VOA慢速英语:Words and Their Stories: Water Expressions

Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.
关于水的表达几乎和水本身一样常见，但很多含有水的表达却有不愉快之意。

The expression ”to be in hot water” is one of them. It is a very old expression. “Hot water” was used five-hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.
英语中有to be in hot water（遇到麻烦；陷于困境）的表达。实际上，早在500年前，英文中便出现了hot water的说法，用来指“困境”。据说这样的用法起源于古代，当敌人袭击一座城堡时，城堡里的人会将滚烫的开水泼向敌人。

That no longer happens.  But we still get in “hot water.”  When we are in “hot water,” we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble -- serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.
　　现在这样的传统不复存在了，但我们仍会get in hot water（惹上麻烦）。当我们使用in hot water的表达方式时，表明我们遇到了麻烦。它可能是任何种类的麻烦：严重的、没那么严重的。违法者可能会与警察闹纠纷；一个男孩子如果穿着脏兮兮、湿漉漉的鞋子进家门，会给妈妈惹很多麻烦。

Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head.
Being in deep water（陷入困境）与being in hot water意思相近。当你in deep water时，表明你陷入困境了。设想一个水没过了头顶、却游不到岸的游泳者，你就会有所体会。

You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. The problem is too deep. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.
当你面对一个你没有能力解决的问题时，你同样in deep water。因为这个问题对你来说太深了。打个比方，如果你对股票市场一无所知，却投资股票市场，你也可能in deep water

“To keep your head above water” is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.
To keep your head above water（避免破产; 保住自己）是一种饶有趣味的表达方法，意思是staying out of debt（力求免于欠债）。一家可以keep its head above water的公司能够挺过经济困难时期。

“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.
Water over the dam（既成事实）是一个有关过去事件的表达。它是一些已经结束或做过了的，无法更改的事情。这个表达源自这样一种概念：流过水坝的水再也无法收回。

When a friend is troubled by a mistake she has made, you might tell her to forget about it. You say it is water over the dam.
当一个朋友被一个他犯下的错误困扰时，你可能会告诉他忘了它吧！这时你说这个错误是water over the dam。

Another common expression, “to hold water,” is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it.
另一个常见的表达是to hold water（站得住脚；合情合理），事关一个想法、观点或论点有力与否。该表达可能来自测试容器状况的方法。如果这个容器能装水，它就是坚固的。人们也用这个表达来描述一个想法或论点。

If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and not worth debating.
如果这个论点能够hold water，它就是没有任何漏洞的，可靠而有说服力的。如果它没能hold water，那它就是不可靠且无法证明的。

“Throwing cold water” also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife “throws cold water” on the idea because she says a new car costs too much.
Throwing cold water（泼冷水）也是一个涉及想法或建议的表达。它的意思是not to like an idea（不喜欢某个主意）。例如，你想买一台新电脑，以便能在家做事情。但你妻子却对你的这个想法throws cold water，因为电脑太贵了。