85.有趣的英语 / cowardice of curs.

Reader86

http://www.metaphordogs.org/Dogs/entries/coward.html

cowardice of curs.

In days of yore some people were not content to a describe group of things—especially things in the animal kingdom—as a group of this or a group of that; they felt that more specific collective nouns were required, or at least desired. And specific they could be. Folks could not simply refer to groups of birds simply as flocks. A group of larks was an “exaltation” and one of crows was the more sinister “murder.”
Dogs might well ask if they are stuck with the more mundane “packs” and “litters,” which, after all, are words they share with other species? Well, yes and no. Not that “pack” does not have its points. Canids in general are considered pack animals in the same way that cattle are herd animals. There are pack behaviors and specific social patterns that emerge based on these behaviors. In this sense, any cohabiting group of dogs forms a “pack” so the term can be used inclusively. However, back in the day—say two centuries or more ago—when those with leisure felt it important to name groups with more precision, and perhaps more poetry, there were other expressions.

Since society was predominantly agricultural and dogs filled roles other than as pets, perhaps there was a need for more distinctive names. Or perhaps those doing the naming were amateur philologists or folklorists who “collected” the nomenclature. Most likely: it was simple snobbery. Regardless, Americans were more familiar with the canine middle class: field dogs. Working dogs—herders, guard dogs, and hunters—can be highly respected members of rural communities, but they tend to live in separate accommodations rather than as pets in the house with the humans. When domesticated, a group of these dogs was referred to as a “kennel” rather than a pack. More specific descriptors included: a “brace” or “leash” for two greyhounds or a “couple” for a pair of harriers. And for some paradoxical reason, a kennel of hunting hounds was sometimes referred to as a “mute of hounds” and at other times as the more descriptive “cry of hounds.”reference 1 Such were “terms of venery.” For practical purposes most of this nomenclature has fallen out of fashion. The terms are likely to be unfamiliar even to dog professionals. Newborn pups are still called a “litter” and, less often, the pups themselves may be referred to as “whelps.”

In or out of use, these are pretty pallid descriptors when compared to “a zeal of zebras” or a “hover of trout.” However, when it came to the lowest class of canines, groups of unpedigreed dogs or “curs,” the language became more colorful. A grouping of this kind was reportedly referred to as a “cowardice of curs.”reference 2 Now there is a vivid collective noun for you: cowardice.

These dogs were already looked down upon as strays and the companions of the lower classes, so why add insult to injury by calling a group of curs a “cowardice?” Perhaps it was because these dogs often had to fend for themselves rather than being fed by the products of today's pet food industry. As with hunting packs everywhere, ungoverned groups of dogs chose the most vulnerable as their prey and avoided fights they could not win. These are good survival strategies, but they run counter to the image of the dog as loyal and noble; and there is no doubt that as a result curs appeared cowardly. Branding them as cowards may also have served to reinforced a notion that purebred dogs are morally superior, or at least have superior guidance from their more aristocratic owners.

Metaphorically a cur may refer to a person of mixed ancestry but more often refers to a contemptible man, probably a low-life, certainly one with a bad personality. In the early 20th century the phrase “a cowardice of curs” was also used metaphorically to refer to a group of ill-led lower-class humans, much the same as another canine reference, a “canaille,” or rabble.
In a light novel of 1916, Faith Tresilion, Eden Phillpotts offers this exchange that highlights the nature of groups of curs, both literal and figurative. Defending his mixed-breed hunting dogs, a huntsman claims it is not the breed but the leader who matters:

“What a cowardice of curs!” commented Lieutenant Baldwin; whereupon his uncle stood up for the local pack.

“They are good enough hounds,” he said. “…The use of a foxhound does not demand bravery. It is the same with men. As a soldier you should know that. The leaders are brave, the rank and file look to them for that spirit that inspires a fighting regiment…” reference 3

The distinction Phillpotts appears to make is that cowardices of curs (whether human or canine) are defined by their lack of brave leadership. The unavoidable implication is that both dogs and the human “rank and file” are at their best—and are the bravest and most loyal—when they have the beneficent guidance of well-bred humans.

Reader86

A CAPTCHA (/kæp.tʃə/, a contrived acronym for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart") is a type of challenge–response test used in computing to determine whether or not the user is human.

