从A到Z畅谈美国流行文化：Bark up the wrong tree
<p>英语单词<span word="A">A</span>到英语单词背诵,英语单词大全,英语单词<span word="A">A</span>到<span word="Z">Z</span>：08：<span word="bark">bark</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span> <span word="tree">tree</span>搞错状况，追错方向</p><p>美国人在17世纪初来到北美洲大西洋沿岸的东部地区定居。此后，他们花了两百多年的时间开拓西部的大片土地。那段岁月奠定了美国今时今日东西两岸共同繁荣的基础，期间还诞生了不少短语，大大丰富了美国人的语言。</p><p>在那个年代，拓荒者们通过打猎来获得肉食，有时还顺便利用一下猎物的皮毛。为了让打猎的效率更高，他们总是带上自己精心调教的狗。有些猎物为了逃命会爬到树上去，而这个时候，狗就只能对着树猛叫。一些身手敏捷的小动物(比如松鼠和负鼠)一到树上就如鱼得水，三下五除二地从这棵树蹿到另外一棵树上。狗还浑然不知，对着刚才的那棵树乱叫，这种情形就叫<span word="barking">barking</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span> <span word="tree">tree</span>。引申开去，它可以泛指“搞错状况，追错方向” 也就是我们常说的“找错门”。</p><p>1832年，美国作家<span word="James">James</span> <span word="Hall">Hall</span>在<span word="Legends">Legends</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="West">West</span>(《西部传奇》)一书中使用了<span word="bark">bark</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span> <span word="tree">tree</span>，这是它第一次以书面形式出现。相关的原文是： <span word="It">It</span> <span word="doesn">doesn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="philadephia">philadephia</span> <span word="lawyer">lawyer</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="tell">tell</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="man">man</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="servea">servea</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="master">master</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="day">day</span> .<span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cenmy">cenmy</span> <span word="six">six</span>,<span word="has">has</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="six">six</span> <span word="chances">chances</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="serve">serve</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="devil">devil</span>.<span word="You">You</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="barking">barking</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span> <span word="tree">tree</span> ,<span word="Johnson">Johnson</span>,即使你不是一 名费城律师也应该看得出来，一个服侍主人一天、服侍敌人6天 的人有七分之六的机会下地狱。你找错门了，<span word="Johnson">Johnson</span>。)</p>
页:
[1]