5個源于古代的英語習語和習俗

別那么趾高氣揚的

Ever wonder where this saying comes from?

你曾經(jīng)想過這一句的出處嗎?

In medieval times, knights and nobles would often ride huge warhorses that were specifically bred for fighting and strength. These horses, called Destriers, often wore just as much plate and mail as their owners that often cost as much as a good set of armor did. When two knights would ride out to parlay they’d tell each other “Step down from thy Destrier” so they could speak as equals.

在中世紀時期，騎士和貴族經(jīng)常會騎著專門為戰(zhàn)斗和力量繁育的高大戰(zhàn)馬。這些馬被稱作為軍馬(Destrier)，經(jīng)常和它們的主人一樣身著盔甲，盔甲的價格也和一套人穿的好甲胄相當。當兩個騎著軍馬兜風的騎士見面的時候，他們會對對方說“請下馬”，這樣他們就能平等的對話了。

Eating Humble Pie

低頭謝罪/忍氣吞聲

Everyone’s heard the saying to “Eat Humble Pie,” but what exactly does it mean?

所有人都聽過“Eat Humble Pie”，但是這句話到底什么意思呢?

Well a Humble Pie is a pie made up of a game animal’s minced up “pluck,” which is the heart, liver, lungs and kidneys – usually within deer.

Humble Pie(內臟派)是一種用打獵獲得獵物的內臟(心、肝、肺、腎)切碎后做成的派，通常用的是鹿的內臟。

The reason this is referred to as a “Humble” pie is because it is an adaption of the term “Umble,” which itself is an adaptation of the French word “Nomble,” meaning “Deer’s Innards.”

之所以會將之稱為“Humble”派，是因為它是從“Umble”這個單詞的演變來的，而“Umble”本身又是從法語單詞“Nomble”演變來的，在法語里，它的含義是“鹿的內臟”。This type of pie is considered to be lowly and humbling, especially when compared to a good cut of venison, and therefore is why eating humble pie is a statement reflecting someone’s humility.

人們認為這種餡餅比較卑賤又廉價，特別是當和一塊好的鹿肉對比的時候，因此這也正是為什么Humble Pie能夠反映出某人的謙卑。

Living Over The Brush

未婚同居

The term “Living Over The Brush” is used to describe an unmarried couple living together. This is derived from the ancient marriage practice of jumping over a broom to cement a marriage that was unable to be blessed by a religious official. After the exchanging of vows, the couple would hold hands and jump over a broom or brush handle together that was held by the two most respected elders in the village.

“Living Over the Brush”曾經(jīng)被用來描述那些沒有結婚的情侶們住在一起。這是演變于一種古老的婚禮習俗，當婚姻無法被宗教事務官員所祝福，人們會通過跳過掃帚來牢固婚姻。在新人交換過誓言之后，村里最受尊敬的兩位老人會一起握著掃帚或者刷子的兩端，新人則挽手一起跳過它的柄部。

This practice is still used to cement the coming together of two people in Pagan hand-fasting ceremonies.

在異教徒中為了慶祝新人結合的德魯伊式綁手禮中仍在沿用這一習俗。

The Right-Handed Hand Shake

右手的握手禮

In most cultures, a right-handed handshake is the standard greeting, be it a greeting between colleagues or friends. This generally originates from medieval times to signify to someone that you aren’t armed, as most fighters would be right-handed swordsmen, and by using the right hand to shake it showed the other party you weren’t going to go for your weapon and cut them down.

在大多數(shù)文化中，用右手來握手是標準的問候禮節(jié)，也是同事間或朋友間的問候方式。這個禮節(jié)基本上是源自于中世紀時期向他人表示自己并沒有攜帶武器的方式，由于當時大多人都是右撇子的劍士，用右手來握手就是向其他方表明，自己不打算用武器和他們拼殺。

As a side note, Scouts and Girl Guides shake hands with their left hand as a visual metaphor for their motto of “Always be Prepared.”

作為邊注，童子軍和女童子軍的座右銘是“時刻準備著干架”，作為視覺上的隱喻，成員則會用左手來握手。

Clinking your glasses together and saying “Cheers!”

碰杯并說“干杯

The practice of touching your glasses together in cheers originated from Ancient Greece, which was a time where there was every chance someone was trying to poison you. By clinking glasses together you were spilling a bit of your own drink into the other person’s, and vice versa, so if that person was trying to poison you they were poisoning themselves too. So therefore cheers-ing your glasses together became a sign of trust among two parties.

大家把酒杯碰在一起這個習俗是源自古希臘，在那時人們有很多機會被下毒殺害。一起碰杯的時候，你可以將自己杯子里的酒灑到別人的酒杯中，反過來亦然，因此如果有人想要下毒殺死你，他自己也難逃厄運。因此，碰杯成為了雙方信任彼此的象征。

If you’re paranoid like me, then you’d just carefully watch where someone pours the drinks from and never eat or drink something unless you’ve seen someone else already do it.

如果你多疑如我，那你就得悉心觀察某人是從哪兒倒出來的酒，而且除非其他人都喝了酒吃了東西，自己是什么也不會碰的。