Reader86

"Which" and "that"

第二十二讲  定语从句中which和that的区别

“定语从句中的which和that”是一个比较容易混淆的知识点。

谈到这个知识点，很多同学脑中可能会浮现出很多相关的规则。比如：

    先行词如果包含形容词最高级，其后的定语从句引导词要使用that。

    先行词包含序数词、the only、the very、the last等词时，引导词要用that。

    先行词是none、all、every、anynothing 等词时，也要用that。
    ……………………

实际上，我们根本不用去背这些规则，因为背后的原理其实非常简单。

引导词that和which的区别

请大家一下考虑横线处是应该填that，还是填which。

    ① The dog _____ is sitting on the mat is Pluto.
    （坐在垫子上的那只狗叫做Pluto。）

问题①的答案是：

可以填that，但是无法判断能否填which。

分析这个问题前，我们需要先了解一下that和which之间的不同：

    that的词义是“那个”，暗指单个对象。

    which的词义是“那一个”，暗指多个对象中的一个。

如果不考虑一句话所处的场景，是无法判断这句话是对是错的。因此我们分两个场景来分析句①：

场景一：假设我家里养了两只狗，它们名字分别是Pluto和Goofy。

在某个时刻，Pluto坐在垫子上，而Goofy趴在地板上。我可以向朋友这样介绍Pluto：

    The dog that is sitting on the mat is Pluto.
    （坐在垫子上的那只狗叫做Pluto。）

that表示一个特别指明的对象，此句正确。

    The dog which is sitting on the mat is Pluto.
    （坐在垫子上的那一只狗叫做Pluto。）

因为我一共有两只狗，所以横线处也可以填which，来表明是多个对象中的一个。

场景二：但如果我家里只养了一只狗，名叫Pluto。情况就有所变化了：

    The dog that is sitting on the mat is Pluto. （√）

    The dog which is sitting on the mat is Pluto. （×）

因为在这个场景下，并没有多个对象可以选择，所以不能用which。

引导词that和who的区别

类似的还有“引导词是用that还是who”的问题：

The workers_____worked on the A project made a good effort.

（参与A工程的工人付出了很大的努力。）

场景一：如果工程队里有好几组工人，他们分别工作于A、B、C工程。此时有多个选择需要我指明，那横线处既可以用who表示多个中的一个，也可以用that表示特别指明的一个。

    The workers who/ that worked on the A project made a good effort.

场景二：但如果工程队里只有工作于A工程的一组工人。

    The workers that worked on the A project made a good effort.

这时就不能用who，而需要用that了。

学到这里，你是否能够解释下面两个例子中的引导词为什么只能用that，而不能用which了呢？

    What was the first that came to your mind？

    He is the only person that I have ever met.

没错。就是因为“the only person”、“the first”所表示的事物只有一个或是对这个事物的指向已经非常明显了，并没有“从多个中选一个”的暗示在里面，所以引导词只能用that。

所以说，我们只要真正理解了知识点背后的原理，就没有必要再去背那些冗长的规则了。

希望上述内容能够对大家有所帮助。

    公众号：阿丁的英语课堂（ID：adingdemao），关注后回复 [ 英语 ] 还可获得《3000个写作及口语高频词》等精选学习材料哟~

https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/30427878

Reader86

FOMO is the fear of missing out;

JOMO is the joy of missing out.

Reader86

She hasn’t the ghost of a notion what poetry is ！

Reader86

Dulcinea

n.
1.达西尼亚〔小说《唐吉诃德》中吉诃德先生心目中的情人〕。
2.〔d-〕 理想中的情人。

Reader86

The man is a living monument to ineptitude

他简直是个大傻瓜

Reader86

a piece of music by a singer or group that is little known in comparison to their other music.
"he sang favorites and deep cuts from his lengthy career"
something that is recognizable or familiar only to passionate enthusiasts of a specified area.
"our waitress rounded up an amazing rum flight for us—she pulled some deep cuts, all rums I'd never heard of"

Reader86

Every spring, the sugar snap peas at Magic Seed Farm in Twin Falls, Idaho, burst from the dirt like an alarm clock, signaling the upcoming summer bounty. For owner Rod Lamborn, these snap peas are a living tribute to his father, Dr. Calvin Lamborn, the man who invented them.

https://getpocket.com/explore/it ... ource=pocket-newtab

Reader86

Clive tyldesley and his stooge are scandalised by what they imagine to have been a deliberate dive。

克里夫·泰德斯利和他的搭档对他们所认为的假摔极其愤慨。

Reader86

卡丁夫峡谷之战役 Battle of the Caudine Forks


哎，是卡丁夫，不是卡夫丁行不行？

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E ... 7%E6%88%98%E5%BD%B9


一个地方错了，都错了：

https://books.google.com/books?i ... 5%BD%B9&f=false

Reader86

1，He looked at me in blank amazement .
他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

