VOA慢速英语2012 Words and Their Stories: Chickenfeed

 

Words and Their Stories: Chickenfeed

词汇典故：蝇头小利

I'm Susan Clark with WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, a program in Special English on the Voice of America.

这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故栏目，我是苏珊·克拉克（Susan Clark）。

Almost every language in the world has a saying that a person can never be too rich.

世界上几乎每种语言中都有这么一句谚语：钱不嫌多。

Americans, like people in other countries, always want more money. One way they express this is by protesting¹ that their jobs do not pay enough. A common expression is, "I am working for chickenfeed." It means working for very little money. The expression probably began because seeds fed to chickens made people think of small change. Small change means metal coins of not much value, like nickels³ which are worth five cents.

和其它国家的人一样，美国人也总是想赚到更多的钱。抗议薪水太少，就是他们表达这种愿望的一种方式，常见说法是：“我正在为了chickenfeed（chickenfeed，美国俚语，微不足道的金额，为数甚微的款项）而工作。”意思是为了微不足道的钱而工作。该短语的起源可能是因为喂鸡的饲料使人们想到了small change（零钱）的缘故。零钱就是面值低的硬币，例如5美分的硬币。

An early use of the word chickenfeed appeared in an American publication⁴ in nineteen thirty. It told about a rich man and his so?n. Word expert Mitford Mathews says it read, "I'll bet⁵ neither the kid nor his father ever saw a nickel² or a dime⁶. They would not have been interested in such chickenfeed."

chickenfeed一词最早见于1930年美国的一本刊物，讲述的是一对富人父子的故事。文字专家密特福德·马修斯（Mitford Mathews）称，文章这么写道：“我敢打赌，不管是儿子还是父亲都没见过5美分或10美分，他们就不会对这样的小钱感兴趣。”

Chickenfeed also has another interesting meaning known to history experts and World War Two spies and soldiers.

chickenfeed还有一个为历史专家、二战间谍和士兵所熟知的有意思的意义。

Spy expert Henry S. A. Becket writes that some German spies working in London during the war also worked for the British. The British government had to make the Germans believe their spies were working. So, British officials gave them mostly false information. It was called chickenfeed.

侦探专家亨利S.A.贝肯特（Henry S. A. Becket）写道，二战期间一些在伦敦工作的德国间谍也为英国效劳。英国政府必须使德国相信这些间谍仍在工作，所以，英国官员给这些间谍提供很多虚假信息，这被称为chickenfeed。

The same person who protests⁷ that he is working for chickenfeed may also say, "I am working for peanuts." She means she is working for a small amount of money.

抗议微薄薪水的人可能还会说：“我正在为了peanuts而工作。”她的意思是她在为数额很小的钱而工作（peanuts，俚语，极小之物，极小数额，蝇头小利）。

It is a very different meaning from the main one in the dictionary. That meaning is small nuts that grow on a plant.

peanuts的意思与词典上解释的主要含义大相径庭。其原义是某种植物上结出的小坚果。

No one knows for sure how a word for something to eat also came to mean something very small. But, a peanut is a very small food.

没有人确切地知道一个表示食物的单词，怎么会逐渐变成表示很小的东西。但是，花生就是一种很小的食物。

The expression is an old one. Word expert Mitford Mathews says that as early as eighteen fifty-four, an American publication used the words peanut agitators⁸. That meant political troublemakers⁹ who did not have a lot of support.

这是一个古老的表达方式。文字专家马修斯说，早在1854年，一家美国媒体就使用过peanut agitators（无人支持的鼓动者，煽动者）这个词汇。其意思是少有支持者的政坛捣乱分子。

Another reason for the saying about working for peanuts may be linked to elephants. Think of how elephants are paid for their work in the circus. They receive food, not money. One of the foods they like best is peanuts.

关于working for peanuts这一说法的另一个原因可能跟大象有关。想想看，马戏团里的大象如何被支付薪水？它们收到的是食物，而不是钱。它们最喜欢的食物之一就是花生。

When you add the word gallery to the word peanut you have the name of an area in an American theater. A gallery is a high seating area or balcony above the main floor.

把gallery和peanut这2个词组合在一起，就是一个在美国剧院中表示地点位置的名词。gallery是位于主层之上的边座或顶层楼座。

The peanut gallery got its name because it is the part of the theater most distant from where the show takes place. So, peanut gallery tickets usually cost less than other tickets. People pay a small amount of money for them.

之所以得名peanut gallery（美俚，剧院之类的顶层楼座、边座，这种位置一般票价最低），因为它是离舞台最远的区域。因此，顶层楼座的票价比其他票价都低，人们花很少的钱就能买到。

(MUSIC)

This Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jeri Watson. This is Susan Clark.

1 protesting   

v.声明( protest的现在分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• They were formally protesting. 他们正式提出抗议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were protesting soaring prices. 他们抗议物价暴涨。 来自辞典例句

2 nickel   

n.镍，（美国和加拿大的）五分钱

参考例句：

• Nickel can be used for making coins.镍可做成钱币。
• May I have a nickel?能给我五分钱吗？

3 nickels   

镍( nickel的名词复数 )； （美国和加拿大的）五分镍币，五分钱

参考例句：

• The mint coins millions of nickels and dimes each year. 造币厂每年都要铸数以百万计的分币和角币。
• A dime is the equivalent of two nickels. 一角硬币等于两个五分镍币。

4 publication   

n.出版，发行；出版；公布，发表

参考例句：

• They don't think this article is suitable for publication.他们认为这篇文章不宜发表。
• The government has delayed publication of the trade figures.政府已将贸易统计数字延后公布。

5 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

6 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

7 protests   

n.[体]抗议；抗议，反对( protest的名词复数 )v.声明( protest的第三人称单数 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• The protests have forced the government to back-pedal on the new tax. 抗议活动已迫使政府撤销新的税目。
• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。

8 agitators   

n.（尤指政治变革的）鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 )；煽动者；搅拌器；搅拌机

参考例句：

• The mud is too viscous, you must have all the agitators run. 泥浆太稠，你们得让所有的搅拌机都开着。 来自辞典例句
• Agitators urged the peasants to revolt/revolution. 煽动者怂恿农民叛变（革命）。 来自辞典例句

9 troublemakers   

n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was employed to chuck out any troublemakers. 他受雇把捣乱者赶走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers. 她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。 来自《简明英汉词典》