又中又英—Make My Skin Crawl

作者：Alice的学习笔记

原文

A friend recently came across an English expression that confused him. He asked me what it meant. The expression he heard was "make my skin crawl". I can understand why this expression can confuse non-fluent English speakers because it contains the word "crawl". The word "crawl" can be used in several ways. It can mean to move on your hands and knees with your body close to the ground. Very young children crawl before they learn how to walk. Soldiers sometimes quietly crawl with their bellies when approaching their enemies. It can also mean to move very slowly. Vehicles crawl when there is a traffic jam. Caterpillars crawl when they move.The expression "make my skin crawl" can be confusing because a person's skin cannot crawl.

The expression has nothing to do with crawling. If something makes your skin crawl, it means it makes you feel shocked, disgusted, or fearful. Some people are so fearful of spiders that they make their skin crawl. I am disgusted by the taste and sight of chicken feet. They make my skin crawl. I accidently ate a small piece from a Thai salad at a friend's home. I had to rush to the toilet to spit it out because it made me feel like vomiting. Some are shocked by people eating catmeat. It makes their skin crawl.

Many people hate the sound of fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. It makes their skin crawl. The expression"make my flesh crawl" has the same meaning. Yet another similar expression is "make my skin creep". The word "creep" also has several meanings. It can mean moving very slowly, quietly, and carefully to avoid being noticed. As a noun, it means an unpleasant person, particularly a man who stares at pretty women. It can also mean a person who kowtows to influential people in the hope of advancement. Some people shoeshine their bosses in the hope of being promoted. They are called creeps.

单词、短语

• come across
  偶遇某人/某物；偶然发现某人/某物。
     I came across an old diary in her desk.
     我在她的书桌里发现了一本旧日记。
  拓展：
  它还可以表示某件事、观点被理解，英文解释会比较清楚：if an idea comes across well, it is easy for people to understand。
     Your point really came across at the meeting.
     你在会议上讲的大家都非常明白了。

• make sb's skin crawl/creep
  crawl作动词表示爬行，缓慢前行。
     The traffic was crawling along.
     车辆在慢慢爬行。

    make sb's skin crawl，表示使某人恶心，让某人起鸡皮疙瘩，英文解释为：to make someone feel very uncomfortable combined with a strong feeling of dislike。
   相似的短语还有make sb's skin creep，或者make sb's flesh creep/crawl。

• belly
  作名词表示胃，肚子。
     She was lying on her belly.
     她趴着。
  拓展：
  大腹便便怎么说？可以说fat-bellied或者是big-bellied。
     The fat-bellied officer stood near the door.
     大腹便便的官员站在门边。

• spit out
  spit作动词表示吐出(少量液体或食物)，比如吐痰等。
     Spit out that gum and pay attention...
     把那块口香糖吐出来，注意听。

• vomit
  呕吐，吐出。
     I vomited up most of my dinner.
     我把吃下的饭大部分都吐掉了。

• creep
  1）作动词，可以表示悄悄地小心行进，蹑手蹑脚地移动，爬行，匍匐，还可以表示渐渐侵入，逐渐融进等意思。
     Johann would creep into the gallery to listen to the singers.
     约翰会悄悄溜进楼座去听歌手唱歌。
     Funny how religion is creeping into the environmental debate.
     很奇怪宗教怎么会融进有关环境的辩论中。
  2）作名词可以表示很讨厌的人，或者喜欢拍马屁的人。
     Don't try and flatter her – she doesn't approve of creeps.
     别试图去奉承她，她不喜欢拍马屁的家伙。

• kowtow
  由中文的叩头演变而来，现在表示顺从，巴结，唯命是从。英文解释为：to be too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority。
     We will not kowtow to the government.
     我们不会对政府卑躬屈膝。

• in the hope of
  抱着做某事的希望。
     We came to the island in the hope of finding a simpler way of life.
     我们来到这座岛上，希望找到一种更简朴的生活方式。

• shoeshine
  作名词表示擦鞋。但在本文中，它作动词，表示拍马屁，阿谀奉承。

翻译

Crawl可以有几种用法，它可以指手脚并用在地上爬行。非常年幼的孩童学行之前就会在地上爬行（crawl）。士兵在接近敌军的时候，有时也会静静地用肚贴地匍匐爬行（crawl）。这个字亦可以解作非常缓慢地前进；遇上交通挤塞之时，车辆只能徐徐行驶（crawl）。毛虫蠕动也是crawl。

习语“make my skin crawl”可以令人很费解，因为人的皮肤不会移动（crawl）啊！这个习语其实跟蠕动、爬行（crawling）毫无关系。若某物makes your skin crawl，意即它令你感到震惊、恶心或毛骨悚然。有些人害怕蜘蛛，蜘蛛会令他们起鸡皮疙瘩（make their skin crawl）。我厌恶鸡脚、凤爪的味道，连看到也会感到恶心，令我毛管直竖（make my skin crawl）。

有一次我在朋友家中，吃着泰式沙律时不小心吃了一小块鸡脚，我立时冲进厕所吐出来，因它令我反胃欲呕。一些人非常惊讶有人会吃猫肉，这也令他们感到恶心（make their skin crawl）。

许多人讨厌指甲刮黑板的刺耳之声，这也令他们鸡皮疙瘩、毛骨悚然（make their skin crawl）。 习语“make my flesh crawl”的意思亦一样。然而还有另一个相近的习语，是“make my skin creep”。

Creep同样有几个意思，它可以指缓慢、悄悄行进，为了避人耳目而蹑手蹑脚。作名词用时，它则指讨厌鬼，特别是盯着美女看的变态佬；它也可以解作马屁精，为了晋升而趋炎附势、阿谀奉承的人。有些人爱擦老板鞋，指望可以藉此升职加薪，他们就被称为creeps。

原文作者：Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
中文翻译：七刻

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