核心畫面

Go down inside a boat, past the deck, past the cabin, until you cannot go any lower. The floor curves outward here, and whatever has leaked in over the last month is lying in it: old water, a little oil, a smell. That low curved space is the bilge. Hold on to two features of it — it is the very bottom, and what gathers there is the stuff nobody wants. Both features are still working in the word's rude second meaning.

可以想成往船裡一直往下走:過了甲板,過了船艙,走到不能再低的地方。那裡的底板往外鼓出一個弧度,這一個月漏進來的東西全更多收起可以想成往船裡一直往下走:過了甲板,過了船艙,走到不能再低的地方。那裡的底板往外鼓出一個弧度,這一個月漏進來的東西全躺在裡面——舊水、一點油、一股味道。那塊又低又彎的空間就是 bilge。記住它的兩個特徵:它在最底下,而且積在那裡的都是沒人要的東西。這兩點在它罵人的第二個意思裡都還在運作。

From the word’s history

The source entry says bilge is likely derived from bulge, and compares Middle English bulgen (to ground or scuttle a ship).

來源資料說 bilge 很可能來自 bulge(鼓出來),並拿中古英文的 bulgen 作比較。這正好解釋了核心畫面裡那個弧度:船底往外鼓的那一圈。同一個理由下,木桶最寬的那一圈在英文裡也叫 bilge。

Wiktionary extract supplied in packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:531156908:13901)

Two branches

船最底下那塊地方

這一支就是那個空間本身,包含它的形狀、它的位置,以及積在裡面的水。

noun · C2

The wide, rounded bottom part of a ship, especially the lowest space inside it, where any water that leaks or splashes in collects. It is often used in the plural: the bilges.

船底;艙底

沉在底下、不值得聽的話

把「最低處那灘沒人要的髒水」整個搬去形容一段話,就得到這一支;這是比喻上的連結,不是另一條字源。

noun · C2

Talk or writing that is silly and not worth listening to. The source marks it old-fashioned and informal, so older speakers may still use it while most people now say rubbish, nonsense or garbage.

廢話;胡說八道