks you a personal question, you might say "that is none of your beeswax." This means none of your business.

Speaking of personal questions, there is an expression people sometimes use when their children ask, "where do babies come from?" Parents who discuss sex and reproduction say this is talking about the birds and the bees.

(MUSIC)

Hornets are bee-like insects that sometimes attack people. If you are really angry, you might say you are mad as a hornet. And if you stir up a hornet's nest, you create trouble or problems.

Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your pants. That is, to be restless and unable to sit still. 

Here are some expressions about plain old bugs, another word for insects. If a friend keeps asking you to do something you do not want to do, you might ask him to leave you alone or "stop bugging me." A friend also might tell you again and again to do something. If so, you might say he put a bug in your ear.

If you were reading a book in your warm bed on a cold winter's day, you might say you were snug as a bug in a rug. And if you wish someone good night, you might say, "sleep tight -- don't let the bed bugs bite."

(MUSIC)

詞語解釋: (ZT)

★as busy as a bee 非常忙碌,忙的團團轉, 忙的要命, 像蜜蜂一樣忙
★a beehive of activity很多人繁忙工作的地方
 beehive（=hive） 蜂巢
★make a beeline迅速直奔，徑自前往
★the bee's knees出類拔萃之人、物
★a bee in her bonnet 1) 想得入了迷，釘住一件事想2) 有某種神秘而不宣的想法3) 有點兒神經不正常
★that is none of your beeswax不關你事

★the birds and the bees基本的性知識

我們每個人小時候都會問媽媽自己是從哪裏來的。媽媽會說，你是從垃圾堆裏撿出來的、從樹上掉下來的、從石頭縫裏鑽出來的等等。當時都會有疑惑，但因為小，很少人會追根究底。
中國人比較保守和傳統，給下一代介紹性方麵的知識比較尷尬，每每都要“遮遮掩掩”。其實，性啟蒙教育不光中國人尷尬，西方人也有“欲說還休”的時候。所以他們來了個“轉移視線”的障眼法，拿“蜜蜂和小鳥”來說事。因此The birds and the bees就是“有關那方麵的事”、“性事的委婉說法”（the basic facts about sex and reproduction）。據說The birds and the bees起源於1928年Cole Porter的暢銷曲Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love)。歌裏是這麽唱的：
And that’s why birds do it,

bees do it  

Even educated fleas do it 

Let’s do it,

let’s fall in love

這個委婉語到現在仍然非常流行。它的使用率跟have sex差不多，比make love要高。
★mad as a hornet像黃蜂一樣憤怒（意指非常生氣、憤怒）
★stir up a hornet's nest捅馬蜂窩
Hornet 是黃蜂、胡蜂或者馬蜂。如果一個人不明智地捅馬蜂窩，必然遭到大群馬蜂的叮刺圍攻。所以stir up a hornet's nest的含義就是“捅了馬蜂窩，惹人說辭或者招來批評”的意思。
★have butterflies in your stomach焦慮不安，緊張不安，心裏感到七上八下
butterflies是指蝴蝶， stomach是人身體裏消化食品的胃。To have butterflies in one's stomach，從字麵上來解釋就是，一個人的胃裏有蝴蝶。肚子裏有蝴蝶飛舞，這是形容一個人“心裏緊張”的意思。
★ants in your pants，坐立不安
Ants就是螞蟻，pants 就是褲子。螞蟻鑽進了褲子，你可以想象是個什麽滋味了。你肯定坐不住了。 所以Ants in your pants這個俗語的意思就是一個人很緊張，坐立不安。
★stop bugging me別煩我
★put a bug in your ear事先給某人暗示,警告某人
該短語直譯為"把蟲子放在某人耳朵裏",這可是件很可怕的事情,誰會這麽惡作劇呢？實際上,這裏的bug不是"蟲子"的意思,而是"idea, notion或information"的意思。引申理解為"to warn someone"或"give a hint to someone"。
★snug as a bug in a rug靈巧的象地毯裏的蟲子，意思是“非常舒適”
★sleep tight -- don't let the bed bugs bite好好睡，祝你一夜好眠
tight表“緊緊地”，bug指“小蟲”。sleep tight -- don't let the bed bugs bite直譯：“睡得緊緊地，別被床上的蟲子咬到。”據說古時候床鋪是用繩子搭成，須把繩子綁緊才能睡得安穩，因此sleep tight指“睡得香甜”、“睡得好”。從前的確有小蟲子會趁人在睡覺時爬到床上去咬人，吸人血，因此這說法即祝人一夜好眠，不會被小蟲咬到之意。