常見短語的不尋常起源

\"Brand spanking1） new\"， \"clear as a bell\"， \"raining cats and dogs\"—we all use these common sayings from time to time. Even though they don't make much sense when taken literally， we understand what someone means when they say， \"strike while the iron is hot\" or \"I've been saved by the bell！\" But what did these sayings really mean when they were first used？ How did they come to be so popular？ It can't be as different as their meanings today， can they？ Well， read on. You might be surprised.

“Brand spanking new （嶄新的）”“clear as a bell （非常清楚的）”“raining cats and dogs （下傾盆大雨）”，這些常見短語我們時不時都會用到。盡管從字面上來看，這些短語不大能說得通，但如果有人說“strike while the iron is hot （趁熱打鐵）”或“I've been saved by the bell！ （鈴聲幫我解圍了！）”，我們卻知道他們想要表達什么意思。不過話說回來，這些短語在最初出現時是什么意思呢？它們如何會變得如此常見？它們當初的含義不可能會與現在的含義相差太遠，對吧？嗯，繼續讀下去吧，你也許會大吃一驚哦。

Brand spanking new

Used today to mean something new （and probably shiny2））， \"spanking new\" originated from the hospital. Yes， you read that right， the hospital. In the past， when babies were born， doctors used to spank3） them to help clear their lungs so they could breath. This was also a way of finding out whether the baby was healthy. \"Brand-new\" goes back to the Middle Ages， when it referred to pottery or metalwork that had just been pulled from the fire in which it had been hardened.

Clear as a bell

Now， it's used to mean something that's understood or easy to understand. Back then？ Before the time of loudspeakers and electric sirens4）， church bells were used to alert a village or town to danger， death or a wedding. These church bells were gigantic and their sound carried long distances so that they could be heard from faraway farms. The sound was loud and clear—clear as a bell.

Raining cats and dogs

This is just plain silly. How can cats and dogs rain from the sky？ Okay， they can't rain from the sky， but they can fall off of slippery roofs， which is where this phrase came from. In Medieval England， these animals used to live on the roofs of houses. When it rained， as was （and still is） common in England， the roofs would become slippery and these animals would fall onto the street below. During heavy storms， it would seem as if these animals were raining from the sky.

Saved by the bell

No， not the television show， this saying is a lot freakier than that！ This phrase， often used in school settings where students are \"saved\" from answering difficult questions by the school bell， originated in England. Decades and decades ago in England， there was an actual fear of being buried alive. Maybe because medicine wasn't as advanced as it is today so it was difficult to tell if someone was really gone forever. To make sure someone who was buried alive could be saved， a little bell was attached to the person's hand. This way， if they woke up underground， the grave keepers would hear the bell and save them. Scary！

Pulling someone's leg

Now， it's used to talk about making fun of someone or playfully misleading him or her. But this saying had a more sinister5） origin. In older days， pulling someone's leg was an efficient way to rob them. One person would trip6） the victim （or \"pull his leg\"） while the other would steal his money. Frightening， but at least the meaning is more playful now.

As mad as a hatter

The Mad Hatter. Have you heard of him， from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland？ Sure you have， but where did this name and the saying that came before it， come from？ Hats used to be made by hand （by \"hatters\"） using a substance called mercury7）， which is known to be poisonous to humans now. Unfortunately， hatters didn't know that. They would come into contact with it frequently and therefore it would drive them， literally， mad！

Goodnight， sleep tight！

You might think this comes from being tucked in8） snugly9） and having a tight cocoon10） of blankets all around you. But there's more to it than that！ Way back when， before the kind of mattress technology and materials we have now， mattresses would loosen over the course of the day， often becoming very uncomfortable by night time. In order to keep the beds together and comfortable， ropes were used to secure the mattresses to the bed frame and these ropes were tightened every night before bed. Who knew \"sleeping tight\" actually meant sleeping tight！

嶄新的

Spanking new現在指某物非常新（或許還新得閃閃發亮），它起源于醫院。是的，你沒看錯，就是醫院。在過去，嬰兒剛降生時，醫生常常會通過拍打他們的屁股使他們肺部通暢，讓他們可以呼吸（編注：醫生一般是倒提著嬰兒的雙腳拍打，使嬰兒口鼻中殘留的羊水排出）。這也是過去醫生判斷嬰兒是否健康的一種方法。而brand-new則起源于中世紀，指剛剛從火中取出的燒制好的陶器或鍛造好的金屬制品。