2，He stared in amazement and his jaw dropped .
他惊讶得目瞪口呆了。

3，linor and her mother rose up in amazement .
埃莉诺和母亲惊奇地站了起来。

4，She regarded him with amazement unconcealed .
她对他表示了掩饰不住的惊恐。

5，His announcement produced gasps of amazement .
他宣布的消息引起了一片惊叹声。

6，There is the general amazement at the murder .
对这场谋杀案，人们普遍感到惊骇。

7，They wheeled round in amazement .
他们惊奇地转过身来。

8，All those around him looked at him with amazement .
周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。

9，He looked at her in amazement .
他不知所措地望着她。

10，Ralph stood up in amazement .
拉尔夫惊讶地站了起来。


amazement = 惊讶，惊异，惊奇，惊骇，惊叹，惊恐，惊诧，惊喜，惊愕，目瞪口呆，不知所措，惊喜交集，呆头呆脑，出人意料。

Reader86

If You Can’t Join ‘em - Beat ‘em!

Reader86

https://www.rd.com/list/examples-of-onomatopoeia/

Reader86

was struck by the disjointedness of her gait.

我怔住了！

不由得心头一震

Reader86

语和英语的表达习惯不同，常用的句子结构也不同，以下六点翻译技巧，或许能在专八翻译中对大家有所帮助。



一、确立主干

1、确立主语


（1）避免主语机械对应

这个地区雨比较多。
It rains a lot in this area.

（2）方位词或时间词在主语位置

山下住着一位老妇人。
There lives an old lady at the foot of the mountain.

（3）用it做主语翻译主语是复合结构的汉语

信不信是你的事。
It is your concern whether you believe me or not.

最好是等他们回来。
It is advisable to wait till they come back.

勤能补拙
It is diligence that makes for deficiency.


2、确立谓语：英语的动词通常只能由某个动词或者系表结构担任

在人际关系上我们不要太浪漫主义。
We shouldn't be too romantic about personal relationship.

当他活着一天，总要尽量多工作、多学习，不肯虚度年华，不让时间白白地浪费掉。
As long as he is living, he always works and studies as hard as possible, unwilling to dream his life away, let alone waste even a single moment of life.


二、语序调整

1、定语的位置：英语中，单词充当定语时多为前置，短语和从句充当定语时多为后置。

钓鱼是一项能陶冶性情的运动，有益于身心健康。
Fishing is an outdoor sport that can cultivate your mind and it is good for your mental and physical health.


2、状语的位置

他是1970年5月20日在北京朝阳区出生的。
He was born in Chaoyang District of Beijing on May 20, 1970.


3、汉英语言叙事重心不同：汉语先叙事，后表态或评论，以突出话题，这叫主题句。汉译英有时会译为掉尾句，即先表态或评论，后叙事，以突出主语。

万一有什么困难，给我们一个信。
Send us a message in case you have any difficulty.


4、汉英语言强弱词语的顺序不同：英语遵循前轻后重，前简后繁的原则。

救死扶伤，实行革命的人道主义。
Heal the wounded, rescue the dying, practice the revolutionary humanitarianism.

一霎时，一阵被人摒弃，为世所遗忘的悲愤兜上心头，禁不住痛哭起来。
In no time, I was thrown into a feeling of sorrowful anger at being forgotten and abandoned by the rest of the world and could not help crying my heart out.


5、否定的转移

不是所有的金属都具有同样好的导电性能。
All metals do not conduct electricity equally well.

我的朋友都不吸烟。
None of my friends smoke.


6、习惯用法

衣食住行是老百姓关心的大问题。
Food, clothing, shelter and transportation are the biggest concern of the common people.

他饥寒交迫，吃了不少苦。
He suffered a great deal from cold and hunger.


三、正反互换

1、汉语正说，英语反译

那个房间的窗户总是关着的。
The windows of that room were never open.


2、汉语反说，英语反译

汉语用“无、不、没、非”等词表示全部否定，在英语中可用no, not, none, nothing, nor, neither等词以及否定前缀、后缀等来对应翻译。

学习外语离不开好的词典。
A good dictionary is indispensable for learning a foreign language.

汉语用“决不、永不、从不”等词表示绝对否定，在英语中可用never, not at all, by no means等进行对译。

在任何情况下我们都不应该放弃希望。
Under no circumstances should we give up our hope.

汉语用“并非总是”“不是太”等表示部分否定，在英语中可用not every, not much, not always等进行对译。

汉语中用“几乎不、很少”等表示半否定，在英语中可用barely, hardly, seldom等进行对译。


3、汉语反说，英语正译：英语中有一类词形式上是肯定的，但意义上是否定的，在翻译汉语否定句时，可以直接使用。

生活远非净是乐事。
Life is far from being a bed of roses.

