很多常用短語的實際意思都和字面意思相差甚遠(yuǎn)，你可曾好奇這些短語都是怎么來的嗎？比如paying through the nose的原意真的是“用鼻子抵賬”嗎？表示開玩笑為什么要用pulling someone’s leg（拉腿）來形容？現(xiàn)在就來為你揭露9個常用短語的“暗黑過往”。

Riding shotgun真的跟獵槍有關(guān)

"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.

在現(xiàn)代，riding shotgun指的是汽車上的副駕駛座。在舊時的美國西部，副駕駛座上的人要做的可不僅僅是調(diào)到一個好電臺那么簡單。

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.

根據(jù)美國雜志《讀者文摘》的文章顯示，過去在美國西部趕馬車的人需要有人在旅行途中保駕護(hù)航。副駕駛座上的人要手持獵槍來嚇退想要攻擊馬車的強(qiáng)盜。

Highway robbery真的是搶劫

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.

多數(shù)人會認(rèn)同一杯可口的咖啡要價10美元（68元人民幣）是highway robbery（敲竹杠）。但是highway robbery原來的意思就是在公路上或公路附近搶劫旅客。這個短語的使用最早見于1611年。

Painting the town red源自醉鬼惡行

For you and your crew, "painting the town red" probably means getting glammed up for a fun night of drinks and dancing. However, the phrase originates from a night out that makes dancing on the bar seem tame.

對你和你的小伙伴來說，painting the town red的意思是打扮得光鮮亮麗晚上出去喝酒、跳舞。但是，這個短語原來的意思可比在酒吧跳舞勁爆多了。

Back in 1837, the Marquis of Waterford went out for a night of drinking with some of his friends, according to Phrases.org. Afterward, the group went through the streets of a small English town destroying property. They broke windows, knocked over flower pots, and damaged door knockers. But things got really crazy when they got their hands on some red paint and literally painted the town red, including doors, a tollgate, and a swan statue.

根據(jù)Phrases.org 網(wǎng)站的記載，1837年，沃特福德侯爵和幾個朋友夜出喝酒，后來他們經(jīng)過一個英格蘭小鎮(zhèn)的街道時開始搞破壞：砸碎窗戶、打翻花盆、損壞門環(huán)。這些酒鬼拿到了一些紅油漆后，局面就開始失控了，酒鬼們把整個鎮(zhèn)子都刷成了紅色，包括門、一處關(guān)卡和一尊天鵝雕像。

Pulling someone’s leg并不總是玩笑

You probably think that pulling someone's leg is all in good fun. After all, what's the harm in a little joke, right? This commonly used phrase that today means playing an innocent joke meant something a lot more sinister years ago.

你大概以為pulling someone's leg（開某人的玩笑）都很好玩。畢竟，開個小玩笑無傷大雅。這個常用短語在今天的意思是開個沒有惡意的玩笑，但多年前的意思卻要邪惡得多。

Thieves in 18th and 19th Century London would drag their victims to the ground by their legs in order to rob them, according to Phrases.org.

根據(jù)Phrases.org 網(wǎng)站的記載，18世紀(jì)和19世紀(jì)倫敦的小偷會拉住受害人的腿將其拖倒在地，然后搶劫財物。

Paying through the nose北歐海盜真的做得出

You won't be happy if you think you're paying through the nose for something. Although you may feel like you're getting ripped off, at least you get to keep your face intact. The roots of this commonly used idiom come from a brutal tactic of The Dane Vikings of slitting someone's nose from tip to eyebrow if the person refused to pay their tax, according to Grammarist.

如果你覺得自己paying through the nose for something（為某件東西花了很多錢），肯定高興不起來。不過，就算被“宰”，至少你的臉是完好無損的。根據(jù)Grammarist網(wǎng)站記載，這個常用習(xí)語源于北歐海盜的一種殘酷手段，如果有人拒絕交稅，就將此人的鼻子從鼻頭到眉間劃開。

如果有人read you the riot act 你的麻煩遠(yuǎn)超你想象

After your parents "read you the riot act" for breaking curfew, you might have been facing a few weeks in your room without a television. But in 18th Century England, being read the Riot Act meant you could be facing time behind bars.

