“have a cow” 是“有一头母牛”吗?这个意思你根本想不到
大家对cow这个词一定不陌生,它表示母牛、奶牛的意思。但有时候,当你要去找一个小伙伴时,其他人会告诉你:别去打扰她,She’s having a cow. 这是什么意思呢?难道是她现在有一头奶牛吗?
Have a cowOf course not, have a cow is a very authentic American English, which means to get very upset about something, to become angry, excited, or agitated.
have a cow当然不是我们字面上理解的“有一头母牛”的意思,这是一个非常地道的美式口语表达,意思是对什么事情非常失望,变得很生气、情绪激动和焦躁。
She had a cow when she saw the mess we made.
她看到我们把这弄得这么乱,变得很生气。
My mother will have a cow if we get a stain on the new sofa.
如果我们把新沙发弄上了污渍,妈妈肯定会生气的。
So If you have a cow, you become very upset or angry.
比如说一辆车不小心被追尾了,那车主下车后的第一反应,可能会很生气地跟肇事人说,你怎么搞得?那肇事人会说:
I'll pay for the damage. Don't have a cow!
我赔你就是了,别激动!
Don't have a cow是have a cow的否定形式,表示不要激动,不要生气。Don't get upset, chill out! 冷静下来,放松,别激动。
Have a cow遇到困难的时候,有的人会变得很焦躁,束手无策的感觉,有的人哪怕眼下没有解决办法,也能比较沉着冷静地应对。
Don't have a cow—I'm sure we'll find a solution to this problem.
别着急,我确定我们能找到问题的解决办法。
看到别人情绪激动的时候,你可以说:
Chill out, man! Don't have a cow!
冷静点,兄弟,别生气。
Have a cow大家是不是很好奇,为什么表达生气、失望、焦躁要跟母牛联系在一起呢?这两者之间有什么关联吗?大家可以这么理解:
Giving birth to a cow is a stressful ordeal, and this phrase is a reference to that experience. It is similar to the British phrase “to have kittens,” which was used as far back as medieval times to express the pain of childbirth.
母牛生宝宝和我们人一样,也是一项压力很大的考验,这个短语就用来指代这段对于母亲来说痛苦的经历。have a cow有点像英国中世纪时候的一个表达to have kittens,说的是生小猫,也是用来指代分娩时候的痛苦。在这样的痛苦下,就难免情绪失控啦。
Have a cow
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