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“单词背后的故事”是一个电台节目,通过讲故事和举例子,让英语学习者更系统地了解到英语习语的意思与用法。当然,要学以致用才能真正掌握这些习语哦。时值儿童节和父亲节,为大家带来关于chip的习语。也许并不是每个人都是a chip off the old block,但是希望every chip finds its own worth。Ready? Go!
We tell the story of words and expressions used in American English. Some of them are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people.
Some popular expressions are a mystery. No one is sure how they developed. One of these is the expression “1)carrying a chip on your shoulder.”
A person with a chip on his shoulder is a problem for anybody who must deal with him. He seems to be expecting trouble. Sometimes he seems to be saying, “I’m not happy about anything, but what are you going to do about it?”
A chip is a small piece of something, like a chip of wood. How did this chip get on a person’s
shoulder? Well, experts say the
expression appears to have been first used in the United States more than one hundred years ago.
One writer believes that the
expression might have come from an old saying. The saying warns against 2)striking too high, or a chip might fall into your eye. That could be good advice. If you strike high up on a tree with an axe, the chip of wood that is cut off will fall into your eye. The saying became a warning about the dangers of attacking people who are in more important positions than you are.
Later, in the United States, some people would put a real chip on their shoulder as a test. They wanted to start a fight. They would wait for someone to be brave enough to try to hit it off.
The word “chip” appears in a number of special American expressions. Another is
“3)chip off the old block.” This means that a child is exactly like a parent.
The expression goes back to at least the early 1600s. The British writer of plays, George Colman, wrote these lines in 1762, “You’ll find him his father’s own son, I believe. A chip off the old block, I promise you!”
The word “chip” can also be used in a threatening way to someone who is suspected of wrongdoing. An investigator may say, “We’re going to 4)let the chips fall where they may.” This means the investigation is going to be complete and honest. It is also a warning that no one will be protected from being found guilty.
Chips are often used in card games. They represent money. A poker player may, at any time, decide to leave the game. He will 5)turn in his chips in exchange for money or cash.
This led to another meaning. A person who finished or died was said to have
6)cashed in his chips, which is a way of saying it is time for me to finish this
program.
Notes
1) carry a chip on one’s shoulder 采取挑衅的态度,像要跟人打架似的
2) Don’t strike too high, or the chip may fall into your eye. 砍木头不要砍太高,否则碎片会落到眼睛里。警告人们袭击位置比自己重要的人的危险性。
3) a chip off the old block 酷似父母者(尤指酷似父亲者)
4) let the chips fall where they may 不管后果如何
5) turn in one’s chips 兑换筹码
6) cash in one’s chips 字面意思为“将筹码兑换成现金”,喻指完成某项工作或
去世。
We tell the story of words and expressions used in American English. Some of them are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people.
Some popular expressions are a mystery. No one is sure how they developed. One of these is the expression “1)carrying a chip on your shoulder.”
A person with a chip on his shoulder is a problem for anybody who must deal with him. He seems to be expecting trouble. Sometimes he seems to be saying, “I’m not happy about anything, but what are you going to do about it?”
A chip is a small piece of something, like a chip of wood. How did this chip get on a person’s
shoulder? Well, experts say the
expression appears to have been first used in the United States more than one hundred years ago.
One writer believes that the
expression might have come from an old saying. The saying warns against 2)striking too high, or a chip might fall into your eye. That could be good advice. If you strike high up on a tree with an axe, the chip of wood that is cut off will fall into your eye. The saying became a warning about the dangers of attacking people who are in more important positions than you are.
Later, in the United States, some people would put a real chip on their shoulder as a test. They wanted to start a fight. They would wait for someone to be brave enough to try to hit it off.
The word “chip” appears in a number of special American expressions. Another is
“3)chip off the old block.” This means that a child is exactly like a parent.
The expression goes back to at least the early 1600s. The British writer of plays, George Colman, wrote these lines in 1762, “You’ll find him his father’s own son, I believe. A chip off the old block, I promise you!”
The word “chip” can also be used in a threatening way to someone who is suspected of wrongdoing. An investigator may say, “We’re going to 4)let the chips fall where they may.” This means the investigation is going to be complete and honest. It is also a warning that no one will be protected from being found guilty.
Chips are often used in card games. They represent money. A poker player may, at any time, decide to leave the game. He will 5)turn in his chips in exchange for money or cash.
This led to another meaning. A person who finished or died was said to have
6)cashed in his chips, which is a way of saying it is time for me to finish this
program.
Notes
1) carry a chip on one’s shoulder 采取挑衅的态度,像要跟人打架似的
2) Don’t strike too high, or the chip may fall into your eye. 砍木头不要砍太高,否则碎片会落到眼睛里。警告人们袭击位置比自己重要的人的危险性。
3) a chip off the old block 酷似父母者(尤指酷似父亲者)
4) let the chips fall where they may 不管后果如何
5) turn in one’s chips 兑换筹码
6) cash in one’s chips 字面意思为“将筹码兑换成现金”,喻指完成某项工作或
去世。