Ah, bees! These tirelessly buzzing creatures bring more than just honey and stings; they’ve also made their way into our language with some weird idioms. Let’s explore three bee-related phrases that might just sweeten up your speech.
1. As busy as a bee
Photo: Freepik / 照片:Freepik
This simile dates back to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales from around 1392, in which the poet compared women to these hardworking animals. The idiom has since been used to describe someone who is extremely active and diligent. If your classmate undertakes activities from many different clubs, you might remark, “Samantha has been as busy as a bee with all her commitments.”
2. The bee’s knees
This is a delightfully bizarre way of saying something is exceptionally good or impressive. While the exact origin of this phrase is obscure, it likely emerged during the 1920s, an era fond of animal-themed expressions like “the cat’s pajamas.” If a new song blows you away, you might exclaim, “This tune is the bee’s knees!”
3. A bee in one’s bonnet
Imagine a trapped bee buzzing around in your hat—that’s the essence of this idiom, which conveys an intense obsession with an idea. This expression may have evolved from a Scottish phrase about having a “head full of bees,” implying madness or obsession. Later, this idiom transformed into our modern usage. If your friend can’t stop chatting about the characters and plot twists in a TV series, you might comment, “Dennis really has a bee in his bonnet about this show.”
So there you have it, a triple set of bee idioms to add some buzz to your language garden. Use them wisely and watch your vocabulary blossom!
啊,蜜蜂!這些不知疲倦地嗡嗡作響的生物所帶來的不僅是蜂蜜和螫傷而已;它們也透過一些奇特的成語進入了我們的語言。讓我們探索一下三個或許能讓你的談吐更加動聽的蜜蜂相關短語。
1. As busy as a bee(像蜜蜂一樣忙碌) 這個明喻的用法可以追溯到大約在西元1392年左右由喬叟所著的 《坎特伯里故事集》,詩人在作品中把婦女比作蜜蜂這種勤奮的動物。這個成語從此被用來描述一個人非常活躍和勤奮。如果你的同學參加許多不同社團的活動,你可能會評論說:「莎曼珊有她所有那些要做的事情,像蜜蜂一樣忙碌。」
2. The bee’s knees(非常出色;頂尖)這是一個奇怪到很有意思的說法,意指某件絕佳或令人印象很深刻的事情。雖然這個短語的確切起源不明,但它可能是出現在西元1920年代,這是一個喜歡動物主題措辭的年代,比如the cat’s pajamas。如果一首新歌讓你感到驚艷,你可能會驚呼:「這首曲子真是太出色了!」
3. A bee in one’s bonnet(對……著迷;念念不忘) 想像一隻被困在你帽子裡嗡嗡作響的蜜蜂—這就是這個成語的精髓,它表達了對一個念頭的強烈痴迷。這個說法當初可能起
源於一個蘇格蘭的短語「腦袋裡滿是蜜蜂」,暗示瘋狂或痴迷。後來,這個成語演變成了我們現代的用法。如果你的朋友一直不停在談論一部電視劇的角色和情節轉折,你可能會評論說:「丹尼斯對這部劇真是著迷。」
那麼,以上你所看到的就是三個跟蜜蜂有關的片語,得以讓你的語言花園增添了
一些活力。明智地使用這些片語,讓你掌握的詞彙如同花朵綻放般聽起來更有吸引力吧!
MORE INFORMATION
honey-tongued adj. 甜言蜜語的
simile n. 明喻
exceptionally adv. 特別地;分外地
obscure adj. 模糊的;不清楚的
essence n. 本質;精髓
obsession n. 痴迷;著魔
Scottish adj. 蘇格蘭的
buzz n. 興奮;活力
KEY VOCABULARY
1. weird adj. 奇怪的;不尋常的
We were getting some weird information from the market research team that we couldn’t understand.
我們從市場研究團隊獲得一些我們無法理解的奇怪資訊。
2. diligent adj. 勤奮的
Pete’s diligent efforts paid off when he received top marks in the exam.
彼特在考試中得到最高分,他勤奮的努力有了回報。
3. undertake vt. 從事;承擔;承諾(三態 undertake-undertook-undertaken)
I have to undertake a new project assigned directly to me by my boss.
