核心畫面

One way to hold the word: a face pulling . The come down over the eyes, the forehead gathers into lines, the mouth turns down at the corners. Nothing is said, but everyone nearby has already received the message. Everything scowl does grows out of that one downward-pulled face — the act of making it, the face itself once it is there, and, in stories, a sky that seems to be wearing it.

可以想成一張往下拉的臉:眉毛壓到眼睛上,額頭擠出摺痕,嘴角垂下來。一句話都沒說,旁邊的人卻已經收到訊息了。scowl更多收起可以想成一張往下拉的臉:眉毛壓到眼睛上,額頭擠出摺痕,嘴角垂下來。一句話都沒說,旁邊的人卻已經收到訊息了。scowl 的各種用法都像從這張臉長出來——做出這個表情、這個表情本身,還有在小說裡,一片好像戴著這張臉的天空。

From the word’s history

Middle English scowlen, probably from a North Germanic source; compare Danish and Norwegian skule, to scowl. The word has named this face, and not a sound or a gesture, for as long as we can trace it.

中古英文 scowlen,來源可能是北歐日耳曼語支,可以比較丹麥文、挪威文的 skule(怒視)。從有紀錄以來,這個字指的就是這張臉,不是聲音也不是動作。

Wiktionary (kaikki extract) scowl, etymology 1: 'From Middle English scowlen, scoulen, skoulen … probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Danish skule, Norwegian skule.' source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:662598775

Two branches

人臉上的怒氣

這一組就是核心畫面本身,只是分成「做這個表情」和「這個表情」兩種說法。

verb · B2

To make an angry or unhappy face at someone or something, with your eyebrows pulled down and the corners of your mouth turned down.

怒視;板著臉

天色與建築的陰沉

把那張臉借給沒有臉的東西。烏雲壓在頭上時的壓迫感,和一個人板著臉站在你面前很像,所以作者直接用同一個字。這是寫作上的比喻,不是說這個意思比較古老。

verb · C2

Used in writing about the sky, clouds, hills or buildings: to look dark and threatening, as if the thing had an angry face.

(天色、建築)陰沉逼人