There's no such thing as a free lunch We often hear this sentence: There's no such thing as a free lunch. (There is no free lunch), do you know where this sentence comes from?
In the 19th century, some bars in the United States provided "free lunches" to customers. The so-called lunch is actually just some shortbread that is given out with beer; and the so-called free is of course not true. If you don’t buy wine, you won’t have any cake to eat. Therefore, someone said at that time: There's no such thing as a free lunch.
In the 1970s, a book written by the economist Milton Friedman used this sentence The words are the title of the book. He also quoted this sentence many times in other books and speeches. As a result, this sentence became popular again.
Sometimes, we can use this "Friedman quote" when we don't believe we will get some offers.
For example: I don't believe he's giving us the money without any ulterior motive. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
I don't believe he's giving us the money without any ulterior motive. , there is no free lunch in the world
Honeymoon
Everyone must know honeymoon. The combination of honey (honey) and moon (moon) means "honeymoon". Honeymoon refers to the first period of time between newlyweds (not necessarily the first month after marriage, although many people have this illusion). After a long period of anticipation and hard work, the loving couple finally came together hand in hand. Couldn't the feeling between both parties be as sweet and mellow as honey?
There is a theory that the word honeymoon comes from Babylonian folk tradition. This ancient country has always retained such a tradition. In the first month of a daughter's marriage, the girl's father will let his son-in-law drink mead (honey wine) every day, hoping that the marriage of his descendants will always be happy and sweet.
However, from an etymological point of view, this statement is wrong. Honeymoon first appeared in the 16th century. Honey is used to refer to the sweetness of newlyweds. However, moon does not refer to the lunar-based month as many people think. It is a bitter hint, intended to warn people that marriage is indeed happiness. Sweet, but this sweetness is like the waxing and waning of the moon, it is only temporary (so you should cherish it very much!). Marriage means more that both parties have to shoulder the burden of life together, bear the ups and downs of life together, and endure life together. The ups and downs
Darling
darling is probably the most popular nickname in the English language and one of the oldest words. As early as 888 AD, darling appeared in the form of deorling. The word darling is used in many ways. It is generally used as a noun to mean "dear person" and as an adjective to mean "dear; lovely". At the same time, darling can also be used to refer to loved ones or family members, such as Darling, fetch me another bonbon, please. (Dear, please bring me another candy.) Darling can also be used as a metaphor, but often with a slight irony, indicating that someone is deeply loved by an unpopular person. Favoriteness of a person or institution. For example, Senator is the darling of the oil companies. (Senator is the darling of the oil companies.)
Despite its wide range of uses, the origin of darling is rather simple.
Darling comes from the Old English word deor or deore, which means "loved one" or "dear", which will naturally make you think of today's dear. The affix ling means one who is, so deorling and today's darling both mean one who is dear.
In addition, between couples, in addition to darling, sweetheart, pet, dear, love, etc. can also be used title. Emotional words such as honey and baby are often used between male and female lovers, while some conservative old couples with children like to call each other mother and father. There are even more traditional titles than this. For example, in the 19th century novel "Pride and Prejudice", the Bennets called each other very formally Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet. Of course, couples can also have many more casual and unique names, such as Teddy Bear, Honeybun, Sugar Doll, etc. However, the special meaning is probably only understood by them.
Teach a fish how to swim
Have you ever heard of a fish that can’t swim? Have you ever heard of fish drowning because they can't swim? If anyone has such worries, they are no different from the Qi people who have been laughed at for hundreds of years for worrying that the sky will fall. They will definitely become people’s laughing stock after dinner.
As an instinct, fish are born to be able to swim and are completely adapted to underwater life. If someone wants to teach a fish how to swim, this is the same as showing off the skill of using an ax in front of Lu Ban’s door. In Confucius What's the difference between showing off your ability to write articles in front of others?
Therefore, the meaning of "teach a fish how to swim" is "to teach a fish how to swim" and "to sell articles in front of Confucius". Similar expressions in English include: teach a dog to chase rabbits; show the President where the White House is; teach the Pope how to pray; use Chinese maxims in front of Confucius
John Bull
In political cartoons, the United States is always represented by the tall and thin Uncle Sam; the British are represented by the rosy, fat John Bull. Where did the name John Bull come from? The British have a very close relationship with dogs, especially bulldogs. Therefore, in the early 18th century, the writer and royal physician Dr. Arbuthnot wrote a book "The History of John Bull" (The History of John Bull), advocating that the British , France and France coexist peacefully. The protagonist's name in the book is John Bull, and the author uses him to represent Britain. Since then, John Bull has become synonymous with Britain and the typical British.