风景美得无以言表。
The scenery is too beautiful to describe.


4、双重否定的翻译：汉译英的双重否定用“否定词+not”来处理。

没有你的帮助，我是不能按时完成这一工作的。
But for your help, I should not have finished the work in time.

人不会不犯错误。
It is impossible but that a man will make some mistakes.


四、语态对译

1、汉语中的许多隐性被动结构在英译文中药转为显性。

推荐我的是一位教授。
I was recommended by a professor.


2、汉语泛称如“有人”、“大家”等做主语时，英译时多使用被动结构;含有“据说”等不定人称的词语时，通常比较固定的用被动结构进行英译中。


3、汉语表示被动的句子在译为英语时，也可能转为主动句：一是表示“开始”、“结束”意义的不及物动词;二是表示“移位”、“运转”意义的动词;三是无灵主语的动作正在进行时。

蔬菜正在锅里做着。
The vegetables are cooking.


五、长句翻译


1、原序对译：针对单一主语长句，关键是分清逻辑中心和层次。

我在山坡的小屋里，悄悄掀起窗帘，窥见园中大千世界，一片喧闹。
Without being noticed, I lifted the curtain of my small room, only to spy a bustle of a kaleidoscopic world down in the garden.

最为常见的是，一个人走着走着突然停下来，眼睛盯着手机屏幕发短信，他不在乎停在马路中央还是厕所旁边。
We are very familiar with the scene when a person suddenly stopped his/her steps to edit short messages with eyes glued at the phone, not caring about his/her stopping in the road center or beside the restroom.

中华民族自古以来从不把人看作高于一切，在哲学文艺方面的表现都反映出人在自然界与万物占着一个比例恰当的地位，而非绝对统治万物的主宰。
Chinese people has never regarded human being as the highest creature among everything else since ancient times, whose behavior in both philosophy and arts take a rather appropriate proportion with all others in the natural world, but not as an absolute dominant ruler.


2、分句合译

它们几乎没有一个顾得上抬起头来，看一眼这美丽的黄昏。
Hardly any of them cares to look up and throws a glance at the beautiful twilight.

一个人的生命究竟有多大意义，这有什么标准可以衡量吗?
Could there be any standards to evaluate the meaning of one’s life?


3、断句分译

一个春天的傍晚，园中百花怒放，父母在园中设宴，霎时宾客云集，笑语四溢。
One spring evening, my parents held a banquet in the garden where all sorts of flowers were in full bloom. Instantly, a crowd of guests gathered together and their laughter was heard all over there.


4、主、次信息句

在世纪之交的伟大时代，我们的祖国正在走向繁荣富强，海峡两岸人民也将加强交流，共同推进祖国统一大业早日完成。
At the turn of century, as our motherland is becoming more prosperous and powerful, people across the Straits will strengthen their exchanges, and work together to realize the cause of the reunification of our motherland.


六、无主句

但是，大体上看一个人对待生命的态度是否严肃认真，看待他对待工作、生活的态度如何，也就不难对这个人的存在意义做出适当的估计了。
However, if we, on the whole, can find out whether his attitude towards his life is serious or not and what is his attitude towards his life and work, it would not be difficult to make an appropriate evaluation of the meaning of one’s life.

http://www.ichacha.net/learning/105.html

Reader86

He may have it in his power to return a good office .
在他的力量范围内帮助曾帮助过他的人。

These gentlemen had an indefinable mistrust of her good offices .
这些先生们对她的好意殷勤抱有难以名状的戒心。

It is in this manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part of those good offices which we stand in need of .
我们所需要的相互帮忙，大部分是依照这个方法取得的。

Willingly , and a small return for your good offices
“欢迎，也可以对你的帮助聊表谢意。 ”

We got the statistics we needed through his good offices
我们透过他的服务弄到了所需的统计资料。

We got the statistics we needed through his good offices
我们通过他的帮助弄到了所需的统计资料。

By the good offices of
由的斡旋

I accepted his good offices which , coming from your father , cannot be regarded as charity
我接受了这个帮助，这个来自您父亲的帮助不能算是施舍。

http://www.ichacha.net/good%20offices.html

At shengda , the downgraded diploma struck some students as a body blow , one that could cripple their chances of securing a good office job
在升达，降级的文凭对于他们来说就如五雷轰顶，削弱了他们找个好的办公室工作的机会。

