An idiom is a 片語. It doesn't always make sense at first. In fact, it is often impossible to know the meaning of an idiom just from looking at the words involved. For instance, the British phrase 'brass monkeys' (黃銅猴) means 'very cold'. How can that be? Actually, there's a long story explaining what monkeys made of brass have to do with cold weather. Let's save that for another day.
Now that I have set up the 亞當翻譯 Facebook page, I would like to start writing regular blog posts for anyone who's interested improving their English. Starting today, I will write a series explaining idioms.
For today's entry, I want to explain the idiom 'a piece of cake'.
The idiom 'a piece of cake' means 'really easy'. We use it when we want to explain that we can do something without any trouble. For instance, we might say "Don't worry, I can do that. It's a piece of cake!".
The origin of the phrase is apparently to do with the prizes that people were given at American contests in the 19th century. Since people were given a piece of cake for winning, the winners thought everything they were good at was a piece of cake.
The first recorded use of the phrase was by an American poet named Ogden Nash. In his 1936 book Primrose Path, he wrote: "Her picture's in the papers now, And life's a piece of cake".
Now that I have set up the 亞當翻譯 Facebook page, I would like to start writing regular blog posts for anyone who's interested improving their English. Starting today, I will write a series explaining idioms.
For today's entry, I want to explain the idiom 'a piece of cake'.
 |
| Before you get hungry and wander off, let me explain what the idiom means. |
The idiom 'a piece of cake' means 'really easy'. We use it when we want to explain that we can do something without any trouble. For instance, we might say "Don't worry, I can do that. It's a piece of cake!".
Examples:
- Tying your shoes is a piece of cake. Of course, until you learn how to do it, it's not a piece of cake at all. Try telling a 7 year-old that tying your shoes is easy.
- Making a cup of tea is a piece of cake, you just have to boil water, use it brew tea and then, if you're British, add some milk.
- Learning English is a piece of cake, right?
The origin of the phrase is apparently to do with the prizes that people were given at American contests in the 19th century. Since people were given a piece of cake for winning, the winners thought everything they were good at was a piece of cake.
The first recorded use of the phrase was by an American poet named Ogden Nash. In his 1936 book Primrose Path, he wrote: "Her picture's in the papers now, And life's a piece of cake".
Quote:
"It's a piece of cake until you get to the top" - Richard Nixon
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