2009年7月21日 星期二

蛋糕

The Teacher 在之前一篇網誌的回應中,提到諺語 You can't have your cake and eat it (魚與熊掌),忽然令栗子妹想起一個真實個案:話說小栗是蛋糕癡,十分喜歡吃蛋糕,可惜胃口有限,每次只能吃一件。於是每次站在蛋糕櫃前,都不住掙扎:到底該吃藍莓芝士蛋糕,還是綠茶紅豆蛋糕好呢?不知這種可算是「魚與熊掌」的新解?


提起蛋糕,不期然想起新鮮出爐的蛋糕仔 (fairy cakes),嘩,那種口感真是無與倫比,好味到不得了!不知是否這樣,所以西人以 go/sell like hot cakes 來說熱賣產品?


另一個讓栗疑惑的習慣用語是 a piece of cake,為甚麼這句會解作「輕而易舉」呢?焗蛋糕可不是易事啊!還有就是 take the cake,怎麼這句會解作「空前驚人、極其討厭」?!


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補充資料


1. 另一些關於蛋糕的習慣用語:
- a slice/share of the cake
:應得之份 (金錢、利益等)
- the icing on the cake
:錦上添花


2. cake 可作動詞用,解作「覆蓋」,例:
Her shoes were caked with mud. (
她的鞋子滿是泥濘。)


5 則留言:

  1. 依稀記得,cake 作形容詞,如 anti-caking agent ,這裡的 caking 作凝固的意思?
    [版主回覆08/19/2009 20:50:00]對呀,乏言先生。不過先生這樣一提,倒讓我想起另一個問題來。因為查字典,cake 只有名詞和動詞兩個詞性,所以若要依足字典分類,anti-caking agent 中的 cake,該算動詞。
    之前查字典,發覺 mismatch 和 endanger 也有類似分類,十分吃驚。因為我一直以為 endangered 是形容詞,但原來牛津字典根本沒收錄這個字!

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  2. The full expression is "You can't have your cake and eat it too", which, literally, does not connect with  魚與熊掌 .  Some scholars speculate that it might have been "You can't eat your cake and have it too", which would be  魚與熊掌 .
     
    I'll speculate on the origin of "piece of cake".  Westerners love desserts, even when they're full.  So a piece of cake would suggest it's very easy to eat, even after a big meal. 
    [版主回覆08/19/2009 20:56:00]Teacher: According to my Oxford dictionary, it's alright to omit 'too' in British English.  (OK, OK, I missed the word when I typed this entry )
    Why would 'You can't eat your cake and have it too' be 魚與熊掌 but not the other way round?
    I like your explanation of 'piece of cake'. Thanks!

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  3. 我真是要試一下天使蛋糕, 真的很好味?
    [版主回覆08/19/2009 20:57:00]祈櫻子:我倒是聽說過魔鬼蛋糕很好吃,不過現在好像沒得賣了~~~

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  4. 栗子妹:這不算是魚與熊掌,只能算是該吃與不該吃 ....  所以說栗子妹真是才華滿溢,講食蛋糕也可以講出許多蛋糕的題外話
    [版主回覆08/19/2009 20:59:00]慧行先生又在讚自己人,會給人笑話呢
    說起來,很久沒見先生了,先生一切還好吧?

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  5. Ok, if you have a cake, then you can eat it.  So literal people wonder why one cannot have a cake, and then eat it.
    However, after you eat the cake, you won't have it anymore.  So if the saying is "you can't eat the cake and have it too", literal people wouldn't consider it to be odd.
    Did I explain it properly?
     

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