In the next year he obtained , through the good offices of an old friend , a post with a publishing firm which , though not highly paid , he found more congenial
第二年，通过一个老朋友帮忙，他在一家出版公司谋到一个职位，薪水虽不高，却更令他感到惬意。

Twelve years before , ferapontov had profited by alpatitchs good offices to buy timber from the old prince , and had begun going into trade ; and by now he had a house , an inn and a corn - dealers shop in the town
十二年前，费拉蓬托夫沾了阿尔帕特奇的光，从公爵手里买下了一片小树林，开始做生意，如今在省城里已经有了一所房子，一家旅店和一爿面粉店。

That prince andrey should know that she was in the power of the french ! that she , the daughter of prince nikolay andreitch bolkonsky , should stoop to ask general rameau to grant her his protection , and should take advantage of his good offices . the idea appalled her , made her shudder and turn crimson
“要让安德烈公爵知道我落在法国人手里，那还了得，要让尼古拉安德烈伊奇博尔孔斯基公爵的女儿去求拉莫将军先生给予她保护，并且接受他的恩惠，那怎么行！ ”

Both directly and through the good offices of its subsidiaries and manufacturing plants in france 、 china 、 malaysia and brazil , sidep group develops and manufactures an extensive range of anti - theft systems and eas products that have been welcomed by the largest retailers , stores and boutiques in over 50 countries
希特普集团不仅在法国、中国、马来西亚和巴西成立了分公司，同时也在法国、中国、马来西亚和巴西成立了制造加工厂，希特普集团开发制造了种类齐全的eas产品，并在50多个国家受到广大零售商、超市和专卖店的欢迎。

Reader86

Between that year — to which I could ascribe no precise date — of my Combray life and the evenings at Rivebelle which had, an hour earlier, been reflected above my drawn curtains, what a world of differences!


a world of differences!

Reader86

加油，加油：

You got this！ 鼓励：（你能行） 加油！

Go get them！ 在比赛、面试之前，祝福别人: (好好发挥) 加油！

Hang in there！（坚持一下）加油！

Reader86

fugitive essay

n.
1. (文艺上的)随笔，漫笔；小品文，短论〔理论性强的学术论文叫 treatise, dissertation〕。

Reader86

Impression

    打下烙印
    对某人印象极好
    觉得很感动
    颇受触动
    使…受到震动
    赢得刮目相看

    "impress"中文翻译    vt. (impressed 或〔古语〕 imprest ...


    "impress"中文翻译    vt. (impressed 或〔古语〕 imprest) 1.盖印；在…打上记号。 2.使铭记，使记住；使深深感到。 3.传递，发送。 4.【电学】给(线路)加电压。 He did not impress me at all. 他没有给我留下丝毫印象。 an impressed current 外加电流。 impress a mark (up) on a surface ＝impress a surface with a mark 在表面上打记号。 an impressed stamp 盖了戳的邮票。 impress an official letter with one's seal ＝ impress one's seal on an official letter 在公函上盖印。 be favourably [unfavourably] impressed 中意[不中意]；得到好的[不好的]印象。 be impressed by [with] 深感；为…所感动。 vi. 引人注意，哗众取宠。 n. 1.盖印；铭刻；印记，记号。 2.印象，痕迹；特征。 bear the impress of 带有…的特征。 vt. (impressed 或〔古语〕 imprest) 1.强制…服兵役。 2.征用。 3.(在辩论中)引用，利用。 n. ＝ impressment.
   

    "impress on"中文翻译    打上记号; 给……印象; 使牢记, 给...留下印象; 印,盖印; 蝇留下印象
    "impress…on"中文翻译    给…留下印象
    "impress 2"中文翻译    叫去
    "impress sb with"中文翻译    给留下深刻印象

Reader86

"fortune favours fools"  

中文翻译：

傻子有傻福，

好运专找傻瓜（我的翻译）

Reader86

How to understand the phrase "compact majorities" in this context?

    The most dangerous enemies of truth and justice in our midst are the compact majorities, the damned compact majority

This phrase "compact majority" appears in other parts of the essay, for example

    The majority, that compact, immobile, drowsy mass, the Russian peasant, after a century of struggle, of sacrifice, of untold misery, still believes that the rope which strangles "the man with the white hands" brings luck

The only meanings of "compact" that I can find relate to "things packed closely together", but here it is used in a pejorative way, meaning, I guess, "ignorant"? Where does this come from?

It is an extension of the literal meaning you cite. It refers to a majority of people who stubbornly stick to some values or customs. The sense is negation in the specific context but not necessarily so.  