非常清楚的

如今，這一短語指事情為人所明白或易于理解。那它在過去是什么意思呢？在揚聲器和電子警報器誕生之前，人們用教堂的鐘向全村或全鎮的人發出危險警報、訃告或是舉辦婚禮的通知。教堂里的這些鐘巨大無比，聲音可以傳得很遠，即使在遙遠的農場也能夠聽到。聲音洪亮而清晰——就像教堂的鐘聲一樣。

下傾盆大雨

這種說法簡直是愚蠢之極。貓和狗怎么會像雨水一樣從天而降呢？好吧，它們的確不能，不過它們卻可以從濕滑的屋頂上墜落，而這一短語正是由此而來的。在中世紀的英格蘭，這些動物常常住在屋頂上。下雨時（過去和現在的英格蘭都常常下雨），屋頂會變得很滑，這些動物就會滑落到下面的街上去。暴風雨來臨時，它們看上去就好像雨水那樣從天而降。

得以解圍

不，不是電視節目中那樣，這一短語的來歷比電視上的情況可怕多了！該短語現在常在學校中使用，意指鈴聲一響，學生就能逃過一劫，不必回答難題。這個短語起源于英格蘭。在幾十年甚至上百年前的英格蘭，人們特別害怕會被活埋，這是真事。也許這是由于當時的醫療技術并不像今天這樣發達，所以很難斷定某個人是否真的與世長辭的緣故吧。為了確保被活埋的人能夠獲救，人們便會在那個人的手上系一只小鈴鐺。這樣一來，如果被活埋的人在地下蘇醒過來，守墓人就會聽到鈴聲趕來解救他們。多恐怖呀！

嘲笑某人

現在，這一短語用來指嘲笑某人或以玩笑的方式誤導某人。殊不知，它的起源更為邪惡。過去，拉扯某人的腿是搶劫的有效方式。一個人負責將受害人絆倒（或“拉扯他的腿”），另一個人就會趁機搶走受害人的錢財。這個短語的起源聽起來怪嚇人的，不過還好它現在的含義更傾向于鬧著玩了。

精神錯亂的

有沒有聽說過劉易斯·卡羅爾創作的《愛麗絲奇境漫游記》中的“瘋帽子先生”？你肯定聽說過，可是，這個名字和早于這個名字就出現的短語又都出自何處呢？過去，制帽人手工制作帽子的時候需要用到一種叫“汞”的材料。現在的人們都知道汞對神經系統有傷害，可惜過去的制帽人卻并不知道這一點。與這種材料頻繁接觸把他們弄得——正如字面上所描述的那樣——瘋瘋癲癲的！

晚安，睡個好覺！

你可能會認為這個短語源自這種場景：你被貼身的毛毯緊緊裹住，感覺暖和而又舒適。其實，這個短語的起源并不只是這樣。很久以前，制作床墊的技術尚未成熟，材料也不像今天這樣豐富，一天下來床墊就會變得松散，到了晚上就會變得非常不舒適。為了讓床榻不致走形，也為了保持床的舒適度，人們便用繩子將床墊系在床架上，并在每天晚上睡覺前把那些繩子再緊一緊。誰之前知道“sleeping tight”原意真的就是指系緊點再睡覺啊！

1.spanking [?sp??k??] adv. <口>十足，非常

2.shiny [??a?ni] adj. 有光澤的

3.spank [sp??k] vt. （用手掌、拖鞋等）摑，拍打（尤指打屁股）

4.siren [?sa?r?n] n. 警報器

5.sinister

[?s?n?st?（r）] adj. 惡意的，邪惡的

6.trip [tr?p] vt. 將……絆倒

7.mercury

[?m??kj?ri] n. 【化】汞，水銀

8.tuck sb. in： 用被子把某人裹住

9.snugly [?sn?ɡli] adv. 暖和舒適地

10.cocoon [k??ku?n] n. 繭狀物