從這個狂歡游戲不難看出brass ring 如何衍生出這個比喻意。Brass ring在這里用來比喻游戲參與者人人都可能實現(xiàn)的目標，只要他努力伸手去夠并且有好運氣。
對brass ring一詞出現(xiàn)的時間，不同的字典有不同的說法。Merriam-Webste 10th Collegiate詞典說brass ring出現(xiàn)在二十世紀五十年代，而Christine Ammer's 編撰的The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms則認為19世紀晚期就出現(xiàn)了這個短語。兩種說法相去甚遠。
據(jù)目前我們掌握的材料來看，這個比喻用法在1959年首次出現(xiàn)， "'I guess I never got with it,' he told himself aloud, 'and the only times I saw the brass ring it was going so fast I couldn't grab it'"（《星期六晚報》），brass ring并沒用引號圈起來，說明它可能是新造的詞。
THE GREAT FRENCH CAROUSEL ORGANS (RCA ). The plaintive melodies and the sounds of fife and drum are transformed into a joyous cascade by the pipes of the mechanical organ. No instrument could be less solemn. It's not so much the sounds of Rossini's "Thieving Magpie Overture" or a swinging "Valencia" we hear as those of children's laughter when the world was young and the brass ring there for the grabbing.
(中國日報網(wǎng)站譯)
Go to Other Sections
Story Tools
Copyright by chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved
版權聲明：未經(jīng)中國日報網(wǎng)站許可，任何人不得復制本欄目內容。如需轉載請與本網(wǎng)站聯(lián)系。
None of this material may be used for any commercial or public use. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
