喜樂美語

核心畫面

Under the word there is a ring: a round space with everyone sitting around the edge, looking in. Fill that ring with and animals and you get the show; fill it with buildings and roads and you get a round London junction; leave it in ancient Rome and you get the racing arena. And if a real situation gets loud and enough, English says it has turned into one.

這個字底下藏著一個「圈」：一塊圓形的空地，所有人繞著坐在外圈往中間看。把圈裡放進特技演員和動物，就是馬戲團；把圈換成…更多收起這個字底下藏著一個「圈」：一塊圓形的空地，所有人繞著坐在外圈往中間看。把圈裡放進特技演員和動物，就是馬戲團；把圈換成建築和道路，就是倫敦那種圓環路口；把它留在古羅馬，就是賽車和表演的競技場。而現實中的場面如果吵鬧又愛作秀到某個程度，英文就說它變成了一個 circus。

From the word’s history

Etymonline: circus is Latin circus 'ring, circular line', which the Romans applied to their arenas and racing courses, from Greek kirkos 'a circle, a ring'. It was used of Roman amphitheatres from the late 14th century, of the modern performance arena from 1791, and the Piccadilly Circus type of place name comes from an early-18th-century sense 'buildings arranged in a ring; circular road'. The figurative 'lively uproar' sense is recorded from 1869.

Etymonline 記載：circus 就是拉丁文的 circus「圈、圓形的線」，羅馬人拿它來稱呼自己的競技場和賽道，再往上是希臘文 kirkos「圓、環」。十四世紀末用來指羅馬的圓形劇場，1791 年起指現代的表演場地；Piccadilly Circus 這類地名則來自十八世紀初「圍成一圈的建築、環形道路」的用法。「亂哄哄的場面」這個比喻義有 1869 年的紀錄。所以四個意思其實共用同一個「圓圈」。

Etymonline, entry "circus" (etymonline.com/word/circus)

From the picture

像馬戲團一樣的場面

借的是馬戲團的感覺：吵、亂、每個人都在表演給別人看。說一件事變成 circus，等於說它已經失控、變成一場秀。

chaotic scene · noun · B1

a situation with too much excitement, noise, or busy activity, often in a messy or showy way.

鬧哄哄的場面

圓形的場地

回到最原始的那個圈本身：不放表演，單指那塊圓形的空間——古羅馬的競技場，以及後來英國那種被建築圍成一圈的路口。

Roman arena · noun · B1

a place in ancient Rome with seats built in a circle, where people watched races and other big shows.

競技場

Also in this word

traveling show · noun · B1

A travelling group whose people and animals perform daring, skilful acts for audiences.

馬戲團

原始詞典資料9 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

circusnoun/ˈsɜːkəs/

  • 1

    A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent.

    • The circus will be in town next week.
  • 2

    A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet.

    • Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street.
  • 3

    A spectacle; a noisy fuss; a chaotic and/or crowded place.

    • The village would be turned into a circus over this. He groaned, it was just the sort of case the media had a field day over. He had to get the whole thing sorted fast before anyone got wind of it.
  • 4

    datedslangAn undertaking or arrangement.

    • "Right you are; I'll put him wise," undertook Nickle briskly. "After all, it's entirely your circus. Shall we stay here and—"
  • 5

    rareA group of puffins.

    • The circus of puffins were pictured by Alana Willox who was out on a walk at the Bullers of Buchan in Buchan, Aberdeenshire on Sunday.
    • A 'CIRCUS' of puffins will take flight to their new perches over the next few days, after their official unveiling at Government House.
  • 6

    historicalIn the ancient Roman Empire, a building for chariot racing.

  • 7

    governmentmilitarypoliticsA code name for bomber attacks with fighter escorts in the day time. The attacks were against short-range targets with the intention of occupying enemy fighters and keeping their fighter units in the area concerned.

  • 8

    obsoleteCircuit; space; enclosure.

    • The narrow circus of my dungeon wall.

circusverb/ˈsɜːkəs/

  • 1

    To take part in a circus; or to be displayed as if in a circus.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。