Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
你正在收聽的是美國之音特別英語節目“詞匯典故”
Every week at this time we tell the story of words and expressions used in American English. Some of them are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people.
每周的這個時間，我們就會講述美國英語中詞語和一些表達的故事。一些故事是很古老的，一些是新的。它們共同構成了美國人們現在使用的語言
Some popular expressions are a mystery -- no one is sure how they developed.
一些流行的表達是個謎—沒有人能確定這些表達是怎樣形成的
One of these is the expression "carry a chip on your shoulder." A person with a chip on his shoulder is a problem for anybody who must deal with him. He seems to be expecting trouble. Sometimes he seems to be saying "I'm not happy about anything, but what are you going to do about it?"
其中一個表達就是“肩上扛著碎屑。”“一個肩上扛著碎屑的人”，是任何人必須要應對的麻煩。這樣一個人好像是要惹事。有時他好像會這么說：“我就是看什么事都不爽，你有意見嗎？”
A chip is a small piece of something, like a chip of wood. How did this chip get on a person's shoulder? Well, experts say the expression appears to have been first used in the United States more than 100 years ago.
碎屑就是一小點東西，就像木屑。這樣的碎屑怎么會落到一個人肩膀上呢。專家說100多年前美國首次使用這個表達。
One writer believes that the expression might have come from an old saying. The saying warns against striking too high, or a chip might fall into your eye. That could be good advice. If you strike high up on a tree with an axe, the chip of wood that is cut off will fall into your eye. The saying becomes a warning about the dangers of attacking people who are in more important positions than you are.
一位作家認為這個表達可能是來自一則古老的俗語。這則俗語是警示人們不要太過火，否則碎屑可能會落入你的眼睛里。這是個好建議。如果你揮著斧頭高高舉起砍向一棵樹，產生的碎屑可能會落進你的眼里。這則俗語是用來警告攻擊那些比你地位高的人的危險性。
Later, in the United States, some people would put a real chip on their shoulder as a test. They wanted to start a fight. They would wait for someone to be brave enough to try to hit it off.
之后，在美國一些人把真的碎屑放在他們的肩上。他們想要開始打架，他們想要等那些足夠勇敢的人試圖把這片碎屑打落。
The word "chip" appears in a number of special American expressions. Another is "chip off the old block." This means that a child is exactly like a parent. This expression goes back at least to the early 1600s. The British writer of plays, George Colman, wrote these lines in 1762:
很多特別的美國表達中都出現過“碎屑”這個詞。另一個是“酷似雙親”。意思是說小孩非常像父母。這個表達至少要追溯到1600年初。英國戲劇作家，喬治?科爾曼在1762年寫下了這樣的句子
"You'll find him his father's own son, I believe. A chip off the old block, I promise you!"
“你會發現他是他父親親生的兒子。一個模子刻出來，我向你保證。”
The word "chip" can also be used in a threatening way to someone who is suspected of wrongdoing. An investigator may say, "We're going to let the chips fall where they may." This means the investigation is going to be complete and honest. It is also a warning that no one will be protected from being found guilty.
“碎屑”這個詞可以用來威脅那些被懷疑做了壞事的人。一位調查官可能會說，“我們會讓正義得到伸張的。”這是說這項調查會是完整和誠實的。這也是一種犯法者必會得到懲罰。
Chips are often used in card games. They represent money. A poker player may, at any time, decide to leave the game. He will turn in his chips in exchange for money or cash. This lead to another meaning: A person who finished or died was said to have "cashed in his chips," which is a way of saying it is time for me to finish this program.
“chip”一詞也會用在撲克牌游戲中。這代表錢。一位撲克玩家，任何時候決定不玩了。他都可以上交他的“籌碼”換取錢或是現金。這又產生了另一種含義：一個去世的人可以說成是“用籌碼換現金了”，這是一種說法，我是候結束這個項目了。
You have been listening to the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
您收聽的是美國之音特別英語節目“詞匯典故”。
I'm Warren Scheer.
我是沃倫?謝爾