核心畫面

One way to hold it: something rotting. Meat left too long, water full of waste — the smell hits you first and your whole body says get away.

「腐壞」:放太久的肉、積了廢水的溝、悶了一整年沒開窗的房間。這個字最原始的感覺是嗅覺上的——先聞到,然後整個人本能地更多收起「腐壞」:放太久的肉、積了廢水的溝、悶了一整年沒開窗的房間。這個字最原始的感覺是嗅覺上的——先聞到,然後整個人本能地往後退。所以 foul 從來不是中性的「髒」(那是 dirty),它一定帶著讓人反胃、想避開的那一層。英文說 a foul smell,你聽到的不只是「有味道」,而是「臭到你不想待在這裡」。這個由腐壞引發的排斥反應,就是後面所有意思共通的底。

From the word’s history

From Old English fūl "rotten, stinking, unclean, corrupt", from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz; the same root gives the verb fūlian "to rot, decay". Related to filth and to foul's cousin in other Germanic languages.

古英語 fūl 就是「腐爛的、發臭的、不潔的」,來自原始日耳曼語 *fūlaz;同一個根也長出動詞 fūlian(腐爛、變質)。也就是說形容詞和動詞其實是同一棵樹的兩根枝:一個講「東西是腐壞的狀態」,一個講「把東西弄成那樣」。跟 filth(污穢)同源。

Wiktionary, "foul" (adj. ← Old English fūl ← Proto-West Germanic *fūl; verb ← Old English fūlian ← Proto-Germanic *fūlāną "to rot, decay")

Four branches

腐壞與污濁:讓人想閃開的髒

這一族是核心畫面的字面用法:真的髒、真的臭、真的讓人不想靠近。從食物的味道,到空氣和水的狀態,再到「把它弄成這樣」的動作。

bad-smelling · adjective · C1

Having a very bad smell or taste, often because something is rotting or full of waste.

惡臭/難吃

難以忍受的人與天氣:從鼻子搬到情緒

腐壞引發的是「避開」的直覺,這一族把那個直覺保留下來,只是換了對象:不再是聞起來難受,而是待起來難受。

bad-tempered · adjective · C1

If someone is in a foul mood or a foul temper, they are very angry and likely to get angry with people around them.

壞心情

髒話:讓人聽了不舒服的語言

同樣的排斥反應搬到耳朵上:話一出口,聽的人像聞到什麼一樣退開。中文說「髒話」用的正是同一個比喻,所以這個連結對中文母語者特別好記。

obscene, rude language · adjective · C1

Rude and shocking — used about words that offend or upset other people.

下流

運動犯規:把乾淨的比賽弄髒

從「髒」延伸到「不乾淨的行為」:運動英文用 fair 和 foul 這組老對立,fair 是清、foul 是濁,所以違規和界外都歸到 foul 這邊。這不是硬拉的比喻——英文很早就有 by fair means or foul(不擇手段)這種用法,「不乾淨的做法」這層意思在運動之前就存在了。

commit a foul (sport) · verb · C1

If a player fouls another player, they hold, block, or touch them in a way the sport does not allow.

犯規

原始詞典資料25 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。

fouladj詞源 1/faʊl/

  • 1

    Covered with, or containing unclean matter; dirty.

    • This cloth is too foul to use as a duster.
    • His foul hands got dirt all over the kitchen.
  • 2

    Obscene, vulgar or abusive.

    • The rascal spewed forth a series of foul words.
    • His foul language causes many people to believe he is uneducated.
  • 3

    Detestable, unpleasant, loathsome.

    • He has a foul set of friends.
    • […]Hast thou forgot / The foul witch Sycorax, who with age and envy / Was grown into a hoop? Hast thou forgot her?
  • 4

    Disgusting, repulsive; causing disgust.

    • This foul food is making me retch.
    • There was a foul smell coming from the toilet.
  • 5

    obsoleteUgly; homely; poor.

    • Let us, like merchants, show our foulest wares.
  • 6

    Unpleasant, stormy or rainy. (of the weather)

    • Some foul weather is brewing.
    • So foul a sky clears not without a storm.
  • 7

    Dishonest or not conforming to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc.