For example: His ruddy countenance and stout figure made him look a genuine John Bull.
He has a ruddy complexion and a stout figure, and looks like a typical British man.
Romance When you talk about romance, you will definitely think about it. This is a word that young men and women like very much. Do you know where this word comes from?
Speaking of romance, it is related to Rome. The ancient Romans used Latin. Later Latin gradually disappeared and evolved into Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, etc. These languages ??are collectively called Romance languages.
In the Middle Ages, most of the stories about warriors wandering the world and winning the hearts of beauties were written in Romance languages, with French being the most commonly used. Therefore, this type of story is called romances. The French are world-famous for their "romanticism", which may be related to this.
Nowadays, in addition to often referring to love novels that are as far away from reality as dreams, romance can also be used to refer to an affair or a romantic atmosphere.
For example: She thought it was going to be the big romance of her life, but he left her after only a few weeks.
She thought it was going to be the big romance of her life, but he left her after only a few weeks.
She thought it was going to be the big romance of her life, but he left her after only a few weeks. They had a romantic affair, but unexpectedly, he abandoned her after only a few weeks.
The romance of life in the Wild West (the romance of life in the Wild West)
S.O.S
Perhaps everyone knows that S.O.S. is a distress signal. This reminded me of the largest tragic shipwreck in history - the Titanic sinking. While I felt deeply sorry for the souls who died, I also complained in my heart that the shipwreck distress signal was not sent out in time, and other ships and sea rescuers were not able to send out in time. The organization failed to rescue in time. Many people think that S.O.S. is an acronym for words such as Save Our Souls, Save Our Ship, and Stop Other Signals. , Sure Of Sinking (The ship is sinking!) and so on. Is this really the case? In fact, S.O.S. is the international Morse code rescue signal and is not an abbreviation of any word. In view of the frequent occurrence of maritime disasters at that time, the failure to send out distress signals in time and organize rescue as quickly as possible often resulted in great casualties and property losses. In 1908, the International Radiotelegraph Convention officially designated it as an international general shipwreck distress signal. . This three-letter combination has no actual meaning, just because of its telegram code... --- ...(three dots, three dashes, and then three more dots). In the telegram, it is the easiest for the sender to send, and the receiver The code that is most easily recognized by the reporting party.
Before 1908, the international distress signal for shipwrecks on the high seas was C.Q.D. The three letters also have no real meaning, although many people think it is an acronym for Come Quickly, Danger. Although the International Radiotelegraph Convention Organization in 1908 has clearly stipulated the use of S.O.S. as a distress signal for shipwrecks, C.Q.D. is still used by some people. In the early days of the Titanic disaster, the main reason why other ships and rescue organizations failed to organize rescue operations in time was mainly because they did not understand the outdated C.Q.D. distress signal that the ship's transmitter began to send. The S.O.S. distress signal was not sent until the entire ship was almost submerged into the sea. But at this time, who might still have the power to save those innocent souls who were about to be buried at the bottom of the sea forever?
Mermaid
A mermaid is a legendary mermaid, with a human head and body, but a fish tail. Many people know the pure, beautiful and kind little mermaid from Andersen's fairy tales. Today, the statue of the Little Mermaid has become a famous tourist attraction in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and has also become a symbol of Denmark. The word mermaid is composed of two parts, mer and maid, both of which come from Old English, namely mere (ocean) and mayde (maiden). Long before Andersen, there were already legends of mermaids. However, although the mermaids in people's minds at that time also had extraordinary beauty and magical power, they would seduce passing sailors and cause ships to run aground and be destroyed. People called them siren ( Kraken).
Mermaid also has a corresponding merman, which is used to represent a male mermaid. In fact, all legends have their origins, so do you know what the prototype of the "mermaid" is? You wouldn't have guessed it, it's a manatee. The manatee is a large mammal aquatic animal that lives in warm, shallow waters and feeds on underwater plants. Male manatees are called dugongs and female manatees are called manatee. Whenever a female manatee comes out of the water to nurse its calf, from a distance, it looks like a kind mother floating on the water with her child in her arms.
Rule of thumb
Rule of thumb? That is, something that can be imagined with just a few clicks, what we usually call "empiricism". In real life, it is generally used to refer to things that can be known from experience: Rough practical method of assessing or measuring sth, used based on past experience rather than on exact measurement, etc (and therefore not completely reliable in every case or in every detail) (for things) a rough but practical estimation method (usually based on experience without precise measurement, etc., so it is not available everywhere*).
For example: As a rule of thumb, you should cook a chicken for 20 minutes for each pound that it weighs.
