英语词汇stave off的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

stave off. A stave is a stick of wood, the word a back forma- tion from the plural of staff, staves. In the early 17th century staves were used in the “sport” of bullbaiting, where dogs were set against bulls. Too often these contests were badly matched, for the bulls frequently had the tips of their horns cut off, and when the dogs got a bull down, the bull’s owner often tried to save him for another fight by driving the dogs off with a stave or stick. Because the owner actually “postponed” the bull’s death until another day, the expression to stave off acquired its present figurative meaning of “to forestall.” This is at least a possible explanation for stave off, which we know is associated in some way with beating off dogs.

词汇	stave off
词源	stave off. A stave is a stick of wood, the word a back forma- tion from the plural of staff, staves. In the early 17th century staves were used in the “sport” of bullbaiting, where dogs were set against bulls. Too often these contests were badly matched, for the bulls frequently had the tips of their horns cut off, and when the dogs got a bull down, the bull’s owner often tried to save him for another fight by driving the dogs off with a stave or stick. Because the owner actually “postponed” the bull’s death until another day, the expression to stave off acquired its present figurative meaning of “to forestall.” This is at least a possible explanation for stave off, which we know is associated in some way with beating off dogs.
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