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美國生活用語：cheese起司與 cream 鮮奶油
1⃣ big cheese
2⃣ cut the cheese
3⃣ say cheese
4⃣ have more holes than Swiss cheese
5⃣ cream of the crop
6⃣ the cream always rises to the top
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Last time we talked about milk and butter, but what about other dairy products? Are there idioms related to things like cheese and cream? Of course!
我們上次聊了牛奶跟奶油，那其他的乳製品呢？有沒有跟起司和鮮奶油之類有關的生活用語？當然有！
Cheese is an important source of protein, 1⃣ and the “big cheese” is an important person, i.e. the boss. Ex: If you want a raise, you have to talk to the big cheese. Some cheeses, like Limburger and Camembert, have strong, unpleasant smells. 2⃣ So can you guess what “cut the cheese” means? If you guessed “to fart,” you’re right! Ex: All right—who cut the cheese?
起司是很重要的蛋白質來源，而big cheese可以指「大人物」，也就是老闆。如：If you want a raise, you have to talk to the big cheese.（如果你想加薪，就要跟老大談。）有些如林堡起司或康門貝爾起司，具有強烈的臭味，所以你大概就能猜到cut the cheese的意思了吧？如果你猜的是「放屁」，恭喜你猜對了！All right—who cut the cheese? （好吧──這屁誰放的？）
3⃣ Have you ever noticed that your mouth curves upward when you say “cheese”? This is why photographers tell people to “say cheese” before they take their photo. Ex: OK, everybody, say cheese! And you’ve probably noticed how Swiss cheese is full of holes. 4⃣ But what does the phrase “have more holes than Swiss cheese” mean? It means something has lots of problems, or lacks many things. Ex: The plot of that movie has more holes than Swiss cheese.
你有注意過當你說cheese的時候嘴角會上揚嗎？這是為什麼拍照時攝影者都會要你say cheese。如：OK, everybody, say cheese!（好，各位說cheese！）你或許也發現了，瑞士起司總是一堆洞，所以片語have more holes than Swiss cheese（比瑞士起司還更多洞）到底是什麼意思？它指「有很多問題或缺陷」。如：The plot of that movie has more holes than Swiss cheese.（這部電影的劇情缺陷比瑞士起司上的洞還多。）
And how about cream? Cream is the richest part of milk, and it rises to the top. So when you say something is the 5⃣ “cream of the crop,” it means it’s the very best of a group of people or things. Ex: The professors at Harvard are the cream of the crop. 6⃣ We also say, “the cream always rises to the top,” which means that the most competent person wins or succeeds in the end. Ex: I’m sure our team will win the Super Bowl, because the cream always rises to the top.
那鮮奶油呢？鮮奶油是牛奶中最為濃郁的部份，浮在上方，所以當你說某東西是cream of the crop，就是指該事物是「群體中最精華的部份」或「菁英」，如：The professors at Harvard are the cream of the crop.（哈佛教授都是菁英。）我們也會講the cream always rises to the top，指「有能力的人最終會獲得勝利」。如：I’m sure our team will win the Super Bowl, because the cream always rises to the top.（我相信我們球隊最後會贏得超級杯，因為我們是菁英中的菁英。）
【✍關鍵單字】
1. raise「加薪」：當名詞時指「加薪」。當動詞有許多意思，如「養育（孩子或動物），種植」：The kid was raised by her grandparents. ；「募款」：raise funds；「增加、提高」：raise taxes、raise my voice、raise your hand。
2. rise「上升，升起；上漲」：當動詞，為不及物動詞。
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