欢迎来到VOA在线收网 www.voa365.com
当前位置:VOA NEWS > VOA慢速英语 > 词汇掌故 >

Shark! Dangerous in the Water and in English

2017-06-04 16:34来源:未知

音频下载

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by Discovery Channel, a great white shark swims near Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico.
Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

 

On this weekly show, we tell about commonly used American expressions. By knowing these expressions, you can improve your ability to speak and understand American English.

 

Today, we go deep into the high seas to meet one of the most feared hunters in the ocean – the shark!

 

Sharks are large, usually gray saltwater fish. Unlike other creatures, they have a skeleton made of cartilage, not bones.

 

Sharks also have sharp teeth. They are known for being dangerous and eating whatever they want.

 

That’s in the water. On land, Americans use the word “shark” in a number of expressions. It’s no surprise that they all suggest some form of danger.

 

The word shark can be used to describe someone who is tricky and uses other people.

 

An example of this is the term loan shark. Loan sharks are people, not fish. They loan money at very high interest rates to others who need the money badly.

 

A “shark” can also be someone who is very good at something. However, they often use their skill to trick others. Sometimes we use this version of “shark” as a verb.

 

For example, let’s say you are skilled at playing the game of pool, also known as pocket billiards. In fact, you never lose a game. One night, you go to a pool hall and act like you are not a good player. You miss shot after shot on purpose. You invite another person to play a game. You play against them and lose. Then, you ask them to give you another chance. Not only that, you offer them money if they beat you a second time. The opponent happily accepts and, to be fair to you, makes the same offer. But you defeat them and win all the money.

 

In a situation like this, you are considered a pool shark and have “sharked” your opponent. But you had better leave. As at the beach, sharks are also not popular in a pool hall.

 

It goes without saying that sharks, whether in the water or on land, can be dangerous.

 

If you are swimming with sharks in the ocean, you might be in serious danger. And if you are swimming with sharks on land, you are spending time with the wrong crowd.

 

Let’s go back to the pool hall and our story about the pool shark. Imagine that the people whose money you won are not the nicest. They are criminals who are now angry at you for winning their money. You could say, based on this example, you are swimming with sharks.

 

If the sharks are circling, then someone is in danger and their enemies are preparing for the kill. When sharks smell blood in the water, they come and circle the wounded animal. The same can be said for people.

 

Let’s say you are at work and experience bad luck on a project or two. You are in danger of losing your job. Your co-workers may smell blood in the water. You could say the sharks have started circling. In this example, your mistakes are the blood and the sharks are your co-workers.

 

On the other hand, someone who is shark bait is not dangerous -- just the opposite.

 

Shark bait is one way of describing a person who swims in the ocean alone. For people who live at the beach, shark bait can also be an expression for someone who gets sunburned easily because they are not used to the bright sun.

 

But for everyone else, shark bait describes someone who is unsuspecting and easy to trick. Two great words that mean “shark bait” are naïve and gullible.

 

Now, to jump the shark is one of those idioms that doesn’t make much sense unless you know about its roots.

 

The expression “jump the shark” comes from the American television show “Happy Days.” This TV series was first broadcast in 1974 and continued until 1984.

 

In 1977, Fonzie -- the show’s most popular character -- jumped over a shark while waterskiing. It was a silly story. And years later, TV critics said this jumping the shark program was the beginning of the decline of “Happy Days.”

 

So, when Americans say something has “jumped the shark,” they mean it used to be popular or of high-quality, but no longer is. We also use this expression to describe something that has become silly or has no connection to reality. This expression usually refers to a TV show or the career of an artist or writer.

 

Not everyone believes that Pablo Picasso’s art jumped the shark later in his career. But some critics think that it did.

 

I hope we haven’t jumped the shark with today’s Words and Their Stories.


Words in This Story

 

 

skeleton n. the structure of bones that supports the body of a person or animal

 

cartilage n. a strong but flexible material found in some parts of the body (such as the nose, the outer ear, and some joints)

 

loann. an amount of money that is given to someone for a period of time with a promise that it will be paid back : an amount of money that is borrowed

 

naïve adj. having or showing a lack of experience or knowledge : innocent or simple

 

gullible adj. easily fooled or cheated : quick to believe something that is not true

 

beach n. an area covered with sand or small rocks that is next to an ocean or lake

 

decline v. to become worse in condition or quality

 

(责任编辑:v365)
最新新闻
  1. 网传日月光Q4产能利用率降至70%
  2. 新型存储器已经开始增长,到20
  3. 市场人士透露:联发科在汽车芯片
  4. 【VOA在线闲聊】三星收购Arm会步英
  5. Nikola召回迄今为止生产的93辆Nik
  6. 蚂蚁数科两项区块链专利完成一对
  7. 蔚来申请注册“NIO CERTIFIED 蔚来官
  8. 获小米超千万投资 改装车公司工
  9. 法拉第未来首款电动汽车FF 91再次
  10. 消息称LG显示计划明年生产920万块
  11. 宝马面向欧洲市场推出最小的跨界
  12. 美国副总统哈里斯承诺就电动汽车
  13. 知情人士透露称马斯克和推特CE
  14. 因苹果缩减订单 台积电或修改明
  15. LG推出一项新技术,以开放局域网
  16. 小米13正式上线:骁龙8Gen2发布1
  17. 米家3 KG迷你洗衣机售价699元
  18. 苹果公司官方非常兴奋:印度将生
  19. 中国广电在全国31个省区开通广电
  20. 华为 Mate 50 Pro国外上市:售价远高
  21. 特斯拉柏林超级工厂回收工厂发生
  22. 华为 Mate 50原价4999
  23. iPhone 14销售比上一代下降了11%
  24. 2021至2025中国台湾将投350亿元新台
  25. 华为Mate50Pro预定5 G芯片,苹果公司
  26. 锐龙7000核显性能实测 单核及多核
  27. 索尼PS5最新更新:6 nm制程功率与
  28. 华为会议马上就要开始了!一种全
  29. 小米再次成为了冠军!该系列产品
  30. 还能吸收病毒?!戴森首个产品也
  31. 小米又推出了一款新产品,售价
  32. Imagination携手百度飞桨创建Model
  33. 奔驰要不要再加价?2024将发布
  34. TikTok在英国或被罚款2900万美元 被
  35. iPhone15PM改用 ULTRA:笔记本和 iPa
  36. 因库存不断提升存储芯片持续降价
  37. 预计小米Civi2将推出五款新产品
  38. 可靠商务桌面电脑推荐:联想M4
  39. 受飓风影响:NASA撤回阿尔忒弥斯
  40. 《三体》影迷们疯狂了!
  41. 4090设计实在是太离谱了!
  42. Meta试图Facebook和Instagram账户添加到
  43. 苹果公司在技术上遭受重大挫折,
  44. 我国成功发射遥感三十六号卫星,
  45. 骁龙8Gen2+120 W快速充电!小米13系
  46. 屏幕下手机价格大跌,灵动岛安卓
  47. 亚马逊宣布下月举办新会员促销活
  48. 酷睿i9-13900K预告片,5.8 GHz稳定!
  49. 美国流媒体巨头Netflix宣布在芬兰
  50. 外科手术机器人 商业化将加快世