核心畫面

A model that works well: coolness is the quality of being a few degrees below warm — the air on your skin when you step into the shade, or the side of the pillow you turn over to. It is not the pain of cold; it is the pleasant absence of heat. Almost every other meaning is that same lowered temperature moved from the skin to feelings, faces, colours, or style.

溫度比「溫熱」低那麼幾度的感覺——走進樹蔭時皮膚上那陣舒服的空氣,或是把枕頭翻面時碰到的那一側。它不是冷到刺痛的那種更多收起溫度比「溫熱」低那麼幾度的感覺——走進樹蔭時皮膚上那陣舒服的空氣,或是把枕頭翻面時碰到的那一側。它不是冷到刺痛的那種冷,而是「熱被抽走了」的舒服。coolness 這個字的其他意思,大多是把這個「降了幾度」的感覺從皮膚搬到情緒、表情、顏色或風格上:情緒降幾度就是冷靜,臉色降幾度就是冷淡,顏色偏藍綠就是冷色。

From the word’s history

Old English cōlnes "coolness, cool air, a breeze" — the noun was already about moving cool air on the skin before it ever described a person's manner.

古英語 cōlnes 本來就是「涼意、涼空氣、微風」,也就是說這個名詞一開始講的就是皮膚感受到的那股涼——後來才被拿去講一個人的態度或風格。這條線索剛好支持我們把「涼爽」當成整個字的起點。

Wiktionary, entry "coolness" (Middle English colnes < Old English cōlnes "coolness; cool air, breeze")

Five branches

皮膚上的涼——溫度本身

這一族就是核心畫面本身:實際的低溫,以及讓低溫發生的東西。

coolness, mild cold · noun · C1

The nice, slightly cold feeling of air, water, a place, or a surface — not warm, and not so cold that it hurts.

涼爽

情緒的溫度降下來

英文常把激動的情緒說成「熱」(heated argument、hot temper)。既然如此,把溫度往下調就成了不激動——核心那股涼原封不動地搬進了心裡。

coolness, composure · noun · C1

How steady you stay in your feelings when something hard happens, without getting nervous, upset, or too excited.

冷靜

風格上的酷

從「不激動」再往前走一步:一個人不急著討好、不用力表現,那種鎮定看起來就很有魅力,於是 cool 從溫度變成了對風格的最高評價。

coolness, stylishness · noun · C1

The quality of looking or seeming stylish, interesting, or attractive in a way that people admire.

酷/有型

顏色的涼

顏色沒有溫度,但我們看到藍綠會想到水、樹蔭、清晨,於是核心那股涼被眼睛借去用了。

coolness, of a color · noun · C1

The quality of a colour such as blue or green that makes you think of water, shade, or other cool things.

冷色感

只活在片語裡的「整整」

這一支跟溫度的關係已經很淡,靠的是說話的態度:講一個大數字卻不動聲色,用那份鎮定反襯出數字有多驚人。

a cool million · noun · C1

A surprisingly large amount of money, said with a cool number such as a cool million — this pattern uses the adjective, not the noun coolness.

整整(一筆)

原始詞典資料5 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。

coolnessnoun/ˈkuːlnəs/

  • 1

    Moderate chilliness.

    • I know a place of all sweet coolnesses; / a little island, like an emerald, set / in the clear argent of a river, that is / Itself a shining net
    • Surely there is between human kind and trees a kinship immemorial, antedating the fret and fever of the nerves, bringing old coolnesses to serve as refuge, making us know the time when spring was no torment, autumn no regret.
  • 2

    Calmness, confidence, or level-headedness.

    • De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?
    • Luckily for England, they have a world-class striker with a golden touch in [Harry] Kane, who was coolness personified to carefully direct in the winner.
  • 3

    datedConflict or hostility or an instance of such that stands in contrast to expected friendliness or interest.

    • In the midst of enemies, Irish and English, Court treacheries and coolnesses, Strafford depended solely upon Laud, and no one other support.
    • "These things are certainly very annoying," said Belinda. "I've often experienced similar affairs. But, in my case, no doubt they were explainable. My tongue does run away with me sometimes," she concluded, with an engaging smile. I laughed. Belinda and her friends and coolnesses were a standing joke.
  • 4

    Indifference or an instance of indifference; lack of friendliness or interest not necessarily rising to hostility.

    • A regulatory backstop would still be needed, however, because the problem can cut both ways – that is, the utility can also exhibit coolness toward aspects of water conservation. In Kingston, members of [the] local council felt that they lacked sufficient influence over the utility (a municipal corportation) to advance a conservation agenda. At the same time, utility staff had difficulty harmonizing water rates due to council resistance (see Chapter 4).
  • 5

    slangSocial advantage or enviability, typically due to traits like popularity, confidence, skill, or fashion.

    • When I argue that Beverly Hills, 90210 makes use of 'An Americana Cool,' then I mean to propose that the show makes use of a wide variety of culturally codified coolness(es) that is/are anchored in a mainstream American symbology, in an Americana of patterned American styles, gestures, and codes.

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