日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

 
 
 

Words and their stories: chickenfeed

2012-08-06 16:17

 

Get Flash Player

Download

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

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

Americans, like people in other countries, always want more money. One way they express this is by protesting 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 nickels which are worth five cents.

An early use of the word chickenfeed appeared in an American publication in 1930. It told about a rich man and his son. Word expert Mitford Mathews says it read, "I'll bet neither the kid nor his father ever saw a nickel or a dime. They would not have been interested in such chickenfeed."

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

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.

The same person who protests 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.

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

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.

The expression is an old one. Word expert Mitford Mathews says that as early as 1854, an American publication used the words peanut agitators. That meant political troublemakers who did not have a lot of support.

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.

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.

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.

(MUSIC)

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

chickenfeed: 微不足道的數(shù)目

nickel: (美國或加拿大的)5分鎳幣

dime: 美國、加拿大的10分鑄幣

agitator: 煽動者(尤指政治中的)

Related stories:

Words and their Stories: Chickenfed

奧運選手飲食大揭密:運動員吃什么?

Blended organic-conventional farming could feed world

(來源:VOA 編輯:實習生朱眉霖)

 
中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津版權(quán)說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創(chuàng)作品,除與中國日報網(wǎng)簽署英語點津內(nèi)容授權(quán)協(xié)議的網(wǎng)站外,其他任何網(wǎng)站或單位未經(jīng)允許不得非法盜鏈、轉(zhuǎn)載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883561聯(lián)系;凡本網(wǎng)注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉(zhuǎn)載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉(zhuǎn)載,請與稿件來源方聯(lián)系,如產(chǎn)生任何問題與本網(wǎng)無關(guān);本網(wǎng)所發(fā)布的歌曲、電影片段,版權(quán)歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權(quán),請?zhí)峁┌鏅?quán)證明,以便盡快刪除。

中國日報網(wǎng)雙語新聞

掃描左側(cè)二維碼

添加Chinadaily_Mobile
你想看的我們這兒都有!

中國日報雙語手機報

點擊左側(cè)圖標查看訂閱方式

中國首份雙語手機報
學英語看資訊一個都不能少!

關(guān)注和訂閱

本文相關(guān)閱讀
人氣排行
搜熱詞
 
 
精華欄目
 

閱讀

詞匯

視聽

翻譯

口語

合作

 

關(guān)于我們 | 聯(lián)系方式 | 招聘信息

Copyright by chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved. None of this material may be used for any commercial or public use. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 版權(quán)聲明:本網(wǎng)站所刊登的中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津內(nèi)容,版權(quán)屬中國日報網(wǎng)所有,未經(jīng)協(xié)議授權(quán),禁止下載使用。 歡迎愿意與本網(wǎng)站合作的單位或個人與我們聯(lián)系。

電話:8610-84883645

傳真:8610-84883500

Email: [email protected]

主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久九九国产精品 | 国产精品毛片一区二区三区 | 亚洲视频网址 | 免费视频片在线观看 | 欧美性bbbbbxxxxxddd | 综合精品 | 男人用嘴添女人下身免费视频 | 九九热在线免费视频 | 麻豆精品在线观看 | 自拍偷拍亚洲一区 | 性欧美18一19sex性高清播放 | 亚洲成人精品在线 | 99热在线国产 | 毛片在线看片 | 欧美欧美欧美欧美 | 亚洲欧美中日韩中文字幕 | 大片在线免费观看 | 91麻豆精品一二三区在线 | 91免费片| 精品国产理论在线观看不卡 | 成人福利在线视频免费观看 | 国产精品国产a级 | 国产目拍亚洲精品99久久精品 | 激情97 | 色综合久久中文字幕网 | 婷婷精品国产亚洲AV在线观看 | 波多野吉衣一区二区 | 免费黄色欧美视频 | 天堂一区二区三区四区 | 欧美vide| 久久亚洲国产 | 国产精品成人av | 日韩欧美视频一区二区在线观看 | 中文字幕一区在线观看视频 | 欧美综合一区二区 | 色综合在| 日韩经典视频 | 亚洲综合一二三区 | 亚洲午夜电影 | 男人的天堂久久 | 国产噜噜噜 |