那把長柄彎刀本身
這一支就是核心畫面裡看得到、摸得到的那個東西。
noun · B2
A farm tool for cutting grass or grain by hand: a long, curved blade fixed to the end of a long wooden handle, swung low and level in a wide sweep so that a whole strip falls at once.
大鐮刀
核心畫面
One way to hold scythe: a person standing upright, turning from the waist, while a long curved blade travels close to the ground in a wide arc. Nothing is chopped. A whole strip of standing grass simply lies down at the same moment. Every other use of the word — the verb, the figurative sweep, even the blade on an ancient chariot — keeps some part of that arc.
「scythe」可以想成這樣一個畫面：一個人站得直直的，腰一轉，一把又長又彎的刀貼著地面畫出一個大弧。沒有任何東西被…更多收起
「scythe」可以想成這樣一個畫面：一個人站得直直的，腰一轉，一把又長又彎的刀貼著地面畫出一個大弧。沒有任何東西被「砍」。是一整排站著的草，在同一個瞬間平平躺下。這個字後來的每一種用法，都還留著那道弧線的一部分——當動詞時是拿起來割，當比喻時是橫掃過去，連古代戰車輪上那把刀，借走的也是同一個形狀。From the word’s history
The word comes down from Old English sīþe, and behind it sits a root meaning 'to cut', the same family as saw. The silent c was only slipped into the spelling in the early 15th century, which is why the old forms sithe and sythe look closer to the sound.
這個字從古英文 sīþe 傳下來，更早的詞根意思就是「切」，跟 saw（鋸子）屬於同一家。拼字裡不發音的 c 要到十五世紀初才被加進去，所以舊寫法 sithe、sythe 反而更貼近它的讀音。
Wiktionary 'scythe' etymology_text supplied in this evidence packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:662791622:42766); the packet's text is truncated after 'The silent c crept in during the early 15th century owing to', so only the dated part of that claim is repeated.
Three branches
拿起來，真的去割
名詞變成動詞的第一步：不是描述那把刀，而是描述揮它的人。
verb · C1
To cut grass, weeds or grain with a scythe; also, to work with a scythe without naming what is being cut.
用鐮刀割
像那一刀一樣掃過去
留下動作，丟掉工具：現在揮的不是刀，而是風、暴雨、流感，或一個往防線衝的球員。
verb · C1
To move through something fast and with force, cutting a path and knocking down or sweeping aside whatever stands in the way; also, to destroy things in that quick, sweeping manner.
橫掃而過