Lark
“Lark” 既可以指一种以歌声优美著称的小鸟(云雀/百灵鸟),也可以在口语中指一种轻松的、为了好玩而进行的活动、嬉戏或无伤大雅的恶作剧。
- “We can hear the lark singing high in the sky.” (我们可以听到云雀在高空中鸣唱。)
- “The children went out for a lark in the woods.” (孩子们去林子里嬉戏了一番。)
- “I only did it for a lark; I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” (我只是开个玩笑而已,并没想惹麻烦。)
- 指鸟时:源自古英语 “lāwerce”。
- 指嬉戏时:词源不明,可能与北方方言词 “lake” (玩耍) 有关。
无前缀和后缀。
在英语文化中,“lark” 与早起有关。短语 “rise with the lark” 意思是很早就起床。与之相对的是 “night owl” (熬夜的人)。在英国口语中,“what a lark!” 意思是“真有趣!”或“真好玩!”。
- 固定搭配: “rise with the lark” (早起), “lark about/around” (胡闹,闲逛)
联想:云雀 (Lark) 在清晨愉快地歌唱。所以早起的人叫 “lark”,而它的快乐歌声也让人联想到“嬉戏、好玩” (a lark)。
“Two schoolboys decided to hide their teacher’s chalk for a lark. They thought it was a brilliant prank until they realized the teacher had a backup box and gave them extra homework for their ‘larking about’.” (两个男学生决定为了好玩把老师的粉笔藏起来。他们觉得这是一个很棒的恶作剧,直到他们发现老师有一盒备用粉笔,并因为他们的“胡闹”而给了他们额外的作业。)