核心畫面

One way to hold this phrase: it is the heaviest thing a speaker can pick up and throw. Thrown at a man, it is an insult that drags his family in too. Thrown at a job, it makes the job into an opponent that fought back. Thrown at nobody, it is just the sound a person makes when something lands on them. The words never get lighter; what changes is where they are aimed and how the voice carries them.

可以想成:這是一個人手邊最重的一句話,講出去就是砸出去。砸在一個男人身上,就是把他和他的家人一起罵下去。砸在一件工作更多收起可以想成:這是一個人手邊最重的一句話,講出去就是砸出去。砸在一個男人身上,就是把他和他的家人一起罵下去。砸在一件工作上,那件工作就變成跟你對打的對手。誰也沒砸到的時候,它就只是一聲脫口而出的叫喊。字本身的重量從來沒有變輕過。會變的只有兩件事:砸向哪裡,還有講的人用什麼語氣。

From the word’s history

Middle English had biche-sone, literally the son of a bitch, itself translated word for word from Old Norse bikkju-sonr. The insult has always worked by pointing at the mother in order to bring the man down.

中古英文有 biche-sone,字面就是「母狗的兒子」,而這個講法又是照著古北歐語 bikkju-sonr 一字一字翻過來的。從最早開始,它的打法就是繞過去講對方的母親,藉此把這個人講到最低。

Wiktionary entry for son of a bitch, etymology_text supplied in the evidence packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:764450939:44885)

Three branches

砸在人身上

最原本的用法:對象是一個人,通常是男的。

noun · B2

A very rude name for a man you are angry with, or a man you think is cruel, unfair or dishonest. It is one of the strongest insults in American English and it shocks many listeners.

王八蛋

砸在事情上

對象從人換成一件事,那件事就被當成會反抗的對手。

noun · B2

If a job, a task or a part of a journey is a son of a bitch, it is very hard and it wears you out.

有夠難搞

誰也沒砸到,只是喊出來

沒有對象,只剩下情緒本身衝出口。

interjection · B2

Shouted on its own when something suddenly goes wrong, hurts, or surprises you. It is a strong, rude cry, and the feeling behind it can be anger, pain, shock or even delight.

可惡!/我的天!

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。

son of a bitchnoun

  • 1

    vulgaroffensivederogatoryslangAn objectionable, despicable person.

    • My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son of a bitch.
    • Those sons of bitches don’t stand a chance.
  • 2

    vulgaroffensivederogatoryslangAny objectionable thing.

    • "This son of a bitch won't move!" Marty exclaimed as he grappled with the supermarket cart.
  • 3

    vulgarslangAn impressive, daring, or admirable man.

    • I quickly checked around and I found Simon, he was hit but landed on a dead horse, the lucky son of a bitch could have been dead but the animal absorbed his fall and now he was on the ground trying to stay alive.
  • 4

    A suffering person deemed deserving of compassion.

    • That poor son of a bitch didn't even make it.

son of a bitchintj

  • 1

    vulgarslangUsed to express anger, contempt, astonishment, disappointment, dismay, etc.

    • Argh! Son of a bitch! I had just cut my arm.

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