(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
Our expression today is "getting down to brass tacks." It means to get serious about something, to get to the bottom of the situation. For example, a man may say, "I want to work for you. But how much will you pay me?" He is getting down to brass tacks. Or a woman may ask, "You say you love me. Will you marry me?" She, too, is getting down to brass tacks.
How did this expression get started?
There are several ideas...
At one time most women made their own clothes, buying the cloth in small stores. The material was kept in large rolls. And the storekeeper cut off as much as a woman wanted. Brass tacks along his work table helped him measure the exact amount.
Sometimes a busy storekeeper might try to guess how much material to cut off. But this would not be correct. He could get an exact measure only by laying the material down along the brass tacks.
One word expert, however, has another theory. He believes the expression came from seamen who cleaned the bottoms of boats. Strong heavy devices called bolts held the ship's bottom together. These bolts were made of copper. The seaman had to clean the ship down to the copper bolts. American speech soon changed the words copper bolts into brass tacks.
Another idea is that the expression began when furniture was made by hand. Brass tacks were used around the bottom part of the chair. The brass tacks showed that the chair was built to be strong. When something went wrong with the chair, someone quickly examined the bottom to discover the trouble. In other words, someone got down to the brass tacks.
No one is sure where the expression first was used, but everyone is sure what it means today. It is used by people who dislike empty words. They seek quick, direct answers. They want to get to the bottom of a situation. There are others, however, who have no such desire. They feel there is some risk in trying to get down to brass tacks.
This happened in the case of a critic who made the mistake of reading a play written by a close friend. The critic disliked the play a lot. He felt his friend should not be writing plays. But he said nothing. This silence troubled the writer. He demanded that his friend the critic say something about the play. The writer finally heard the critic's opinion. And this "getting down to brass tacks" ended a long friendship.
This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Mike Pitts.I'm Warren Scheer.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.brass tacks 基本事实；事实真相；黄铜平头钉
Never mind the side issues, let's get down to brass tacks and thrash out a basic agreement.
别管枝节问题，让我们讨论问题的实质，以求得基本一致。
2.bolt n. 螺栓，螺钉；闪电，雷电；门闩；弩箭
He tightened the bolt up slowly.
他慢慢拧紧螺钉。
3.critic n. 批评家，评论家；爱挑剔的人
Mather was a film critic for many years.
马瑟做过多年的电影评论家。
内容解析
1.It means to get serious about something, to get to the bottom of the situation.
get to the bottom of 弄清真相
We must get to the bottom of the matter.
我们必须弄清这件事的内情。
She got suspicious and decided to get to the bottom of it.
她起了疑惑，便决定弄个水落石出。
2.She, too, is getting down to brass tacks.
get down to brass tacks 讨论实质问题；转入正题
Never mind the side issues, let's get down to brass tacks and thrash out a basic agreement.
别管枝节问题，让我们讨论问题的实质，以求得基本一致。
Let's get down to brass tacks.
让我们言归正传吧。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故。
今天的一个表达是getting down to brass tacks(言归正传)，意思是严肃对待某事，深入了解。比如，一个男人会说，“我想为你工作，但你会给我付多少薪水呢？”他这就是在言归正传。或者一名女子问，“你说你爱我，那你会跟我结婚吗？”她也是在言归正传。
这个表达是什么来历呢？
这里有几个不同观点。
以前大多数妇女都在小店里买布料自己制作衣服，布料通常卷成大卷，店主剪下妇女们想要的长度。桌子上的铜钉帮助店主测量精确的长度。
有时繁忙的店主会尝试猜着要剪下多少，但这样可能不精确。沿着桌子上的一排铜钉才能精确地测量长度。
然而有位词汇专家提出了另一个理论，他认为这个表达来自清理船底的水手。坚固的螺钉将船的底部钉在一起，这种螺钉是铜制的。水手得一直清理到铜钉的位置，美国语言里随后把copper bolts改为brass tacks。
另一个说法认为这个表达出现时，家具还是手工打造的。椅子的底部周围顶上铜钉，铜钉说明椅子很坚固，当椅子出问题时，就有人很快检查底部来找问题。也就是说，有人get down to brass tacks(言归正传)。
没人确定这个表达最初来自哪里，但如今大家都知道它的意思。那些不喜欢空谈的人会用这个表达，他们寻求快速直接的答案，希望深入了解。不过还有人不喜欢这样，他们觉得言归正传会冒险。
这种情况发生在一位批评家身上，他在阅读密友写的剧本上犯了错。这位批评家很不喜欢这个剧本，他觉得朋友不该写剧本。但他没说什么，他的沉默令作者苦恼。他坚持要批评家朋友就剧本说些什么，这位作者最后听到了批评家的意见。这种“言归正传”就结束了这段漫长的友谊。
这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故，作者麦克·皮特斯，我是沃伦·希尔。
