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🇺🇸 Idioms 美國生活用語：牛Cows

1⃣ cow (n.)/(v.)
2⃣ until (till) the cows come home
3⃣ have a cow
4⃣ cash cow
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After talking about rats last time, it’s time for an animal that everybody likes—cows! Whether providing us with milk or meat, cows are an important part of our lives, so of course there are lots of cow-related expressions.
上次談完十二生肖的老鼠之後，今天來談談大家都喜歡的動物：牛。牛除了供應我們牛奶與肉之外，也是人類生活中不可或缺的一份子，所以有關牛的諺語也是非常多。

First, the word cow itself, which can be used to describe a fat, slovenly woman. Ex: That cow is always getting in my way! And as a verb, cow can mean to intimidate or frighten. Ex: I refuse to be cowed by that bully.
首先，1⃣ cow這個字本身可以用來形容不修邊幅、肥胖的女性。如：That cow is always getting in my way!（那個胖女人老是檔我的路！）cow也可以當做動詞，指恐嚇對方，如：I refuse to be cowed by that bully.（我拒絕屈服在那惡霸的惡勢力之下。）

Cows spend their days grazing in the pasture, and they eat a lot of grass, so they don’t go home till late in the evening. For this reason, 2⃣ “until (till) the cows come home” means “for a very long time, indefinitely.” Ex: They could argue till the cows come home and still not reach an agreement.
牛花大把時間在牧場上吃草，牠們真的吃很多草，不吃到傍晚是不會回家的。因為這樣，所以片語until (till) the cows come home可延伸指「無止盡地，長時間地」，如：They could argue till the cows come home and still not reach an agreement.（他們可以無止盡爭論下去，依然不會有共識。）

What would your reaction be if you gave birth to a cow? You’d probably be pretty upset and shocked. 3⃣That’s what “have a cow” means. This expression has been around since the 1950s, but has become much more popular in recent years because it’s one of Bart Simpson’s favorite expressions in The Simpsons. Ex: Don’t have a cow, man—I’ll buy you another carton of milk.
如果你發現自己生了頭牛會怎樣？你應該會非常緊張而且嚇壞了吧。這就是片語have a cow的意思。這個片語在50年代左右出現，不過在最近幾年才夯起來，因為這是《辛普森家庭》的霸子最常講的口頭禪。Don’t have a cow, man—I’ll buy you another carton of milk.（不要嚇到了喔——我會買給你一大桶牛奶。）

Because a cow is a useful animal that produces a lot of milk, 4⃣ a “cash cow” is a business or investment that produces a good, consistent profit. Ex: The rental property that Paul bought is a real cash cow.
因為牛是很有用的動物，可以產出非常多的牛奶，所以cash cow用在生意或投資上，就是指獲利頗豐的「搖錢樹」。The rental property that Paul bought is a real cash cow.（保羅買的那個租賃物件是搖錢樹。）

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