词汇掌故:跟寒冷相关的短语

    Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
    现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。

    On this program we discuss the meaning and usage of common expressions in American English.
    在本期节目中,我们将会讨论美式英语中常用表达的含义和用法。

    The world can be a cold, cold place.
    世界可能会很冷。

    Sometimes the environment is figuratively cold, meaning not cold in temperature but rather cold in feeling. People can be mean. Work can be thankless. Living conditions can be hard.
    有时候,客观环境是比喻意义上的冷,这个冷指的不是温度上的冷,而是情感上的冷。人们不友好,工作徒劳无益,生活状态艰难。

    And sometimes the world is literally cold.
    有时候这个世界是字面意义上的很冷。

    Temperatures drop. Snow falls from the clouds and sticks to the ground. Ice covers sidewalks and roads. Bitterly cold wind stings your face.
    温度下降,雪从天上飘落下来粘到地上,冰覆盖着人行道和道路,寒风刺痛着你的脸。

    Whether your world feels literally or figuratively cold, our program today will give you the language to find comfort and warmth!
    无论你的世界是字面意义上的冷,还是比喻意义上的冷,我们今天这期节目都会教给你语言,以寻求安慰和温暖。

    First, let's talk about our first protection against the cold -- clothing.
    首先,让我们来说说人们对抗寒冷的第一层保护物,也就是衣服。

    When the weather is cold, it is important to wear the right clothing. Warm clothes -- a good coat, hat, scarf, and gloves -- can make all the difference. In fact, I've read that Swedish people have this expression: "There is no bad weather only bad clothing."
    当天气寒冷时,穿上正确的衣服很重要。温暖的衣服,例如合适的外套、帽子、围巾和手套会让一切大不相同。实际上,我甚至看到过瑞典人有这样的说法:“没有坏天气,只有不合适的衣服。”

    So, when it's cold outside, you need to bundle up! This phrasal verb means to dress warmly. Being underdressed in cold weather can be unpleasant or even dangerous.
    所有,当外面很冷的时候,你需要把自己包裹起来(bundle up),这个短语动词的意思是指穿戴暖和。在寒冷天气里衣着单薄可能会不舒服甚至很危险。

    Parents often tell children to bundle up as advice. "Make sure to bundle up! It's really cold today." Babies bundled up in soft blankets are warm, protected and very cute!
    父母们经常提醒孩子们要穿戴厚实。“一定要穿戴厚实点,今天真的很冷。”包裹在软毯中的婴儿非常温暖、保护得当并且非常可爱。

    After a day out in the cold world, it feels good to come home and change out of your day clothes. Putting on something comfortable, like pajamas, can warm both the body and soul.
    冷天在外面呆了一天之后,回到家脱去外衣会感觉很舒服。穿上睡衣之类的舒适衣物可以让身心都感觉到温暖。

    When we use "comfortable" to describe things like clothing or furniture, we sometimes shorten it to just comfy. For example, "This sweater is so comfy!" or "Your couch is very comfy."
    当我们使用comfortable这个单词来形容衣物或家具之类的东西时,我们可以把它缩写为comfy。例如,“这件毛衣太舒适(comfy)了!”或者是“你的沙发很舒适。”

    Now, a simple pleasure on a cold, winter day is to sit close to a warm fire. If you are lucky enough to be sitting by a fire, wearing comfy clothes, and drinking a cup of hot chocolate, you could say comfy-cozy, toasty-roasty. This sounds like part of a children's song, but it is just a way of saying you are warm and comfortable.
    寒冷冬天里最简单的快乐就是围坐在温暖的炉火旁。如果你有幸能够坐在炉火旁,穿着舒适的衣服,喝着巧克力热饮,你就可以说“comfy-cozy, toasty-roasty。”这句话听起来就像是儿歌,但是它只是表达温暖舒适的一种方式。

    If you're really lucky, you have someone to cozy up with. To cozy up to someone means to get physically close to them. Another word for this is to snuggle. After a bad day, it can be warm and comforting to cozy up with a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, or even your loyal dog or cat.
    如果你确实幸运,你会有一个人可以相互依偎。To cozy up to someone意思是相互依偎着。另一个类似单词就是snuggle。在经历糟糕的一天之后,依偎着丈夫或妻子、男(女)朋友甚至是一只忠诚的猫狗都会感觉非常温暖舒适。

    But this expression has another meaning.
    但是这种表达还有另一层意思。

    To cozy up to someone can mean to start a friendship with someone or simply be nice to them in an attempt to get something. In order to get something you want, you are nice and extra friendly.
    To cozy up to someone还可能意味着与某人开始友谊,或者就只是为了得到什么东西而去亲近别人。为了得到你想要的东西,你变得格外友好。

    Let's hear it used in this example.
    让我们来听听这个例子。

    A: Matthew has been so nice to me recently. It's strange. I didn't think he liked me.
    A:马修最近对我非常友好。这真奇怪,我不觉得他喜欢我。

    B: He heard that you will be deciding who goes overseas to work on that big project. So, he's cozying up to you.
    B:他听说你将决定在那个大项目中谁去海外工作。所以他在拍你马屁。

    A: Oh. That explains the box of chocolates he gave me!
    A:哦,这样他送我这盒巧克力就说得通了。

    So, people can cozy up to others to try to get something they want but so can industries. You may hear "cozy up" when talking about the attempt to influence government officials. For example, to get favorable laws passed, lobbyists may cozy up to lawmakers.
    所以,人们奉承别人是为了得到他们想要得到的东西,在各个行业里都是这样。当提到试图影响政府官员时,你可能会听到cozy up这个词。例如,为了通过有利的法律,说客们可能会去游说议员。

    Another way we say this is to get cozy (with someone.) You might hear it used this way. "I see you've been getting cozy with the coach lately. Worried about your position on the team, are you?"
    我们另一种说法是get cozy with someone。你可能听过这种用法。“我看到你最近一直在拍教练的马屁,你担心自己在球队中的位置,是吗?”

    Now, even though big business and lawmakers often cozy up with each other, we would not describe either of them as warm-and-fuzzy. (Sometimes this word combination is hyphenated. Sometimes it is not.)
    即使大企业和议员们经常互相奉承,我们也不会说他们是热情友好。(warm-and-fuzzy这个单词组合有时候用到连字符,有时候不用。)

    Something that feels really good after escaping the cold is something warm-and-fuzzy. Fuzzy describes something very soft to the touch – like a puppy or a kitten.
    逃离寒冷后的这种舒适感觉就是warm-and-fuzzy。Fuzzy描述了触感非常柔软的东西,例如一只小狗或一只小猫。

    So, warm-and-fuzzy clothing can comfort you after dealing with literal cold. But something warm-and-fuzzy can also protect you against figurative cold. For example, a movie can be warm-and-fuzzy. This means it makes you feel good when you watch it.
    所以,温暖舒适的(warm-and-fuzzy)衣物会让你在面对字面意义上的寒冷时感觉非常舒服。但是warm-and-fuzzy的东西也可以帮你抵御比喻意义上的寒冷。例如,一部电影可以是非常温馨的,这是指这部电影让你在观看时感觉良好。

    However, we also use this expression to describe someone or something that is really cold or unfeeling. As we said earlier, lobbyists and lawmakers usually aren't warm-and-fuzzy.
    然而,我们也把这种表达用于描述真正冷酷或无情的人或物。正如我们前面提到的,说客和议员们通常就不是热情友好的。

    Let's hear how it is used in another example:
    让我们来听听它在另一个例子中的用法:

    A: "Your roommate sure isn't the warm and fuzzy type, is she?"
    A:“你的室友肯定不是那种热情友好的类型,对吗?”

    B: "No, she's not. Last week when I had a cold, she told me not to sneeze so loudly."
    B:“对,她就是你说的那样。上周我感冒了,她叫我不要这么大声打喷嚏。”

    A: "Now, that's cold."
    A:“噢,她太冷漠了。”

    After a bad day -- either a cold or hot one -- many of us just want to get home and escape.
    在经历糟糕的一天,不论冷的还是热的,我们大部分人都只想回家并且逃离这些。

    My perfect way to escape would be change into my comfy-cozy pajamas, sink into my comfy couch and curl up in front of a fire to watch a warm-and-fuzzy movie.
    我最好的逃离方式就是换上舒适的睡衣,躺进舒适的沙发里,蜷缩在火炉前看一部温馨的电影。

    "To curl up" means to make your body into the shape of a ball to keep warm, as a kitten would. Is there anything cuter than a fuzzy, baby animal curling up by its mother? I don't think so.
    To curl up是指让身体缩成一团保暖,就像小猫一样。有什么比一只毛绒绒的小动物蜷缩在它妈妈的怀抱里更可爱呢?我觉得没有。

    To escape a cold world, you may want to curl up with a cup of hot tea and our next Words and Their Stories.
    为了逃离寒冷的世界,你可能想要蜷缩着喝上一杯热茶,然后收听我们下一期词汇掌故节目。

    I'm Anna Matteo.
    我是安娜·马特奥。(51VOA.COM原创翻译,禁止转载,违者必究!)