詞語掌故解析：和蔬果有關的表達

　　Today wewill talk about expressions that use vegetables and fruits.

　　For example,a cucumber is a long, green vegetable thatpeople often eat in salads. You might say a person is ascool as a cucumber if he never seems to worry about anything and stayscalm in a stressful situation. If you put a cucumber in a solution of vinegar and spices for a long time, it becomes a pickle. But if you are in a pickle, you are in trouble or a difficult situation.

　　cucumber:黃瓜

　　ascool as a cucumber: never seems to worry about anything and stays calm in astressful situation鎮定自若

　　vinegar：醋（注意拼寫）

　　pickle:泡菜

　　ina pickle: 處于困境之中

　　If 2 peopleare very similar, you might say they are like 2peas in a pod.

　　twopeas in a pod:一個豆莢里的兩顆豌豆，表示兩人相像

　　There areseveral expressions about beans. If someone is very energetic, you might sayshe is full of beans. If you say something does not amount to a hill of beans, you mean it isof little importance. I might say you don't knowbeans about a subject if you do not know anything at all about it. Butif you spill the beans, you tell somethingthat was supposed to be a secret.

　　fullof beans: 精力旺盛

　　doesnot amount to a hill of beans: 一文不值

　　don'tknow beans about a subject：一竅不通

　　spillthe beans: 泄密

　　Potatoes area popular food in many areas. But something is considered small potatoes if it is not important. Youprobably would not want to hold a hot potato in your bare hands. This also means a problem or issue that no one wants todeal with. Someone might call you a couch potato if you sit and watch television all day and get little or no physical exercise.

　　smallpotatoes：小人物，不重要的

　　hotpotato：燙手山芋

　　acouch potato：懶人

　　【參考譯文】

　　今天，我們要討論的是那些使用了蔬菜名和水果名的俗語。

　　比如，黃瓜是一種長型的綠色蔬菜，人們常在沙拉中吃到。當一個人從不為任何事擔憂，或在緊張的形勢下仍能保持冷靜，你也許會說這個人“as cool as a cucumber(鎮定自若)”。如果你長時間把黃瓜放在醋和辣椒的混合液中，它會變成為泡菜。但如果你正“in a pickle(處于困境之中)”，那就是說你有了麻煩，或者遇到了困難。

　　如果兩個人長得非常相似，你會說他們就像“two peas in a pod（一個豆莢里的兩顆豌豆）"。

　　關于豆子的俗語有好幾個。如果一個人精力充沛，你可以說她“full of beans(精力旺盛)”。如果你說某樣東西“does not amount to a hill of beans(一文不值)”，你的意思是說它并不重要。如果你對某件事情一無所知，我可能會說你“don’t know beans about a subject（一竅不通）”。但如果你“spill the beans(泄密)”，那你說了某些本該是秘密的事情。

　　在很多地方，土豆是一種很受歡迎的食物。但如果某個東西是不重要的，那它則被認為是“small potatoes(小人物，不重要的)”。你大概不想徒手捧著“hot potato(燙手山芋)”，這代表了沒有人想去處理的難題。如果你成天坐著看電視，很少鍛煉，也許會有人稱你為“a couch potato(懶人)”。