英语中，很多常用短语的实际意思都和字面意思相差甚远，而这些短语往往都有着不同寻常的来源。

　　比如“paying through the nose”的原意真的是“用鼻子抵账”吗？

　　表示开玩笑为什么要用“pulling someone’s leg“（拉腿）来形容？

　　今天，小编就来为你揭露5个常用短语的“暗黑过往”。

　　riding shotgun　真的跟猎枪有关

　　"Riding shotgun" is the ideal place to ride during on a road trip. But in the Old West, the person sitting in the passenger seat was required to do a whole lot more than find the perfect radio station.

　　在现代，riding shotgun 指的是汽车上的副驾驶座。在旧时的美国西部，副驾驶座上的人要做的可不仅仅是调到一个好电台那么简单。

　　tagecoach drivers in the Old West needed a person to literally "ride shotgun." The passenger would carry a shotgun in order to scare off robbers who might want to attack them, according to Reader's Digest.

　　根据美国杂志《读者文摘》的文章显示，过去在美国西部赶马车的人需要有人在旅行途中保驾护航。副驾驶座上的人要手持猎枪来吓退想要攻击马车的强盗。

　　highway robbery　真的是抢劫

　　Most people would agree that paying $10 for your favorite cup of coffee is highway robbery. But the original definition of highway robbery once meant literally robbing travelers on or near the highway. The first known usage of the phrase was in 1611.

　　多数人会认同一杯可口的咖啡要价10美元（68元人民币）是highway robbery（敲竹杠）。但是highway robbery原来的意思就是在公路上或公路附近抢劫旅客。这个短语的使用最早见于1611年。

　　painting the town red　源自醉鬼恶行

　　For you and your crew, "painting the town red" probably means getting glammed up for a fun night of drinks and dancing. However, the phrase originates from a night out that makes dancing on the bar seem tame.

　　对你和你的小伙伴来说，painting the town red 的意思是打扮得光鲜亮丽晚上出去喝酒、跳舞。但是，这个短语原来的意思可比在酒吧跳舞劲爆多了。

　　Back in 1837, the Marquis of Waterford went out for a night of drinking with some of his friends, according to Phrases.org. Afterward, the group went through the streets of a small English town destroying property. They broke windows, knocked over flower pots, and damaged door knockers. But things got really crazy when they got their hands on some red paint and literally painted the town red, including doors, a tollgate, and a swan statue.

　　根据Phrases.org 网站的记载，1837年，沃特福德侯爵和几个朋友夜出喝酒，后来他们经过一个英格兰小镇的街道时开始搞破坏：砸碎窗户、打翻花盆、损坏门环。这些酒鬼拿到了一些红油漆后，局面就开始失控了，酒鬼们把整个镇子都刷成了红色，包括门、一处关卡和一尊天鹅雕像。

　　pulling someone’s leg　并不总是玩笑

　　You probably think that pulling someone's leg is all in good fun. After all, what's the harm in a little joke, right? This commonly used phrase that today means playing an innocent joke meant something a lot more sinister years ago.

　　你大概以为 pulling someone's leg（开某人的玩笑）都很好玩。毕竟，开个小玩笑无伤大雅。这个常用短语在今天的意思是开个没有恶意的玩笑，但多年前的意思却要邪恶得多。

　　Thieves in 18th and 19th Century London would drag their victims to the ground by their legs in order to rob them, according to Phrases.org.

　　根据Phrases.org 网站的记载，18世纪和19世纪伦敦的小偷会拉住受害人的腿将其拖倒在地，然后抢劫财物。

　　paying through the nose　北欧海盗真的做得出

　　You won't be happy if you think you're paying through the nose for something. Although you may feel like you're getting ripped off, at least you get to keep your face intact. The roots of this commonly used idiom come from a brutal tactic of The Dane Vikings of slitting someone's nose from tip to eyebrow if the person refused to pay their tax, according to Grammarist.

　　如果你觉得自己 paying through the nose for something（为某件东西花了很多钱），肯定高兴不起来。不过，就算被“宰”，至少你的脸是完好无损的。根据Grammarist网站记载，这个常用习语源于北欧海盗的一种残酷手段，如果有人拒绝交税，就将此人的鼻子从鼻头到眉间划开。

　　了解了这些短语背后的故事后，你是不是想忘都忘不掉了呢……欲了解更多英语知识和托福考试相关技巧，敬请关注新航道托福考试频道。