英语植物词汇的文化含义和修辞功能.doc

英语植物词汇的文化含义和修辞功能在汉语语境中，当我们读到古典小说中“樱桃小口，杏眼桃腮，腰若杨柳，指如削葱”这样的描述时，脑海中马上会映出一位古典美人的形象，这当中樱桃、杏、桃、杨柳、葱这些植物词强大的修辞功能功不可没。同样，在英语中，植物词汇也被赋予修辞功能，如用yellow tulip(黄郁金香)象征没有指望的爱情，用zinnia(百日草)喻指离别的朋友，用sour grapes喻指因得不到而故意贬低的事物，用under the rose(玫瑰丛下)指代私下的行为或偷偷摸摸的勾当等。下面列举一些常见的具有文化含义和修辞功能的植物词。(1)apple(苹果)，喻指受宠爱者。如：He has three sons but his daughter is the apple of his eye.他有三个儿子,但女儿才是他的掌上明珠。另外， upset the apple-cart直译为“打翻苹果车”,常用来指混乱的状况。如: It was a peaceful meeting until the treasure was accused of stealing the clubs funds; that really upset the apple-cart在财务主管被指控盗窃俱乐部的基金以前，会议一直开得很平静;这一指控使会议可真的乱了套。in apple-pie order指整整齐齐,井井有条。如:The house was in apple-pie order even though the guests had only left an hour ago.即使客人才走了一个钟头,屋里也是整整齐齐的。(2)banana(香蕉)，喻指喜剧演员。如:He is a second banana; the top banana is his father.他只是个二流喜剧演员,他老爸才是一流演员。另外, banana oil指溜须拍马,花言巧语。如:Cutout the banana oil flattery will get you nowhere.别再花言巧语了,溜须拍马之词于事无补。(3)bean (蚕豆)，喻指伙计，朋友。如:Have a look at this, old bean!看看这个吧，老伙计!另外，not have a bean指身无分文，囊中空空。如: Id like to make a contribution but I havent a bean on me at the moment我很想捐款,但目下身无分文。spill the beans指泄露机密。如:Her present to her husband was supposed to be a secre，t but their little boy spilled the beans to him.她送给丈夫的礼物本来是应该保密的，可是他们的孩子对他走漏了风声。(4) cherry(樱桃),喻指童男、童女或新兵。如:She confessed she was cherry.她说她童贞未失。Some soldiers who survived long enough earned the right to harass the cherries.一些久经沙场的老兵获得骚扰新兵的权利。(5)daisy(雏菊),喻指一流人物。如:He is a real daisy.他可是个一流的人物。另外, fresh as a daisy指精神焕发。如:He woke up fresh as a daisy after his long sleep.他睡了一觉醒来感到精神焕发。push up the daisies/under the daisies指被埋葬或死亡。如:He pushed up the daisies in his thirties.他三十几岁就去世了。(6)flower(花),喻指精英人物。如:The country lost the flower of its youth in the war.该国在这次战争中失去了青年中的精英。另外, in the flower of ones age/strength指年轻力壮之时。如:My grandfather was in the flower of his age at that time.我祖父当时还很年轻。(7)gooseberry(醋栗)，喻指陪媪(夹在想独处的情侣中间的人，电灯泡)。如:Ill leave you two young people alone; Im sure you dont want me to play gooseberry.我要让你们两个年轻人单独在一起;我肯定你们不想要我硬夹在你们中间(不想让我充当电灯泡)2。(8)lemon(柠檬)，喻指丑八怪，讨厌的人。如:She was stuck with a lemon on the dance floor.她在舞场被一个讨厌的家伙缠住了。另外,在黑人英语中, lemon还指肤色较浅而迷人的黑人女子。(9) lily(百合花)，喻指纯洁的人。如:She is a virgin, a most unspotted lily.她是个纯洁的少女,像一朵纯洁无瑕的百合花。另外, gild the lily指过于奢侈地装饰,多此一举,画蛇添足。如: Its a beautiful painting; dont gild the lily by putting it in a gold frame.这幅画够美的了,用不着过于奢侈地装上金框架2。(10)nut(坚果)，喻指兴致勃发的人，入迷的人。:Hes a Chaplin nut he has seen all his films.