(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
What It Means to Be a ‘Stick in the Mud’
And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
In many places in the world, spring brings a lot of rain. And this can lead to a lot of mud. So today, let's talk about a mud expression!
What do you think a stick in the mud is? Well, I'm sure you can imagine a wooden stick ... stuck in the mud. But in American English, a stick in the mud is far more than that.
A stick in the mud is a boring or uninteresting person. They do not try anything new. They are not willing to take a risk. They also could be slow and old-fashioned.
Sometimes sticks in the mud have unpopular or outdated beliefs. They are not progressive.
So, a person could be called a stick in the mud for many reasons. But we always use this expression to show disapproval. So, it's an insult.
However, keep this in mind. A person does not always have to be a stick in the mud to be called a stick in the mud. I should explain.
Let's say you are at a party with friends. Now, usually in your friend group, you are the life of the party. This means you are the one at the party who is having the most fun. You also create fun for others. You join whatever game or activity is happening.
But at this party, maybe you don't feel well. Or maybe you just received some bad news. Perhaps you need to be up early the next day for an important test. Whatever the reason, you are sitting in the back of the room and are not really talking much to anyone. So, you are not acting like your usual self. And you haven't told anyone why. So, you should not be surprised when your best friend asks you, "Why are you being such a stick-in-the-mud?"
Maybe next time you should tell your best friend when something is bothering you or when you are not well.
We have other names for a stick-in-the-mud person.
We could call them a stuffed shirt. This means they are all business, all the time. They are no fun at all. If you like words that rhyme, you could call them a fuddy-duddy.
Fuddy-duddies are different from stuffed shirts, though. A fuddy-duddy would be the old-fashioned, doesn't-like-change type of stick in the mud. A stuffed shirt is the always-very-serious-and-business-minded type of stick in the mud.
You can also use stick-in-the-mud as an adjective before a noun. For example, a friend of mine always does as she is told, never tries anything new or takes any risks. She has a bit of a stick-in-the-mud personality.
Or you could say someone has a stick-in-the-mud attitude. A person who always has a stick-in-the-mud attitude could also be called a downer. This means they bring people down.
Some word experts say this expression comes from an image of feet or the wheel of a horse carriage stuck in mud. Both are unable to go anywhere. They cannot progress. So, in early days the term stick in the mud, usually described someone who remained in a difficult situation, either by choice or because they were stuck.
And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
Until next time ...
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.keep in mind 记住
Here are two things to keep in mind.
这里有两件事要记住。
2.all the time 始终；一直
We can't be together all the time.
我们不能一直在一起。
3.a stick in the mud 老古董
You may say my husband is a stick in the mud, but on my part I like his personality of that kind.
你可以说我的丈夫是个老古董，不过我倒是很喜欢他的这种性格。
参考译文
“墨守成规”怎么用英语表达？
欢迎收听voa慢速英语《词汇掌故》。
在世界的许多地方，春季的到来带来了大量的雨水。雨水导致地面泥泞不堪。所以今天，我们来讨论一个有关“泥土”的表达！
大家觉得泥里的木棍是什么意思？相信你们会想象一根木棍…陷在泥里了。但在美式英语中，“stick in the mud”的含义远不止这些哦。
“stick in the mud”指的是无趣的人。他们不愿尝试任何新鲜事物。他们也不愿意冒险。这类人群也可能较为迟钝和保守。
有时“stick in the mud”也指不受欢迎或过时的信仰。通常指的是不进步的思想。
所以，用“stick in the mud”形容某人可以出于多种原因。但是我们经常用这个短语来表示“不赞成”之意。所以，这是一种贬义表达。
但是，请记住一点。“stick in the mud”不是只能用来形容“墨守成规”之人。我给大家解释一下。
假设，你和朋友出席一场聚会。现在，通常在你的朋友圈里，你是派对的“气氛制造者”。意味着你是聚会上较为活跃的人。你也为别人创造了乐趣。任何正在进行的游戏或活动你都能“无缝衔接”。
但在这个聚会上，也许你感觉不舒服。或者只是听到了一些不好的消息。也许第二天你得为一次重要的考试早起。不管是什么原因，你一个人安静的坐着，没有和任何人交谈太多。这么说，你表现得跟平时不太一样了。你也没告诉任何人原因。所以，当最好的朋友问起“你怎么这么无精打采？”时，无需觉得惊讶。
也许下次，你应该直接告诉最好的朋友有什么烦心事或者哪里不舒服。
关于“守旧之人”还有别的表达方式。
我们可以称他们为“a stuffed shirt”（一本正经的人）。这意味着他们一直都一本正经。这类人一点也不好玩。如果你喜欢押韵的词，你可以称其为“fuddy-duddy”（老顽固）。
不过，“fuddy-duddy”和“stuffed shirt”的含义是不同的。“fuddy-duddy”指的是守旧的、不喜欢改变的那种墨守成规的人。“A stuffed shirt”是指那种总是很严肃，有商业头脑的人。
你也可以把“stick-in- mud”用作名词前的形容词。例如，我的一个朋友总是“照章办事”，从不尝试新鲜事物或承担任何风险。她的性格有点守旧。
或者你可以说某人“性格保守”。一个总是墨守成规的人也可以被称为“downer”（扫兴的人）。这意味着他们总会让气氛冷场。
一些词汇专家表示，这个短语出自一张陷在泥里的脚或马车轮子的图片。困于泥泞，无处可及。他们无法前进（进步）。所以，在早期，“stick in the mud”这个词通常用来形容某人处于困境中，要么是自愿身陷囹圄，要么是被困无法脱身。
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》的全部内容。
下期节目见......
安娜·马特奥为您播报。
