英语词汇fig的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

fig. When someone says “I don’t care a fig,” she isn’t referring to the delicious fruit (whether she knows it or not), but to the ancient “Spanish fig,” a contemptuous gesture made by thrust- ing the thumb forth from between the first two fingers. The in- sult is said to be an invitation to “kiss my ass.” The fig takes its English name from the Latin ficus, “fig,” which became the Pro- vencal figa. It figures in a number of phrases of its own. English, for example, features it in various expressions from the euphe- mistic fig you to far worse, and in French faire la figue means “to give the obscene finger gesture.” The exclamation, Frig you has nothing to do with the “fig you” etymology, however, prob- ably deriving from the Old English frigan, to love. The distin- guished etymologist Laurence Urdang points out in The Whole Ball of Wax (1988) that the natural shape of the fig has much to do with its sexual implications: “When one encounters fresh figs growing or even in a market, it becomes clear why their visual appearance has given rise to so many translinguistic metaphors: Not to mince words, a pair of fresh figs closely re- sembles in size and configuration, a pair of testicles. Pressed to- gether, they resemble the external parts of the female genitalia.” “Nothing is sweeter than figs,” Aristophanes wrote. Figs are mentioned in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, and it was under a Nepal species of fig tree called the Bo that Bud- dha’s revelations came to him. The ancient Egyptians trained apes to gather figs from trees. According to the biblical story (Gen. 3:7), after the Fall, Adam and Eve covered their naked- ness with fig leaves (or leaves of the banyan tree). It wasn’t until the era of Victorian prudery, however, that statues in museums were covered with fig leaves. Fig Sunday is an old name for Palm Sunday, when figs used to be eaten to commemorate the blasting of the barren fig tree by Jesus when he entered Jerusa- lem. The Persian king Xerxes boasted that he would invade Greece, thoroughly thrash all the Greek armies, and then feast on the famous fat figs of Attica. Ever since he was soundly de- feated by the Greeks in 480 b.c. at the battle of Salamis, Attic figs has meant wishful thinking. See judas; sycophant.

词汇	fig
词源	fig. When someone says “I don’t care a fig,” she isn’t referring to the delicious fruit (whether she knows it or not), but to the ancient “Spanish fig,” a contemptuous gesture made by thrust- ing the thumb forth from between the first two fingers. The in- sult is said to be an invitation to “kiss my ass.” The fig takes its English name from the Latin ficus, “fig,” which became the Pro- vencal figa. It figures in a number of phrases of its own. English, for example, features it in various expressions from the euphe- mistic fig you to far worse, and in French faire la figue means “to give the obscene finger gesture.” The exclamation, Frig you has nothing to do with the “fig you” etymology, however, prob- ably deriving from the Old English frigan, to love. The distin- guished etymologist Laurence Urdang points out in The Whole Ball of Wax (1988) that the natural shape of the fig has much to do with its sexual implications: “When one encounters fresh figs growing or even in a market, it becomes clear why their visual appearance has given rise to so many translinguistic metaphors: Not to mince words, a pair of fresh figs closely re- sembles in size and configuration, a pair of testicles. Pressed to- gether, they resemble the external parts of the female genitalia.” “Nothing is sweeter than figs,” Aristophanes wrote. Figs are mentioned in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, and it was under a Nepal species of fig tree called the Bo that Bud- dha’s revelations came to him. The ancient Egyptians trained apes to gather figs from trees. According to the biblical story (Gen. 3:7), after the Fall, Adam and Eve covered their naked- ness with fig leaves (or leaves of the banyan tree). It wasn’t until the era of Victorian prudery, however, that statues in museums were covered with fig leaves. Fig Sunday is an old name for Palm Sunday, when figs used to be eaten to commemorate the blasting of the barren fig tree by Jesus when he entered Jerusa- lem. The Persian king Xerxes boasted that he would invade Greece, thoroughly thrash all the Greek armies, and then feast on the famous fat figs of Attica. Ever since he was soundly de- feated by the Greeks in 480 b.c. at the battle of Salamis, Attic figs has meant wishful thinking. See judas; sycophant.
随便看	golf widow golgotha goliath golly gom gondolas gone for a burton gone goose gone today here tomorrow gone to ground gone to my uncle-s gone to pot gone where the woodbine twineth gone with the wind gongorism gonzo goo goober goober-grabber good good-bye good cheer good egg good enough morgan good evening ladies and germs