我必須承擔老闆直接指派給我的一個新企畫。
4. remark v. 談論;說
Melinda remarked to reporters that she was confident of her client’s innocence and would prove it in court.
梅琳達對記者談到她對委託人的清白充滿信心,並將在法庭上證明這一點。
5. delightfully vi. 令人愉悅地;討喜地
The recipe was delightfully easy, requiring only a few ingredients and simple steps.
這份食譜簡單到很討喜,只需要一些食材和簡單的步驟。
6. blow away 使……大為驚豔
The breathtaking view from the mountaintop completely blew me away.
從山頂上看到的壯麗景色讓我十分驚豔。
7. exclaim v. 大喊;驚呼
“Your hair looks great!” Jerry exclaimed as soon as he saw me.
傑瑞一看到我就驚呼:「你的髮型看起來真棒!」
8. imply vt. 暗指;暗示
The manager’s silence implied that she was not satisfied with the decision.
經理的沉默暗示著她對這個決定不滿意。
9. triple adj. 由三部分構成的;三倍的;三重的
The company reported a triple increase in its profits over the last quarter.
該公司報告上季利潤有三倍的增長。
學習音檔: https://magazine.english4u.net/Magdata/menu/4blxs
《空中美語》雜誌APP免費下載: https://www.english4u.net/apps/index.aspx
免費收聽當月《空中美語》雜誌課文朗讀及解析 !
文章由AMC空中美語授權使用: https://www.english4u.net
A: The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to open tomorrow (Saturday Taiwan time), and will run until Aug. 11. B: How many Taiwanese athletes will compete in the Olympics? A: About 60 Taiwanese athletes will participate in 16 sports. B: I’ve heard some Olympic gold medalists, such as weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, and badminton duo Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, will compete in the Olympics again. A: Asian tennis star Hsieh Su-wei, who is the World No. 1 in women’s doubles, is also on the Taiwan team. Let’s give our support to the Taiwanese players. A: 巴黎奧運自7月26日(台灣時間27日),至8月11日要登場啦。 B: 台灣有多少選手參賽? A: 台灣有60名選手參賽,將參加16項運動種類。 B: 這次奧運金牌舉重名將郭婞淳、羽球男雙李洋/王齊麟都會參賽。 A:
A: Wow, two Taiwanese swimmers have qualified for this year’s Olympics in Paris. B: I know one is the Taiwanese-American swimmer Angie Coe. A: And the other is Eddie Wang, Taiwan’s “King of Butterfly.” B: Didn’t Wang miss a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) test and face an 18-month ban? A: But the Chinese Taipei Anti-Doping Agency (CTADA) argued that this was a case of miscommunication, so in the end WADA decided not to ban him from swimming. A: 這次巴黎奧運,還有兩位台灣選手在游泳項目取得參賽資格! B: 我知道,一位是台美混血女泳將韓安齊。 A: 另一位則是台灣蝶王:王冠閎。 B: 他不是因為錯過了「世界運動禁藥防制組織」(WADA) 的藥檢,原本要被禁賽18個月? A:「中華運動禁藥防制基金會」(CTADA)主張這只是溝通不良,所以WADA最終並未禁賽。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Google is planning to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, it said on July 22, after years of pledging to phase out the tiny packets of code meant to track users on the Internet. The major reversal follows concerns from advertisers - the company’s biggest source of income - saying the loss of cookies in the world’s most popular browser will limit their ability to collect information for personalizing ads, making them dependent on Google’s user databases. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority had also scrutinized Google’s plan over concerns it would impede competition in digital advertising. “Instead of deprecating third-party cookies,
People have a fascination with wild animals, and zoos may be the only chance for some to observe animals closely. Whether it’s rarely-seen creatures like kangaroos and koalas, curious animals like sloths and pangolins, or even endangered species like rhinos and orangutans, humans enjoy watching the behavior of creatures on display. The keeping of wild animals in cages is nothing new, though. There is evidence from ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian wall carvings showing that the first efforts to keep animals in enclosed pens began thousands of years ago. Later, various animals were kept in private collections called menageries by well-off