这类词和短语看着非常普通，但仔细研究你就会发现它们古老的由来。老实说：一些英语表达非常奇怪…同时引起了很多问题。不少说法的由来都较近，但有趣的是，很多俚语单词和短语都可以追溯至非常远。这里将列出7个可以追溯至古英语的短语：
1. Decked Out
盛装，光彩照人
This commonly used phrase stems from Dutch — the form of the Dutch language spoken from around 1200-1500. The word decked means "to cover," which makes sense because if someone is "decked out" they’re covered in fancy clothes, jewelry, etc. It can also describe objects, like your house, which might be decked out with flashing Christmas lights.
这个常见的短语起来自于荷兰语 — 这种形式大概在1200—1500形成。Decked意为‘穿，覆盖’。假如用“decked out”来描述某人，就说明他们佩带珠宝，盛装出席，光彩照人。Deck也可以描述物体，比如，房屋在圣诞时张灯结彩。
2. Idiot
傻瓜，笨蛋
Don’t worry, we’re not talking about you. But you can thank the Greeks for this word, which we all throw around a little too loosely. As you probably know, ancient Greece was big on the whole democracy thing, so people who didn’t participate in the political process or in their community were viewed in a negative light. The Greek word idiot was used to describe those people, who were considered ignorant and overly preoccupied with themselves.
不要担忧，大家不是在说你笨。但你可以感谢希腊人创造了这个大家常常在日常用的词。正如你可能了解的一样，古希腊非常看重民主规范，所以那些不参加政治活动的人就被视为消极。希腊单词idiot被用来描述无知和过分关注我们的人。
3. Moron
傻瓜，痴愚者
Blame the ancient Greeks again. This regularly used insult comes from the Greek word móros, meaning "foolish" or "stupid."
Moron这个单词同样来自于希腊，由希腊单词móros演化而来，意为‘傻的’，‘愚蠢的’，一般用来侮辱其他人。
4. To Butter Someone Up
恭维某人
This is one of those expressions you use without thinking. Taken literally, it sounds messy and unpleasant, but it actually means heaping praise and flattery on someone in order to get something from them. This phrase is rumored to originate from an ancient Indian religious custom. People would throw balls of butter at statues of gods when seeking their favor. We don’t recommend trying this custom on your boss…
这是一件你不需要考虑就能做的事情。从字面上理解，这句话听起来非常脏而且会让人感到不愉快，但事实上这意味着对某人的赞美和奉承，以便从他们那里获得肯定有哪些好处。据了解这个短语起来自于一个古老的印度宗教风俗。大家在向神寻求帮助时会把黄油涂在他们的雕塑上。大家不主张你对老板也如此做…
5. Goth
野蛮人，粗野的人
Remember those kids in high school who wore all black, listened to punk rock, and went a little crazy with the eyeliner? You may have guessed that the term goth is short for gothic, a medieval style of architecture and literature. But you may not have known that the words goth and gothic refer back to ancient history. The Goths were a Germanic tribe that invaded Rome in the third century and are said to have played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire. The Romans considered the Goths uncivilized barbarians. But those "barbarians" held pockets of power for a few centuries. Fast forward to medieval Europe, where Gothic architecture was seen as uncultured and barbaric, as opposed to its predecessor, Renaissance architecture. The architecture led to the dark, horror-based literature and culture, which inspired those kids from your high school.
你还记得那些孩子吗？他们上高中，穿着黑色的衣服，听着朋克摇滚，眼线画得近似疯狂。你可能已经猜到goth这个词氏gothic的缩写，gothic是中世纪的一种风格，也是一种文学形式。但你可能不了解goth和gothic也指古时候的历史。哥特人是日耳曼族，在三世纪入侵罗马。据了解，哥特人在罗马帝国的陷落中饰演着要紧的角色。罗马人觉得哥特人是不文明的野蛮人。但这类“野蛮人”却拥有了几个世纪长的权利。快进到中世纪的欧洲，与文静复兴时期的建筑相比，哥特式的建筑被觉得是野蛮的，不文明的。这种建筑指向黑，恐怖的文学和文化，这类都使那些高中的孩子们感到好奇。
6. Running Amok
妄作胡为，横冲直撞
When your children are bouncing off the walls, screaming and acting wild, you might say they are "running amok." But after you learn the origin of that expression, you will probably think twice before using it. The word "amok" likely comes from the Amuco — a group of warriors in Malaysia who were known for their indiscriminate violence. It is also likely derived from amuk, which is a Malay word meaning "attacking furiously." It was used to describe seemingly sane tribesmen in Malaysia who would go on random killing rampages. In Malay culture, some people believed these rampages were caused by evil spirits possessing the attacker. The phrase "run amok" was popularized by the explorer Captain James Cook, who wrote about the phenomenon in his book Voyages in 1772.
当你的孩子尖叫着在墙边跳来跳去举止疯狂时，你或许会说他们‘疯了’。但当你弄了解这个短语的由来时，下次用这个短语的时候你可能就会三思了。‘Amok’这个词非常可能源自Amuco — 一群在马来西亚的战士，他们以草菅人命闻名。它也大概起来自于amuk，这是一个马来语，意为‘疯狂的进攻’。这个词用来描述马来西亚的看上去神智正常的男子，但他们却会随便杀人。在马来西亚的文化中，这种疯狂是由有攻击性的黑暗幽灵致使的。‘Run amok’这个短语是由探险家詹姆斯·库克在他的著作《1772年航行》中推广的。
7. Cat Got Your Tongue?
猫把你的舌头吃了吗
Next time your snarky friend asks you this when you can’t think of what to say, reply with this little gem of a story. Rumor has it that in ancient Egypt, liars and blasphemers would have their tongues cut out and fed to the cats. Cats were considered gods, so the tongues made for a nice human sacrifice. A second unproven explanation for the saying is that the English Navy would use a multi-tailed whip called a "cat o’ nine tails" to brutally punish misbehaving sailors, hitting them until they were rendered speechless. Either of these stories should leave your friend without a comeback, to which you can say: "What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
下次当你的朋友问你问题，你不了解该如何回答时，可以用这个回答。有传闻称，在古埃及，撒谎者和亵渎者要把舌头割下来喂猫。猫被视作为神，舌头是人类可以提供的一种非常不错的祭祀品。另一种未经证实的讲解是英国海军会用一种叫做“cat o’ nine tails”的多尾鞭来残忍地惩罚行为不端的水手，他们会用这种多尾鞭一直打他们直至他们说不出话来。无论是哪种故事起源都会叫你的朋友不会再继续这个话题，你可以说：“啥事？猫把你的舌头吃了吗？”。