– user 66974
Dec 29, 2019 at 17:38
It's the 'firmly packed, established, unchangeable' sense. There's the nuance of 'complacent'. But please show the research you've done. –

Edwin Ashworth
Dec 29, 2019 at 17:45
@EdwinAshworth I think I missed the "unchangeable" part. It probably doesn't help that there is a word in my native language that is very similar ("kompaktowy") which also means firmly packed, but with a more positive meaning, as in "conveniently small". I guess in English this means more like "pressed together into something dense and firm", and not necessarily in a good way? –

Dunno
Dec 29, 2019 at 18:43
1
It's not a common usage here (hence the difficulty in finding it in a dictionary). The writing (both quotes) is flowery, and should not be seen as examples of modern idiomatic English. –
Edwin Ashworth
Dec 29, 2019 at 19:46

1

The phrase you quote appears to be defining the term you are looking at:

    The majority, that compact, immobile, drowsy mass...

I would assume that wherever else the author uses the phrase "compact majority" they are referring to this description.

Compact means "densely packed", but also carries connotations of "hard to break apart" "hard to move", which definitely tie in with the way the author is trying to describe the "majority". It doesn't necessarily mean ignorant, but it is intended to imply that their views don't change with new information or discoveries. "Immobile" and "drowsy" also convey similar ideas.

It could also mean "doesn't interact with those around", specifically that it is not informed by new information or discoveries.


0

Impossible to determine in context. It could be a reference to the way that compacting materials makes them hard to break up (the way it is used in rammed walls to make dirt suitable as building material).

It could also be a reference to the way they are unified and so difficult to break up by a divide-and-conquer strategy.
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Several meanings of "compact" seem to fit the author's usage. The meanings already cited seem to fit best. However, one definition of compact as a noun is: an agreement to form a sort of union, or a block, or coalition, or association, e.g. the Mayflower Compact, in order to achieve a common goal. That meaning seems to be along the same lines. I don't think that's what the author meant literally, but that definition sheds some insights into the origin.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org ... compact?topic=small



https://english.stackexchange.co ... ies-in-this-context

Reader86

party

聚会，晚会，宴会，舞会， 太细节了。

娱会，玩会？

娱乐会，欢乐会， 玩乐会，

Reader86

谁有好词？

都不出来说话了，在家待着有什么意思呀？

Reader86

"Speaking Likenesses" - what does the title mean?

"Speaking likenesses" is a little-known book by Christina Rossetti, published in the late 19th century. It was never reprinted and I haven't managed to get a copy, but it's supposed to be inspired by "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", but rather didactic. The book contains stories of girls (some good, some bad) who get their just deserts. I don't know much more than you can read here

The only meaning of "speaking likeness" I could find in the Internet is something like "way of depicting people that displays them in the act of speaking, starting to speak or having just spoken".

Does the phrase have any strict meaning? If it doesn't, what meanings could it evoke in a late 19th century reader? I don't even know if it's more about "a likenesses that are speaking" or "speaking that is done by likenesses".


I believe that "Likeness" here means "a representation, picture, or image, especially a portrait".

So the title refers to the idea that the book presents portraits that "speak" through stories.

This belief is supported by the fact that the title page of the book reads:

    Speaking likenesses/ by Christina Rosssetti; With pictures thereof by Aurthur Hughes.

I'm taking "thereof" to mean that the illustrator depicts the speaking likenesses when he draws the children. That is characters in the story are themselves the speaking likenesses.

You can use the Look Inside feature on Amazon to see selected pages of the book.

https://english.stackexchange.co ... does-the-title-mean

Reader86

Definition of Suave mari magno

What does the word Suave mari magno mean?

        part of speech: noun

        [L.] The first words of the opening of the second book of the Latin poet Lucretius, De Rerum Nalura ; of which this is the general sense. "It is a delightful thing, while the great sea rages, to watch from the land another struggling with the waves : not because this is in itself a delight : yet it is a delight to watch calamities from which you feel yourself safe. So to look on a battle from some safe point of view. But nothing is more delightful than, from some serene stronghold of knowledge, to look down upon the wanderings and errors of other men, and their efforts after mere wealth and power, rather than knowledge and a quiet mind."

