2023年02月05日 VOA慢速英语：自由自在

 

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
现在，来自 VOA Learning English的 Words and Their Stories 。
 
English has many idioms to express close connections. If two people are extremely close and do everything together, we say they are joined at the hip. If two people are very similar to each other, we say they are two peas in a pod. And when two people marry, we say they tied the knot.
英语中有许多表达密切联系的习语。如果两个人非常亲密并且一起做所有事情，我们说他们joined at hip。如果两个人非常相似，我们说他们是一个豆荚里的两颗豌豆。当两个人结婚时，我们说他们喜结连理。
 
If you are tied down, that means there are important things you must do, and those things prevent you from doing something else. For example, you can be tied down by your employment or some other tasks. You can be tied down for an afternoon, a week, a month, or for years, depending on the situation.
如果你被束缚了，那就意味着你必须做一些重要的事情，而这些事情会阻止你做其他事情。例如，您可能会被工作或其他一些任务所束缚。根据情况，您可能会被束缚一个下午、一周、一个月或几年。
 
For example, you might say, "I'm going to be tied down here for the next few hours." But you might also say, "He didn't get married because he didn't want to get tied down." In this second example, tied down refers to a long period of time.
例如，你可能会说，“接下来的几个小时我会被绑在这里。” 但你也可以说，“他没有结婚是因为他不想被束缚。” 在第二个例子中，束缚指的是很长一段时间。
 
But what about those people who haven't tied the knot and are not tied down? What expression can we use to describe them?
但是那些没有结婚的人又没有被束缚呢？我们可以用什么表达来形容他们呢？
 
The following exchange gives the answer:
下面的交流给出了答案：
 
A: I think Michael would be a great match for Ellen.
A：我认为迈克尔非常适合艾伦。
 
B: I think he would too, but I don't think he's ready. Maybe in a few years.
B：我想他也会，但我认为他还没有准备好。也许几年后。
 
A: You think he's too young?
A：你觉得他太年轻了？
 
B: Not really, it's just that he doesn't want to be tied down. He wants to travel and be, you know, footloose and fancy-free.
B:不是，只是他不想被束缚。他想去旅行，你知道，他想自由自在、无拘无束。
 
A: Sounds kind of nice, actually!
答：实际上听起来不错！
 
Footloose and fancy-free means that you do not have serious commitments. It expresses freedom and being without serious worries. Some people may connect the expression with young people who do not yet have serious responsibilities in their lives.
自由自在和无拘无束意味着你没有严肃的承诺。它表达了自由和无忧无虑。有些人可能会将这个表达与尚未在生活中承担重大责任的年轻人联系起来。
 
American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster says the first known use of fancy-free dates to 1590 and first meant being free from romantic attachment. The first known use of footloose came in 1650. In the 1800s, footloose and fancy-free were combined into one expression in American English.
美国词典出版商 Merriam-Webster表示，已知的第一个使用fancy-free日期的日期是 1590 年，首先意味着没有浪漫依恋。footloose 的第一个已知用法出现在 1650 年。在 1800 年代，footloose 和 fancy-free在美式英语中合二为一。
 
Footloose and fancy-free is the title of numerous songs, and Footloose was a popular American musical film released in 1984. The movie is about a teenager who moves to a small town where dancing is not permitted. But the teenager wants to dance and set his feet free.
Footloose and fancy-free 是无数歌曲的名字，而Footloose 是 1984 年上映的一部流行的美国音乐电影。这部电影讲述了一个少年搬到一个不允许跳舞的小镇的故事。但是这个少年想跳舞并放开他的脚。
 
Whether you're feeling tied down or footloose and fancy-free, that's it for this week's Words and Their Stories.
无论您是感到束缚还是自由自在，无拘无束，这就是本周的词汇和故事。