趣说英语“热”文化：怎一个“Hot”了得

夏天，全球热浪不断。人们见面的话题往往三句不离“热”，而英文中又有哪些关于“热”的有趣表达呢，下面就让我们来聊聊英文中的Hot文化吧！

Britons love talking about the weather. In summer， with Europe caught in the midst of a heat wave， theres plenty for them to get excited about.

But apart from a simple “hot”， what other ways are there to describe the summer heat？ Apart from phrases like “piping hot”， “sweltering heat” and “scorching sun”， there are many interesting expressions that relate to unbearably hot weather and offer a glimpse into foreign culture.

Dog Days of Summer

In books and newspaper articles， the period from early July to mid-August is often referred to as the “dog days of summer”. Some think the expression means the weather is so hot that dogs go wild.

Hotter Than a Two-dollar Pistol

This expression comes from 19th century America， when the US was engulfed in the Civil War and many carried pistols for self-protection. Cheap pistols would get hot when fired repeatedly， but another reason for the expression is that no pistol could cost 2 dollars unless it had been stolen. In slang English， stolen goods are often said to be “hot” and anyone in possession of hot goods is likely to get their fingers burned， in other words， to be arrested.

Hinges of Hades

For those who believe it exists， hell is undoubtedly the hottest place on earth， so unsurprisingly there are several expressions that refer to hell （Hades）， or even the devil himself.

英国人喜欢谈论天气。夏天，热浪席卷欧洲，他们更是有得聊了。

而英文中，除了一个简单的“hot”，还有其他哪些形容炎炎夏日的表达方式呢？除了像“piping hot”（滚烫的）、“sweltering heat”（酷热难耐）、“scorching sun”（烈日炎炎），英文中还有许多有关“酷热难耐”的有趣表达，从中我们也可以了解到一些外国文化。

三伏天

在书籍和报刊文章中，7月初到8月中旬这段时间通常被称作“dog days of summer”，即中文中的“三伏天”，一些人认为这句表达的意思是“天气太热以致狗都狂躁了”。

炙手可热

该表达起源于19世纪的美国。当时美国正陷于内战，许多人携带手枪防身。多次射击后，便宜的手枪就会变得烫手。而该表达的另一出处则是：没有手枪会卖2美元，除非是偷来的。在英语俚语中，盗窃的赃物经常被称为“hot”（非法所得），这些偷来的东西就像是“烫手山芋”，窝赃者随时会被“绳之以法”。

人间炼狱

对于那些坚信地狱真实存在的人们而言，毫无疑问那是人间最热的地方。所以，难怪一些表示热的短语都与地狱，甚至魔鬼有关。