As a rule of thumb, you should cook a chicken for 20 minutes for each pound that it weighs. p>
The origin of OK
Okay may be the most widely spread English word in the world besides Yes and No. But where does it come from? Historically, linguists have disagreed. Some people say that okay was invented by Indians. There is such an Indian tribe called the Chocktaw, who live in the fertile Mississippi Valley and make a living by planting and fishing. Whenever a problem occurs, the Chocktaw leaders sit in a circle with the tribal leaders to discuss it together. If someone agrees with the opinions of others, they nod and say "Okeh", which means "that's it." When Europeans first arrived in America, they heard a large number of Indian words and developed them into English vocabulary. Many cities, rivers, and mountains in the United States now have names derived from Indian languages. There is also a more credible theory that the word Okay was invented by a political group in the 19th century. There is a man named Martin Van Buren who is preparing to run for president. His supporters set up a club to promote him. The name of the club is "Okay Club". It is said that the letters O and K are taken from Van Buren's hometown. Old Kinderhook, New York, where he was born. For such a popular word, naturally everyone may have their own story. However, I believe the whole world will agree on one thing: okay is a purely American English word, and it is an excellent example of vocabulary that spans different languages. Just a little reminder: okay is usually used in spoken language. In written language, we can replace it with words such as agree, assent, approve, conform, etc. to make it more formal.
I was not born yesterday
One early morning, my friend Bob and I made an appointment to go to a used car dealership to buy a car together. When we arrived at the old car dealership, the enthusiastic salesperson took the trouble to introduce us to a lot of things. When he introduced a white car, he said: "This car from 1991 has only run 20,000 miles." He also said that this car is Used by an old lady who only drives to church once a week.
But Bob replied: "I was not born yesterday." I thought it was funny, and I thought, who knows how old he is. Later I asked him, and Bob explained to me that this is an English slang, meaning It was "I'm not a child, don't lie to me." Then I suddenly realized.
Raining cats and dogs
"To rain cats and dogs" means "It's pouring rain", but some people may ask why "cats" is used in English. and dogs" to describe heavy rain, rather than "hippopotami" (hippo), "elephants" (elephant), "buckets" (basket) and the like. In fact, people did originally use to rain pitchforks, to rain shovels, darning needles, chicken coops and hammer handles to describe "continuous heavy rain". "To rain cats and dogs" first appeared in Richard Brome's 1652 play Urban Wisdom: "It shall rain dogs and polecats." Polecats are cats similar to ferrets, but this The word later became Cats in the writing of Jonathan Swift. In 1738, Swift used the phrase in his book Conversations on Manners in the form we are now familiar with: "I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would cats and dogs."
One explanation of its origin is included in the Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. The book says, "During heavy rains in 17th century England, some city streets would flow into rivers, and there would be a large number of dead cats and dogs floating in the sewage." became raging rivers of filth carrying many cats and dogs.)
Brewer, in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, said that this phrase originated in Northern Europe: " In Norse mythology, cats are believed to be able to influence the weather. The witch who comes riding the storm is said to be a cat.” Dogs and wolves are followers of the storm god Odin, among which dogs are “the symbol of wind” ( "In Norse mythology, the cat is supposed to have great influence on the weather. Witches that rode on storms were said to assume the form of cats." Dogs and wolves were attendants to Odin, the god of storms, and the dog "is a signal of wind."). Another theory about the origin of this phrase is that it comes from an old French word "catdoupe", which means "waterfall or cataract".
The pronunciation of "catdoupe" in French is somewhat similar to "cats and dogs", so there is "to rain cats and dogs". Finally, the phrase "cats and dogs" alone has its own usage, meaning "low priced, highly speculative stock." This usage began in 1879 and was used in the New York Post in 1984.
Love me, love my dog
One day I was chatting about my love history with my friend Carmen. When I happily asked her how her current boyfriend treated her, she smiled shyly and sweetly. Said: "Love me, love my dog." I curiously asked her when she got a dog and why I didn't know. She laughed heartily and knew that I had misunderstood her meaning, so she hurriedly explained to me that she did not have a dog at home. "Love me, love my dog" means "love the house and the bird". oh! It turns out that many times, English sentences or idioms have hidden meanings and cannot be taken out of context, otherwise it will make people laugh!
Forget-me-not
Forget-me-not is a small blue flower "forget-me-not" that grows by the water. In Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, many prose, poetry, and novel writers use forget-me-not to describe lovesickness and infatuation. People believe that as long as they carry forget-me-not with them, their lovers will remember them in their hearts and never forget them. Behind this little blue flower, there is a romantic love story spread among European and American folk!