    • Foul play is not suspected.
  • 8

    nauticaltransportEntangled and therefore restricting free movement, not clear.

    • We've got a foul anchor.
    • A rope could get foul while it is being paid out.
另外 2 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    engineeringnatural-sciencesphysical-sciences(with "of") Positioned on, in, or near enough to (a specified area) so as to obstruct it.

    • The bus had stopped just foul of the north track at the Erindale Station Road public railway crossing […] With the bus stationary, but still foul of the north track, the train struck one of its front mirrors.
    • Ten of the freight train's wagons had derailed, two of them foul of the Down Fast. At 2308, the TPO struck one of them, causing the locomotive (86239) to jack-knife and turn so that it was almost touching the end wall of a house in The Russetts, a new-build row that sat close to the line.
  • 10

    ball-gamesbaseballgamesOutside of the base lines; in foul territory.

    • Jones hit foul ball after foul ball.

foulverb詞源 2/faʊl/

  • 1

    To make dirty.

    • to foul the face or hands with mire
    • She's fouled her diaper.
  • 2

    To besmirch.

    • He's fouled his reputation.
  • 3

    To obstruct, block, or otherwise interfere with (something), for example by clogging (a drain, gun barrel, chimney, etc) or by being in the way of (a gunshot, etc).

    • The hair has fouled the drain.
    • The recent opening of the bridge at the south end of Lincoln Station has enabled trains to take water there without fouling the level crossings at both ends of the platforms.
  • 4

    nauticaltransportTo entangle.

    • The kelp has fouled the prop.
    • The Indian's heart was sore for his boat; it looked as if nothing could save her. She was drifting more slowly now, her propeller fouled in kelp.
  • 5

    ball-gamesbasketballgamesTo make make a play, such as a strong contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage, that is deemed by the referee to have contravened the rules.

    • Smith fouled him hard.
    • The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot.
  • 6

    ball-gamesbasketballgamesTo commit a foul.

    • Smith fouled within the first minute of the quarter.
    • State begins fouling and UCLA misses a couple of front-end free throws on one-and-ones.
  • 7

    ball-gamesbaseballgamesTo hit outside of the baselines.

    • Jones fouled the ball off the facing of the upper deck.
  • 8

    ball-gamesbaseballgamesTo hit a ball outside of the baselines.

    • Jones fouled for strike one.
另外 3 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    To become clogged.

    • The drain fouled.
  • 10

    To become entangled.

    • The prop fouled on the kelp.
  • 11

    To come into contact or collide with.

    • The full capacity, however, requires a hopper of a size that takes the wagon body up to 11ft 11½in above rail level, which would foul many existing colliery screens.

foulnoun詞源 2/faʊl/

  • 1

    hobbieslifestylesportsA breach of the rules of a game, especially one involving inappropriate contact with an opposing player in order to gain an advantage; for example, tripping someone up in soccer, or contact of any kind in basketball.

    • A second Norwich goal in four minutes arrived after some dire Newcastle defending. Gosling gave the ball away with a sloppy back-pass, allowing Crofts to curl in a cross that the unmarked Morison powered in with a firm, 12-yard header. Gosling's plight worsened when he was soon shown a red card for a foul on Martin.
    • Even though we were swept, we did outstat the Fast Breakers in one category: they had six technical fouls for the series (three for Bibby, two for Matthews, and one for Shouse), and we totaled nine (three each for Mannion and me, one each for Jose Slaughter, Lewis, and Lamp).
  • 2

    bowlinghobbieslifestyleA (usually accidental) contact between a bowler and the lane before the bowler has released the ball.

  • 3

    ball-gamesbaseballgamesA foul ball, a ball which has been hit outside of the base lines.

    • Jones hit a foul up over the screen.
  • 4

    fishinghobbieslifestyleA tangle or entanglement.

    • The baits are now cast clear of the boat, the lead being thrown into the water away from them; for if dropped on the snood, as I have seen done by many unthinking persons who have only been accustomed to chopstick lines, a foul is the natural result.

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