VOA慢速英语:Words and Their Stories: Hotheaded Hot Shot

Hot is a simple, easily understood word. So are most of the expressions made with the word hot. But not always, as we shall see.
Hot是一个非常简单易懂的单词。许多由hot组成的短语也是如此。而情况并不总是这样，我们来看一下。

The words hot potato, for example, give you no idea at all to the meaning of the expression, hot potato.
例如，hot potato这个短语，你从字面上完全看不出这个短语的意思。

The potato is a popular vegetable in the United States. Many people like baked potatoes, cooked in an oven or fire.  Imagine trying to carry a hot, baked potato in your hand. It would be difficult, even painful, to do so.
potato，马铃薯，在美国是一种非常受欢迎的蔬菜。许多人喜欢烘烤，在烤箱中烹调或烧烤。想象一下，用手拿着一个热的，刚刚出炉的马铃薯是什么感觉。肯定非常困难，甚至会感到疼痛。

Now we are getting close to the meaning of hot potato.
现在，我们已经接近hot potato这个短语的意思了。

Some publicly disputed issues are highly emotional. The issues must be treated carefully, or they will be difficult and painful if an elected official has to deal with them. As difficult and painful as holding a hot potato.
一些有争议的公众话题通常使人情绪高昂。这种问题必须谨慎处理，或者说，对于一个当选官员来说，处理这些问题非常困难，非常痛苦，就像拿着一个很热的马铃薯。

One such hot potato is taxes.
其中一个这样的烫手山芋就是税收问题。

Calling for higher taxes can mean defeat for a politician. And yet, if taxes are not raised, some very popular government programs could be cut. And that also can make a politician very unpopular. So the questions must be dealt with carefully, the same way you would handle any other hot potato.
要求增加税收对一个政治家来说意味着失败。然而，如果不提高税收，一些很受欢迎的政府项目则必须被削减。这也会使一个政治家不受欢迎。所以，这些问题必须谨慎处理，就好象你处理其他烫手山芋一样。

Another expression is not so hot. If you ask someone how she feels, she may answer "not so hot."  What she means is she does not feel well.
另外一个短语是not so hot，如果你问一个人她感觉怎样，她可能会回答“not so hot”。她的意思是说，感觉不是很好。

Not so hot also is a way of saying that you do not really like something. You may tell a friend that the new play you saw last night is not so hot. That means you did not consider it a success.
not so hot通常用来表达你感觉不是很喜欢某事物。你可能告诉一个朋友，你昨晚看的新话剧not so hot。意思是说，你认为这场话剧并不成功。

A hot shot is a person, often a young person, who thinks he can do anything. At least he wants to try. He is very sure he can succeed. But often he fails. The expression was born in the military forces. A hot shot was a soldier who fired without aiming carefully.
hot shot指的是一个人，通常是年轻人，他认为自己可以做任何事。至少他想去尝试。他非常确定自己能够成功，但是通常都失败了。这个短语产生于军队。hot shot指的是不认真瞄准就射击的士兵。

Hot is a word that is often used to talk about anger.
Hot也通常被用来描述愤怒。

A person who becomes angry easily is called a hothead. An angry person's neck often becomes red. We say he is hot under the collar. You could say that your friend is no hothead. But he got hot under the collar when someone took his radio.
一个很容易生气的人被叫做hothead。一个生气的人的脖子通常会变红。我们说他hot under the collar(非常愤怒)。你可以说，你的朋友不是一个很容易生气的人(hothead)。但是当有人拿了他的收音机时，他非常愤怒(hot under the collar)。

In nineteen sixty-three, hot line appeared as a new expression.
1963年，一个新的表达方式hot line出现。

The hot line was a direct communications link between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States. The hot line had an important purpose: to prevent accidental war between the two competitors during the period known as the Cold War. The American president and the Soviet leader were able to communicate directly and immediately on the hot line. This helped prevent any conflict during an international crisis.
这条热线(hot line)是苏联领导人和美国领导人之间的直接联系方式。这条热线的目的非常重要：防止冷战时期两个竞争者之间出现突发战争。美国总统和苏联领导人得以在热线电话上进行及时直接的对话。这帮助防止国际危机期间出现任何冲突。

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