The name comes from the German Vergissmeinnicht, which means "forget-me-not". The name forget-me-not comes from a tragic love story. Legend has it that a German knight and his lover were walking along the Danube River. While walking, I saw small blue flowers blooming by the river. Regardless of the danger to his life, the knight reached out to pick flowers, but unexpectedly he lost his footing and fell into the rapids. Knowing that he could not be rescued, the knight said "Don't forget me!", then threw the blue and transparent flower towards his lover, and then disappeared into the water. From then on, the knight's lover wore the blue flower in his hair day and night to show his unforgettable and loyal love to his lover. The blue transparent flower is therefore called "Forget Me Not", and its flower language is "Don't forget me" and "True Love". In addition, forget-me-not is also the state flower of Alaska in the United States. However, because its leaves are shaped like mouse ears, the locals also call it mouse ears. This name is not as nice as forget-me-not!
Walk on eggs
We often use the word "walking on thin ice" to describe a person who does things very carefully, like walking on thin ice. A similar saying in English is walk on eggs, or tread on eggs, which means walking very carefully. In American English, there is a phrase like "walk Spanish", which originally means that a child is held by the collar while playing. Walk on tiptoes. The extended meaning of this word became "walking carefully", but now it is often used to mean being fired, being dismissed and being expelled. A person who is fired from his company can say: He is walked Spanish by his company. Walk on eggs reminds me of walking lightly. In American slang, walk soft refers to calm words and deeds: He walks a lot softer than before (He walks a lot softer than before). But walk softly is different from walk soft. It is an idiom derived from the Bible. The old English translation of 1 Kings 21:27 is: He (Ahab) rent his clothes... and went softly, which means "walking away in frustration".
Breakfast time
The name Continental breakfast is said to be opposite to English breakfast. English breakfast usually consists of cereal and bacon, while continental breakfast only consists of bread and coffee (or black tea). My friend M joined a tour group to visit the United States many years ago. The breakfast was very rich: they served a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs and fruit. He thought Americans ate a lot for breakfast, but later he was a guest at an American friend's house and saw that they usually had breakfast in the kitchen. There is a small table in the kitchen called a breakfast nook, which is placed in the corner and is used for breakfast. The standard American breakfast is: juice (juice), toast (bread), egg (eggs), milk (milk) or coffee (coffee) or tea (black tea). Bread is toast, or roll, in short it is quite simple. Some people say that Americans don't pay much attention to their food, and breakfast is more casual. It is said that most people will go through a critical period after getting married, which is called "breakfast-time". Both husband and wife were in a bad mood, like they were when they sat down to breakfast. However, usually after breakfast, the mood improves, mutual understanding is achieved, and everything goes well. Western proverbs include: Sing before breakfast, cry before night, also known as: Cry before breakfast, sing before night. Sing means joy and cry means sadness, which refers to the vagaries of life.
Mickey Mouse
"Mickey Mouse", isn't it just "Mickey Mouse". Yes, "Mickey Mouse" is well-known as "Mickey Mouse", but "Mickey Mouse" does not only mean "Mickey Mouse". People use "mickey mouse" in everyday language to refer to timid and stupid people, for example: "There are many Mickey Mice in office across the country, from both parties and at all levels of government." (Business Week July 27 , 1974) In Australia, mickey mouse is used to refer to cheap or untrustworthy products.
In American and British English, mickey mouse is usually an adjective used to describe boring or trivial activities, such as: "The big reason that they don't have enough men (police officers) on the highways is because they're doing too much other Mickey Mouse” (Kansas City Star January 8 1974). In addition, students use the term to describe courses or assignments that are easy to complete: “The athletes…are encouraged to take specially-tailored mickey-mouse courses so as not to jeopardize their athletic standing." (Rapoport and Kirshbaum, Is the Library Burning? 1969)
"mickey mouse" is also used in the military field, such as the "Mickey Mouse ears" radio- during the Vietnam War -A bomb-delivery device used on fighter jets in World War II; during World War II, there was also an educational film about sexually transmitted diseases named Mickey Mouse, for example: “a two minute Mickey Mouse would be added, a trailer of clinical shots showing diseased organs in full color " (W. Stevens Gunner 89 1966, ref. to WWII). And the meaning we often use now is "(enterprise, company) small, too simple" (small and unimportant), often with a derogatory meaning, for example: " "He calls himself the managing director but his company is just a Mickey Mouse operation that he runs from his own house." "Mickey Mouse”Poor Mickey Mouse! You might think that the word meaning derived from such a beloved classic cartoon character must be wonderful. But in fact, the word "mickey mouse" does not mean "sweet or cute"; instead, it means "timid, stupid, boring, meaningless, picky, or unreasonable."