如果你的父母因為你深夜不歸而read you the riot act（責(zé)罰你），你可能將面臨幾周的禁閉，還不能看電視。但是在18世紀(jì)的英格蘭，being read the Riot Act（宣讀《暴動法案》）意味著你可能要進(jìn)監(jiān)獄。

The Riot Act was implemented in 1715 and stated that the British government could consider any group of 12 or more people a threat to public safety and be ordered to break up, according to Atlas Obscura. Anyone refusing to disperse could be arrested or forcibly removed from the premises.

據(jù)Atlas Obscura網(wǎng)站記載，1715年實施的《暴動法案》指出，英國政府將會把任何12人以上的團(tuán)體視為對公共安全的威脅，并勒令其解散。任何拒絕解散的人將被逮捕或強(qiáng)行驅(qū)逐。

Letting the cat out of the bag可能是陰險勾當(dāng)

Today, "letting the cat out of the bag" is used to mean spilling someone's secret. But one of the supposed origins of the phrase was rooted in deceit.

在現(xiàn)代，letting the cat out of the bag指的是泄露某人的秘密。但該短語的原意和欺騙有關(guān)。

Supposedly in Medieval times, farmers would go to markets to purchase pigs. Most of the time, their bag would contain the animal they paid for. But if they bought from a shady dealer, they would open their bag to find an unpleasant surprise - their pricey pig had been swapped for a much less expensive cat.

據(jù)說，在中古時期，農(nóng)民會到集市去買豬。大多數(shù)時候，這些農(nóng)民付錢后就會拿到裝在麻袋里的豬。但如果他們是從不良商販那里買的，農(nóng)民打開麻袋后會驚愕地發(fā)現(xiàn)高價買來的豬居然被替換成不值錢的貓。

But as Mental Floss notes, there are quite a few holes with this theory.

不過，Mental Floss網(wǎng)站指出，這一說法漏洞百出。

Baker's dozen查驗面包師的誠信

You may be thankful to count on that 13th roll in your baker's dozen, but you can think a rather sinister rule for its creation.

從面包師那里買了一打面包，結(jié)果一數(shù)有13個，你可能還挺感激的，但是baker's dozen的起源卻和一條殘忍的規(guī)定有關(guān)。

It all traces back to a 13th-century British rule called the Assize of Bread and Ale. The rule stated that if bakers were caught selling smaller or low-quality bread to customers, they could have their hands chopped off.

這要追溯到13世紀(jì)英國一項名為《面包和麥酒法令》的法規(guī)。這條法規(guī)規(guī)定，如果面包師被發(fā)現(xiàn)賣給顧客不足量或劣質(zhì)的面包，這些面包師的雙手就會被剁掉。

That's why it was just easier to throw a 13th piece into the pile — thus creating the baker's dozen.

所以往一打面包里多放一個就更保險一些，于是，面包師的一打（baker's dozen）就成了13個。

Meeting a deadline曾經(jīng)真的是“死線”

When you get that big report to your boss on time, "meeting a deadline" is a good thing. But the phrase was coined during the American Civil War and had some deadly consequences.

如果你準(zhǔn)時將重要報告交給領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，meeting a deadline就是好事。但這個短語是在美國內(nèi)戰(zhàn)期間被發(fā)明的，當(dāng)時可是會招來致命的后果。

The deadline was apparently a line inside of the area where Federal prisoners of war were kept. If a prisoner attempted to cross the line, they would be shot, according to Bloomsbury International.

布魯姆斯伯里國際英語學(xué)校稱，很顯然，deadline是聯(lián)邦監(jiān)獄中戰(zhàn)犯關(guān)押區(qū)內(nèi)的一條線。如果有犯人試圖越過這條線，他們就會被槍斃。

英文來源：Insider

翻譯&編輯：丹妮