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2016年9月30日 星期五

英文怎么说“配钥匙”?“drug store”和“hydro”在北美英文中是何意?

英文学习【滴水穿石】第1期
(今日三个问题:英文怎么说“配钥匙”?“drug store”和“hydro”在北美英文中是何意?):

【1】“配钥匙”用英文怎么说?今天见到路边一个杂货店,上面悬挂一小牌,上书“we cut key”,于是明白,英文里的配钥匙,可以用“cut key”表述。“make key”应该也可以,但估计钥匙厂批量生产的原始钥匙坯子用它更合适,因为”make“在英文里的含义太广泛了,和”do“有得一拼。

【2】此外,街边有时还会见到商店窗户上标有“drug store",但里面却卖各种杂货;其实,英文里的”drug store“比较准确的释义是:”the place of business of a druggist, usually also selling cosmetics, stationery, toothpaste, mouthwash, cigarettes, etc., and sometimes soft drinks and light meals.“ 但这种用法主要盛行于北美,参见其辞源: drug + store 1800–10, American,也就是说,这个词是在19世纪的北美形成的. [参考资料:Collins Concise English Dictionary]英文里,专门的药店一般用pharmacy;而专门的杂货店,用grocery[美国常用复数]。

【3】加拿大到处可以见到或者听到hydro这个词,初来乍到的人都会疑惑,不知所云,仔细了解才会发现,它的含义是”电、电费、电费单“,具体原因是“A lot of our electricity used to be from hydro electric sources. Dams and turbines. The sole company, before deregulation, that provided it, was usually called something like Ontario Hydro or New Brunswick Hydro, depending on the province. Hence the short form hydro even if that power is by nuclear or even coal generators.”还有个搞笑的解释说明了这个词在整个加拿大及其某些地区的独特含义“If your're from the rest of the world....it means electricity. If your from BC it means POT!” [参见https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081012142929AAOA3UQ。]

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