这9个常用短语背后的起源故事暗黑得超乎你想象_公共英语阅读理解

这9个常用短语背后的起源故事暗黑得超乎你想象

很多常用短语的实际意思都和字面意思相差甚远，你可曾好奇这些短语都是怎么来的吗？比如paying through the nose的原意真的是“用鼻子抵账”吗？表示开玩笑为什么要用pulling someone’s leg（拉腿）来形容？现在就来为你揭露9个常用短语的“暗黑过往”。

这9个常用短语背后的起源故事暗黑得超乎你想象1

Riding shotgun真的跟猎枪有关

"Riding shotgun" is the ideal place to ride during on a road trip. But in the Old West, the person sitting in the passenger seat was required to do a whole lot more than find the perfect radio station.

在现代，riding shotgun指的是汽车上的副驾驶座。在旧时的美国西部，副驾驶座上的人要做的可不仅仅是调到一个好电台那么简单。

Stagecoach drivers in the Old West needed a person to literally "ride shotgun." The passenger would carry a shotgun in order to scare off robbers who might want to attack them, according to Reader's Digest.

根据美国杂志《读者文摘》的文章显示，过去在美国西部赶马车的人需要有人在旅行途中保驾护航。副驾驶座上的人要手持猎枪来吓退想要攻击马车的强盗。

Highway robbery真的是抢劫

Most people would agree that paying $10 for your favorite cup of coffee is highway robbery. But the original definition of highway robbery once meant literally robbing travelers on or near the highway. The first known usage of the phrase was in 1611.