他是个卓别林迷,卓氏的所有电影他都看过。另外, a hard nut to crack指棘手的问题或工作。如:The problem is not insoluble, but its certainly a hard nut to crack.这个问题并不是不能解决,但确实是个棘手的问题。be/go nuts指发疯。如:Youre going to give up your job? You must be nuts.你打算放弃你的工作吗?想必你是疯了!(11)orange(柑橘)，喻指被榨干血汗的人或已无利用价值的人。如:After working twenty years for the company, Alex was discarded like a sucked orange.为公司干了20年之后,亚利克斯像只被榨干的柑橘一样被公司抛弃了。(12)peach(桃)，喻指漂亮之人或优秀出色之物。如:I must say his latest girlfriend is a peach.我得说他最近交的女朋友是个漂亮女郎。This hotel was really a peach.那时这家旅馆真的很棒。(13)peanut(花生)，喻指矮子，小人物。如:He shows a lot of strength for such a peanut对于这么矮小的人来说,他已经充分显示了力量。He was a peanut politician.他是个微不足道的政客。 (14)potato(土豆)，喻指不受欢迎的人或美元。如:They stuck their potatoes in every office.他们把自己的人安插进每一个办公室。You can get this wonderful coat for five hundred potatoes.花五百美元,你就可以得到这件漂亮的大衣。(15)pumpkins(南瓜)，喻指重要人物。如:A man of learning is supposed to be some pump-kins.学问高深之人常被看做重要人物。另外, a pumpkin head指傻瓜,笨蛋。如:He is a man with a pumpkin head.他这人是个傻瓜。(16)reed(芦苇)，喻指不可靠的人。如:I asked him to speak at the meeting, but he did not even attend; what a broken reed!我请他在会上发言,可他甚至连会都没有参加,这人太靠不住了。(17)rose(玫瑰)，喻指美人。如:She is a rose of loveliness.她是位令人喜欢的美女。另外, (a bed of) roses指令人高兴的事情或安逸的生活; gather lifes roses指追求欢乐; see things through rose-colored spectacles指对事物抱乐观的看法。如:It began to look as if things might be roses, roses all the way.事情开始显得从头到尾将可能非常顺利。Dont see things through rose-colored spectacles; we still have a long way to go.不要太乐观了,我们还任重道远。(18)seed(种子)，喻指种子选手。如:He was the No. 1 seed in the table tennis champion ship.他是这届乒乓球锦标赛的头号种子选手。另外, seed(不可数名词)指子孙后代。如:The Jews are the seed of Abraham.犹太人是亚伯拉罕的子孙。(19)sprouts(新芽)，喻指年轻人。如:It was now the turn of these young sprouts to get their ears beaten back.现在轮到这些年轻人受点儿教训了。(20)thorn(刺)，喻指棘手的人物，烦恼的根源。如:The boy has been a thorn in every teachers side since he entered the school.那男孩自入校以来使每个老师大伤脑筋。(21)vegetable(蔬菜)，喻指植物人或智能、感官有障碍之人。如:If he had survived the head injuries he got in the crash, he would have been a vegetable for the rest of his life.他在这次车祸中头部受伤,要是还能活下来,也将像植物人一样度过余生。He was fine the first couple of marriage, but then he turned into a vegetable.结婚头两年他身体还不错,以后就不能自理了。(22)wallflower(桂竹香)，喻指舞会上无人邀请共舞的女人。如:There were far more girls than boys at the dance so there were obviously several wallflowers.舞会上女孩人数大大超过男孩，因此几个女孩显然只好坐着观看。除此之外，卷心菜(cabbage )可喻指“少女”，胡萝卜(carrots )可喻指“红发人”，蘑菇(mushroom )可喻指“暴发户”,芥子(mustard)可喻指“热情有利之人”,洋葱(onion)可喻指“讨厌之人”，番茄( t