Miss, Mrs. and Ms
Miss, Mrs. and Ms are all terms for ladies, so how to distinguish between the three and use them correctly in different situations? What about different titles? Miss and Mrs. are the abbreviations of mistress. In Middle English, the word mistress had many meanings, some of which are still used today, such as mistress, goddess, female expert in a certain industry, female teacher, and governess, etc. Mistress generally refers to "a woman with certain professional knowledge and ability". It is also used as a polite term for unmarried and married women. By about 1600, the meaning of mistress gradually narrowed to a term for married women. Miss first appeared in "The Diary of John Evelyn" in 1645. At that time, the word miss meant "a concubine; a kept mistress", that is, a concubine, a supported woman.
About 20 years later, Samuel Pepys first used the first letter of the word with a capital m (Miss) in front of the name of a girl or an unmarried woman. Around the same time, John Dryden first used Miss as a term of address, specifically referring to girls or unmarried ladies. The opposite word to mistress is master, which refers to the male head of the family. In the 16th century, the spelling of master evolved into mister, and its abbreviated form Mr. only refers to a man or gentleman and does not indicate his marital status. Until the 19th century, Mr. and Mrs. were used as a pair of antonyms. It was from this period that Mrs. began to refer specifically to married women, and it is still used today. Ms is the most puzzling word among the three words Miss, Mrs. and Ms. It first appeared in the book "The Story of Language" by Mario Pei in 1949. In terms of word formation, Ms may be a mixture of the two words Miss and Mrs., so in terms of meaning, Ms can be used as a title for an unmarried woman or a married woman.
Happy as a clam
If you say "happy as a lark" it is easy to be accepted by everyone, because "lark" always makes a clear and sweet cry in the early morning; if you say " Everyone can understand "happy as the day's long", because as the days get longer, everyone naturally has more time to be happy; then, why is there a saying "happy as a clam"? What is the connection between "Clam" and happiness? In the first half of the 19th century, American slang developed rapidly, and "happy as a clam in/at high water" and "happy as a clam at high tide" were frequently used. In 1860, Atlantic Monthly magazine had this passage, "I am sure I've been as happy as a clam these last six years, and I don't calculate to recck[sic] that by getting' married, never." 1877 There is a passage in The Galaxy: "homely, smacking of humor and belonging to slang, or on its confines, like 'snug as a bug in a rug,'...and 'happy as a clam at high water', that is, when the flood tide protects him from the spade". We can find a clue from this sentence and use our imagination. If you have ever dug clams on the beach, then you must know that clam digging requires digging a hole on the beach at low tide. Sometimes you have to dig more than two feet deep before you find clams. The clam was probably complaining about its fate and trying to escape. The saddest thing for a clam is to be washed up on the shore at low tide; at high tide, floating safely in the tide is the happiest time for a clam. So there are expressions such as "Happy as a clam in/at high water" and "happy as a clam at high tide". This ancient phrase has recently become a fashionable metaphor. In light-hearted and humorous conversations, to express "very happy, very comfortable", the sentence "Happy as a clam" is perfect.
James Coates wrote in an article in the Chicago Forum in 2000: "Your humble corespondent used to be a cheap date in cyberspace. If you gave me a Pentium, a modem and maybe an ink jet printer, I was happy as a clam."
Be Greek to somebody
The meaning of this phrase is very intriguing. As we all know, Greece is one of the four ancient civilizations in the world. Greek culture has a long history. Greek mythology and Greek epics have always enjoyed a high reputation in the world's cultural treasure house. The Greek language was once popular in the British upper class. Modern English still retains a large number of loanwords from Greece. Of course, only a small number of people with a higher cultural level can understand Greek. There are many phrases in English that come from Shakespeare's works, and the phrase "be Greek to somebody" also comes from his famous play Julius Caesar. Cicero was about to tell his friend that Caesar was about to be killed, but Caesar was present. To keep it secret, Cicero told his friends the story in Greek. Giasca, who was involved in the murder plan, had heard about it. Later, people who expressed concern about the plan but did not know the details asked Giaska what he had heard. Giasca cleverly replied: "For my own part, it was Greek to me.", indicating that he had no idea what Cicero was talking about. Nowadays, the phrase "be Greek to somebody" is used to mean: beyond one's understanding, that is, "totally don't understand, know nothing." For example: She tried to explain her theories about modern poetry but it was all Greek to me.
She tried to explain her theories about modern poetry but it was all Greek to me.
She tried to explain her theories about modern poetry, but I didn’t understand anything.
There are too many to list them all. If you want to, please leave it. I just spent 10 wealth points. Give me an email and I will send it to you