Reader86

拉丁诗人卢克莱修的第二本书，De Rerum Nalura 开篇的第一句话； 这是一般意义上的。 “当大海汹涌澎湃时，从陆地上看着另一个人在海浪中挣扎是一件令人愉快的事情：并不是因为这本身就是一件快乐的事情：但是，看着你感到安全的灾难是一件令人愉快的事情。所以 从某种安全的角度来看一场战斗。但是，没有什么比从某个宁静的知识堡垒看不起其他人的游荡和错误，以及他们追求财富和权力而不是知识和权力的努力更令人愉快的了。 一颗安静的心。”


与汉语”坐山观虎斗“对应吗？

Reader86

Salzkammergut

@宋 鸣 Ming SONG 问个问题， 从salzburg坐火车到Budapest，一路上有大草甸子和村落，偶然有旧时的城堡和教堂，非常好的自然风景，有一个专有英语名词形容这个地理，景致，或者风光，我过去知道，现在想不起来了。是什么？

Reader86

As verbs the difference between enchanted and entranced is that enchanted is (enchant) while entranced is (entrance).

As adjectives the difference between enchanted and entranced is that enchanted is charmed, delighted, enraptured（陶醉了）while entranced is held at attention, as if by magic.（看得入了神）

As an interjection enchanted is (dated).

Reader86

schadenfreude: pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.
"a business that thrives on schadenfreude"

幸灾乐祸！

Reader86

He swore himself black in the face .
他气得脸色发青，咒骂自己。

Defeat was staring them in the face .
他们眼看着就要失败了。

I asked, looking him full in the face .
我直盯住他的脸问道。

The branch whipped back and hit me in the face .
那树枝突然弹回打在我的脸上。

Reader86

Be prepared, though optimistic, history is a random thing. Homo sapient may do things bad or harm itself. E.g., when hunter/gatherer settled down for a sedentary life, it chose a harder life though which benefits later generations, according to Professor Diamond.

https://twitter.com/MuskUniversi ... BTuRz6DedIw8n4x2DZg

Reader86

别装了：

Drop the act
Don’t play dump with me
Stop pretending
Don’t play innocent
Get off your high horse

Reader86

“America is a nation that can be defined in a single word. Asafuthimerfutifuterwigh.”

Reader86

奇奇怪怪的字

pseudocyesis
denouement （结局）
Creepy （毛骨悚然）
Ghibli Hugs

dulce de leche （甜奶）

Reader86

Adjective. dez (invariable) (Brazil, slang) awesome, amazing; very cool, very nice. Você é dez! You are awesome!


Dulce de leche （西）also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection popular in Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours.

Reader86

A French phrase "Nostalgie de la boue." I.e. nostalgia for the mud. It means...well, obviously. When one gets to the top, sliding down looks appealing. And when one has completely mastered one's self-control, one longs to...lost self-control.

Reader86

je vois ce wui vous vaut cette reputation

Reader86

群魔乱舞 = Infernal Parade.

ひゃっきやこう = 百鬼夜行

Reader86

persona non grata = 不受欢迎的人

Reader86

       
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Find sources: "A Hunger Artist" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
"A Hunger Artist"
Short story by Franz Kafka

1924 edition
Text available at Wikisource
Text available at German Wikisource
Original title        Ein Hungerkünstler
Translator        H. Steinhauer and Helen Jessiman (1938)
Willa and Edwin Muir (1948)
Country        Germany (written in Austria-Hungary)
Language        German
Genre(s)        Short story
Publication
Published in        Die neue Rundschau
Publication type        periodical
Publication date        1922
Published in English        1938

Title page of 1924 edition of Ein Hungerkünstler
"A Hunger Artist" (German: "Ein Hungerkünstler") is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in Die neue Rundschau in 1922. The story was also included in the collection A Hunger Artist (Ein Hungerkünstler), the last book Kafka prepared for publication, which was printed by Verlag Die Schmiede shortly after his death. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is typically Kafkaesque: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. "A Hunger Artist" explores themes such as death, art, isolation, asceticism, spiritual poverty, futility, personal failure and the corruption of human relationships. The title of the story has also been translated as "A Fasting Artist" and "A Starvation Artist".

Reader86

COIN PHRASES AND THEIR MEANINGS

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 20, 2021

by Coreen
For centuries people have used coins every day. It is not surprising that many coin related phrases and idioms have made it into everyday speech.

Here’s a list of the most common phrases and their meanings. If I forgot any, add a comment below or reach out to me on my Contact Page!

“Nickel and dime”
Meaning: When a person or entity is trying to get all the money they can from a transaction. Often used when something feels expensive, especially when people have no choice but to pay.

Example: If someone is charging a lot for an item you might say “They are nickel and dime-ing me.”

“Squeeze a nickel“
Meaning: Refers to someone holding tightly onto all their coins. Meant to imply that someone is cheap or not willing to spend money.

Example: “My mom only buys thrift store clothes; she sure knows how to squeeze a nickel.”

Similar To: Penny Pinching

“Penny pincher”/”Penny pinching”
Meaning: Someone who holds tightly onto every penny. It is used when someone is being cheap or unwilling to spend money. It is often a criticism.

