Place to blow off some steam?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="When">When</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="certain">certain</span> “<span word="little">little</span> <span word="town">town</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="best">best</span> <span word="place">place</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="blow">blow</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="steam">steam</span>,” <span word="what">what</span> <span word="does">does</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="exactly">exactly</span>?</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="If">If</span> <span word="this">this</span> “<span word="little">little</span> <span word="town">town</span>” <span word="is">is</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="suburbs">suburbs</span> <span word="near">near</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="city">city</span>, <span word="then">then</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="probably">probably</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="place">place</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="folks">folks</span> <span word="congregate">congregate</span> <span word="during">during</span> <span word="weekends">weekends</span>, <span word="i">i</span>.<span word="e">e</span>. <span word="during">during</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="days">days</span>.</p><p><span word="Here">Here</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="can">can</span>, <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="walk">walk</span> <span word="around">around</span>, <span word="have">have</span> <span word="coffee">coffee</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="beer">beer</span> – <span word="lots">lots</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="beer">beer</span> – <span word="or">or</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cinema">cinema</span> <span word="or">or</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="Shanghai">Shanghai</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="karaoke">karaoke</span> <span word="bar">bar</span>.</p><p><span word="And">And</span> <span word="things">things</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="that">that</span>. <span word="City">City</span> <span word="folks">folks</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="things">things</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="decompress">decompress</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="say">say</span>.</p><p><span word="City">City</span> <span word="folks">folks</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="things">things</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="that">that</span>, <span word="moving">moving</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="remote">remote</span> <span word="corners">corners</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="away">away</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="all">all</span>.</p><p><span word="By">By</span> “<span word="it">it</span> <span word="all">all</span>”, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="mean">mean</span>, <span word="work">work</span>. <span word="Generally">Generally</span> <span word="speaking">speaking</span>, <span word="there">there</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="too">too</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="fellow">fellow</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="seems">seems</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="work">work</span>, 9-5, <span word="five">five</span> <span word="days">days</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="week">week</span> – <span word="not">not</span> <span word="counting">counting</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="occasional">occasional</span> <span word="extra">extra</span> <span word="hours">hours</span>’ <span word="of">of</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="thrown">thrown</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="deadline">deadline</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="meet">meet</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="some">some</span>, <span word="there">there</span> <span word="seems">seems</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="deadline">deadline</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="meet">meet</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="day">day</span>, <span word="so">so</span> <span word="there">there</span>.</p><p><span word="So">So</span>, <span word="therefore">therefore</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="people">people</span>, <span word="an">an</span> <span word="escape">escape</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="suburbs">suburbs</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="escape">escape</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="relax">relax</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="detox">detox</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="recharge">recharge</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="batteries">batteries</span>, <span word="so">so</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="speak">speak</span>.</p><p><span word="Oh">Oh</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="blow">blow</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="steam">steam</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="sure">sure</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="rid">rid</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pent">pent</span>-<span word="up">up</span> <span word="pressure">pressure</span> (<span word="from">from</span> <span word="fatigue">fatigue</span>, <span word="anger">anger</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="resentment">resentment</span>, <span word="etc">etc</span>) <span word="one">one</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="accumulated">accumulated</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="place">place</span>. <span word="To">To</span> <span word="blow">blow</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="release">release</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="let">let</span> <span word="go">go</span>.</p><p><span word="Originally">Originally</span>, <span word="this">this</span> <span word="expression">expression</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="borrowed">borrowed</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="watching">watching</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="train">train</span> <span word="arrive">arrive</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="station">station</span>, <span word="billowing">billowing</span> <span word="huge">huge</span> <span word="balls">balls</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="rolls">rolls</span> <span word="in">in</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="trains">trains</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="powered">powered</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="steam">steam</span> <span word="engines">engines</span>, <span word="by">by</span> <span word="boiling">boiling</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="high">high</span>-<span word="pressured">pressured</span> <span word="steam">steam</span>. <span word="Soon">Soon</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pressure">pressure</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="engines">engines</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="enough">enough</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="move">move</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="train">train</span> <span word="forward">forward</span>. <span word="If">If</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pressure">pressure</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="too">too</span> <span word="high">high</span>, <span word="however">however</span>, <span word="then">then</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="released">released</span> <span word="lest">lest</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="tank">tank</span> <span word="explode">explode</span>.</p>
页:
[1]