拳擊短語

我們或許都知道世界著名的拳擊手拳王阿里、泰森等，而源自拳擊的英語短語我們又了解多少呢？本期《小詞大義》，我們來學習一些用于日常生活的拳擊短語吧。

The world of boxing gave us famous competitors like Muhammad Ali. It also gave us many expressions that we use in our everyday lives.

Years ago， a boxing match would begin when a boxer threw his hat into the boxing ring—the place where the fight was fought. That does not happen these days. But if you throw your hat into the ring， it does mean that you are signing up or agreeing to do something. You will often hear this expression in the world of politics.

“Is she running for mayor？”

“She is. She threw her hat in the ring last week.”

A boxing ring is surrounded on all four sides by ropes. A boxer trapped along the ropes gets hit a lot. So， to have someone on the ropes means to have them in a dangerous position.

During a fight， there are three people in the ring—two boxers and a referee. The referee makes sure the boxers obey the rules of the sport. He or she can cancel， or call off， a fight if things get too unsafe or risky for one of the boxers. And if a fighter is hit so hard that they fall down， the referee gives the person a count of 10 to get up.

● throw one’s hat in/into the ring字面意思是把帽子扔進拳擊場。據說在19世紀的拳擊比賽中，有人要和拳擊手較量，就把帽子扔進拳擊場里。后來throw one’s hat in the ring就成了一種比喻，意思是參加競賽或政治競選。

● on the ropes 俚語，引申含義為：無計可施、毫無辦法、處于困境、四面楚歌、快要垮臺、就要完蛋等。上述含義均源自拳擊比賽，因為拳擊擂臺四面都用繩子圍起來，弱者常常被對手打得搖搖晃晃，靠在圍繩上無力還擊、節節敗退。這種被動挨打的局面在英語里就叫做 on the ropes。

If the fighter gets up， the boxing match continues. If the fighter does not， the match is over. So when you are down for the count， you are not able to compete or not able to join in something. Here’s an example：

“Is George coming out tonight for drinks？”

“No， he’s got a fever of 102. So， for tonight， he’s down for the count.”

To go the distance is the opposite. It means a boxer was able to stay in the ring and not withdraw from the fight. Outside of the boxing ring， it means to see something through to its end.

If you do decide to leave your job， you throw in the towel. This expression comes from the fact that trainers can stop a match for their boxer by throwing a towel into the ring.

So it is good to have someone in your corner， a person looking out for you. That is where a boxer’s team stands during the end of each round—in his or her own corner. And yes， women’s boxing is becoming more and more popular in the United States.

A professional boxing match is made up of 12 periods， called rounds. At the end of each round a bell sounds. To be saved by the bell means you were saved from a bad situation by something—not necessarily a bell.

But let us imagine that you are a student in class. The teacher starts passing out a test. You get nervous， because you forgot to study. Suddenly the bell rings， ending the class period. In this case， you were， quite literally， saved by the bell.

● down for the count 徹底失敗。當一名拳擊手被對方擊倒在地以后，裁判會站在他的旁邊慢慢地從一數到十，如果他不能在數到十之前掙扎著站立起來，繼續比賽，那么他就輸了，換句話說，他就徹底失敗了。down for the count 常被用在工商界、政壇或者法律訴訟中，甚至還用于表示情場失意。

● go the distance 是堅持到底、完成全部、貫徹始終的意思。

● throw in the towel 意思是認輸，承認失敗，宣告放棄，源于拳擊比賽。當拳擊手打不過對方，他的教練就會拋一條毛巾入場，表示認輸。

● have someone in your corner 有人給予你幫助和支持，有人為你著想。在每個回合結束時，拳擊手的團隊就站在他（她）的角落。

● be saved by the bell 在緊要關頭得救的意思。這個習慣用語是來自拳擊比賽。比賽時負責計算時間的人一打鈴就表示一個回合的開始，再打鈴表示這個回合結束。當一個拳擊手被對方打倒在地的時候，裁判員就站在邊上，對著他開始慢慢地從一數到十。要是計算時間的人在裁判員還沒有數到十的時候打鈴表示這場回合的時間已到，比賽就在短暫休息后再繼續進行。