English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips> 译通四海> 翻译服务

Upper crust

[ 2009-04-29 15:54]     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009


Upper crust

Nancy Matos

Reader Question: “But a mother from an upper crust New York suburb went through with it, ordering her battling 10 and 12-year-old daughters out of her car in White Plains' business district and driving off, police said Tuesday.”

Could you explain “upper crust”?

My comments: Upper crust refers to the highest social class or group, or those who are wealthy and seen as more superior. In the example above, the upper crust New York suburb being referred to could be Westchester County, for example, as it is one of the wealthiest areas in New York State.

There is debate on the origins of the term, however. People who go to England to travel in Shakespeare’s footsteps usually hear the following explanation when they enter the kitchens of old English manors:

“The ovens were so poor that they heated things unevenly, so when bread was baked, the bottom part of the loaf would burn, while the top of the loaf would toast to a lovely brown color. The burnt portion was given to the servants, while the ‘upper crust’ was reserved for the wealthy.”

Some say the above etymology (word origin), dating back to the 18th century, is false, and there is no evidence to support it. Others say upper crust dates back to the 15th century as a reference to the earth’s surface, which is sometimes referred to as the earth’s “crust”. And speaking of things on top, it is also said to be an old slang term for a hat or one’s head.

Regardless of whom you believe or its exact origin, the definition involving bread seems to be the one most people go back to, judging from the slew of cafes and businesses out there in the pizza, pastry and bread world. Just enter “upper crust” in a search engine like “Google” and see how many companies go by the name “Upper Crust”. None of them are hat shops.

本文仅代表作者本人观点,与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题,尊重他人,禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

Related stories

Hit the jackpot

Juggle的活用

Rock bottom

Whistle-stop

Cherry-pick

Spoiler alert

 

上一页 1 2 下一页

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

本文相关阅读

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn