Eat the crow?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>, <span word="particularly">particularly</span> “<span word="eat">eat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span>”: “<span word="Only">Only</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="tell">tell</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="I">I</span>’<span word="ll">ll</span> <span word="gladly">gladly</span> <span word="eat">eat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="proven">proven</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span>.”</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="Here">Here</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="sport">sport</span>, <span word="vowing">vowing</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="keep">keep</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="promise">promise</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="pay">pay</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="price">price</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="he">he</span>/<span word="she">she</span> <span word="fails">fails</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="price">price</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="pay">pay</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="eat">eat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span>, <span word="metaphorically">metaphorically</span> <span word="speaking">speaking</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="course">course</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="crow">crow</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bird">bird</span> <span word="whose">whose</span> <span word="meat">meat</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="believed">believed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="unsavory">unsavory</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="swallow">swallow</span>. <span word="Hence">Hence</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="making">making</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bet">bet</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="something">something</span>, <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="ll">ll</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="loser">loser</span> <span word="eat">eat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="punishment">punishment</span>.</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="queer">queer</span> <span word="form">form</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="punishment">punishment</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="sure">sure</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Eat">Eat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span>” <span word="is">is</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="American">American</span> <span word="idiom">idiom</span> <span word="which">which</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="search">search</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Internet">Internet</span>, <span word="leads">leads</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="theories">theories</span> <span word="regarding">regarding</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="origin">origin</span>. <span word="However">However</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="simple">simple</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="probable">probable</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="least">least</span> <span word="plausible">plausible</span> <span word="theory">theory</span> <span word="points">points</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="farmers">farmers</span> <span word="doing">doing</span> <span word="exactly">exactly</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="I">I</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="described">described</span>, <span word="making">making</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bet">bet</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="something">something</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="forcing">forcing</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="loser">loser</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="eat">eat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="punishment">punishment</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> <span word="apparently">apparently</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="statement">statement</span> <span word="and">and</span>, <span word="being">being</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="sport">sport</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="happy">happy</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="admit">admit</span> <span word="his">his</span>/<span word="her">her</span> <span word="mistake">mistake</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="proven">proven</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span>.</p><p><span word="Now">Now</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="question">question</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="crow">crow</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="meat">meat</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="anything">anything</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="delicious">delicious</span>, <span word="why">why</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> “<span word="gladly">gladly</span>” <span word="eat">eat</span> <span word="it">it</span>?</p><p><span word="That">That</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> <span word="won">won</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="mind">mind</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="lose">lose</span> <span word="bet">bet</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="actually">actually</span> <span word="happy">happy</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="outcome">outcome</span> – <span word="a">a</span> <span word="scenario">scenario</span> <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="happy">happy</span> <span word="with">with</span>, <span word="even">even</span> <span word="though">though</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="personally">personally</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="see">see</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="chance">chance</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="happening">happening</span>.</p><p><span word="For">For</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="day">day</span>, <span word="Bob">Bob</span> <span word="Dylan">Dylan</span> <span word="won">won</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Nobel">Nobel</span> <span word="Prize">Prize</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="Literature">Literature</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="expense">expense</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="writers">writers</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="poets">poets</span> <span word="including">including</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Japanese">Japanese</span> <span word="writer">writer</span> <span word="Haruki">Haruki</span> <span word="Murakami">Murakami</span>, <span word="who">who</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="does">does</span> <span word="Dylan">Dylan</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="fans">fans</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="China">China</span>. <span word="We">We</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="certainly">certainly</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Bob">Bob</span> <span word="Dylan">Dylan</span> <span word="fan">fan</span> <span word="making">making</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="following">following</span> <span word="statement">statement</span>:</p>
页:
[1]