Example: “Harold’s penny pinching ways paid off when he could finally afford a trip to Disneyland.”

Similar To: Squeeze a nickel

“A penny saved is a penny earned”
Meaning: Saving money is as important as earning money in keeping wealth. This is often used as advice for people who are overspending.

Example: If your friend was working extra shifts to make ends meet, but often spent money eating out you could tell them, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

“Accept a wooden nickel”
Meaning: This refers to someone being conned. A ‘wooden nickel’ refers to a fake coin. If you accept wooden nickels it means you are easily fooled.

Example: If you lend a friend money and they always promise to, but never pay you back, then you are accepting wooden nickels.

“Chasing nickels around dollar bills”
Meaning: Used when someone is focusing on saving small amounts of money. Oftentimes, it is used when someone is spending money on a big purchase, but frets about smaller expenses.

Example: If your friend buys an expensive dinner, then complains about the cost of a soda at the restaurant, you can say they are chasing nickels around bills.

“Coin a phrase”
Meaning: Honestly, I always thought this was ‘coin OF phrase’. ‘Coin a phrase’ means to invent a new saying or expression. The phrase is usually used sarcastically, when someone is using a very common phrase.

Example: “That test was, to coin a phrase, a piece of cake.”

“Cost a pretty penny”
Meaning: Means that something is expensive.

Example: “By the glittering of the rhinestones, Paige knew Claire must have spent a pretty penny on the dress.”

“Earn an honest penny”
Meaning: When someone earns money in a legitimate way through hard work.

Example: John earned an honest penny by providing medical care to all the elderly residents of the town.

“Heads or tails”
Meaning: Refers to a coin flip.

Example: If you want to challenge someone to make a bet or pick a side you might say “Heads or Tails?”

“Can’t make heads or tails”
Meaning: Refers to someone who can’t understand or figure out something.

Example: “Rhonda couldn’t make heads or tails of the legal jargon on her rent agreement.”

“In for a penny in for a pound”
Meaning: Means that someone can’t be in halfway. Often used to signify someone’s intent to complete something no matter the barrier. (A pound is comparable to a dollar in the US.)

Example: “Although James had already sunk hundreds of dollars into the business, if he was in for a penny he was in for a pound.”

“Penny for your thoughts”
Meaning: Used to say that you will listen to how someone is feeling. Used instead of asking directly how they are feeling.

Example: “You look troubled. Penny for your thoughts?”

“Penny wise, pound foolish”
Meaning: Used to describe someone who is frugal on small purchases, but spends lots on big purchases.

Example: If you buy cheap toilet paper, but drive an expensive sports car, then I would call you ‘penny wise but pound foolish.’ (But I’m not a car person.)

Similar To: “Chasing nickels around dollar bills”

“See a penny, pick it up all day long you’ll have good luck”
Meaning: From an old rhyme promoting the good luck that comes from picking up pennies.

Example: Often chanted when seeing a penny on the ground.

“Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves”
Meaning: This means that someone who gets good at managing small financial transactions will become more financially stable.

Example: If you are saving for a cruise, I may advise looking at your everyday expenses by saying, “Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves.”

(Great advice for someone who is penny wise and pound foolish lol.)

“That and a nickel will… get you a ride on the subway”
Meaning: This phrase is used to call someone’s idea worthless. Most commonly people just shorten the phrase to “that and a nickel.” The idea is that this phrase was invented when a subway ride was actually a nickel. 0 + .05 = .05

Example: “Shannon told me about her new aromatherapy business, I told her, ‘that and a nickel will get you a ride on the subway.'”

“The other side of the coin”
Meaning: Means to look at the other side of things.

Example: “When I complained about how long it took to get my latte this morning, my mom told me to look at the other side of the coin and see how busy the employees were.”

“Pay someone back in their own coin”
Meaning: Seeking revenge by treating someone the same way they treat you.

Example: “When my step mother stopped inviting me to family events, I decided to pay her back in her own coin and didn’t invite her to the baby shower.


https://americancoinstash.com/20 ... and-their-meanings/

Reader86

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

-- 古罗马哲学皇帝奥勒留


Rashomon effect 罗生门效应

information cocoon 信息茧房

There are no facts only interpretations.

Reader86

Do we say feed on or feed with?

"She fed him lamb" is the best way to say that she gave him a meal of lamb.

The phrase "She fed him on lamb" implies a steady diet of lamb that she's feeding him.

The phrase "She fed him with lamb" doesn't sound as correct as just leaving out the preposition。

Reader86

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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