drawing-room的词源

英文词源

charade (n.)

1776, from French charade (18c.), probably from Provençal charrado "long talk, chatter," of obscure origin, perhaps from charrar "to chatter, gossip," of echoic origin. Compare Italian ciarlare, Spanish charlar "to talk, prattle." Originally not silent, but relying rather on enigmatic descriptions of the words or syllables.

As we have ever made it a Rule to shew our Attention to the Reader, by 'catching the Manners living, as they rise,' as Mr. Pope expresses it, we think ourselves obliged to give Place to the following Specimens of a new Kind of SMALL WIT, which, for some Weeks past, has been the Subject of Conversation in almost every Society, from the Court to the Cottage. The CHARADE is, in fact, a near Relation of the old Rebus. It is usually formed from a Word of two Syllables; the first Syllable is described by the Writer; then the second; they are afterwards united and the whole Word marked out .... [supplement to "The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure," volumes 58-59, 1776]

Among the examples given are:

My first makes all nature appear of one face;
At the next we find music, and beauty and grace;
And, if this Charade is most easily read,
I think that the third shou'd be thrown at my head.

[The answer is "snow-ball."]

The silent form, the main modern form, was at first a variant known as dumb charades and at first it was not a speed contest; rather it adhered to the old pattern, and the performing team acted out all the parts in order before the audience team began to guess.

There is one species of charade which is performed solely by "dumb motions," somewhat resembling the child's game of "trades and professions"; but the acting charade is a much more amusing, and more difficult matter. ["Goldoni, and Modern Italian Comedy," in "The Foreign And Colonial Quarterly Review," Volume 6, 1846]

An 1850 book, "Acting Charades," reports that Charades en Action were all the rage in French society, and that "Lately, the game has been introduced into the drawing-rooms of a few mirth-loving Englishmen. Its success has been tremendous." Welsh siarad obviously is a loan-word from French or English, but its meaning of "speak, a talk" is closer to the Provençal original.

smart (adj.)

late Old English smeart "painful, severe, stinging; causing a sharp pain," related to smeortan (see smart (v.)). Meaning "executed with force and vigor" is from c. 1300. Meaning "quick, active, clever" is attested from c. 1300, from the notion of "cutting" wit, words, etc., or else "keen in bargaining." Meaning "trim in attire" first attested 1718, "ascending from the kitchen to the drawing-room c. 1880" [Weekley]. For sense evolution, compare sharp (adj.).

In reference to devices, the sense of "behaving as though guided by intelligence" (as in smart bomb) first attested 1972. Smarts "good sense, intelligence," is first recorded 1968. Smart cookie is from 1948.

中文词源

drawing-room（客厅）：女宾退出饭厅后待的地方

从前小学生学习英文的时候，学到drawing-room这个词，大概都会觉得奇怪：drawing是绘画，drawing-room该是绘画室，为什么却是“客厅”呢?莫非英国人喜欢在客厅里绘画?

其实drawing这里不是指绘画，而是withdrawing（退出）的缩写。古时英国人宴客之后，女主人会和所有女客人一起退出饭厅（dining-room），让留在饭厅里的男人可以痛痛快快抽烟喝酒，或者说些很可能“妇女不宜”的话。妇女“退出”之后坐下来闲聊的地方，当然就是withdrawing-room了，后来缩写为drawing-room，其实就是客厅。

今天，男女平等呼声响亮，drawing-room这个词在“性别歧视”指责之下是日渐式微了。在英国，不少人已经把drawing-room改称为sitting-room；在美国，客厅一般叫做living-room。

drawing-room：n.客厅，休息室

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：drawing-room 词源，drawing-room 含义。

drawing-room：休息室、客厅

在过去，吃完饭以后，男人们仍将继续喝酒、吸烟、交谈，女人们则退到“withdrawing room”中去休息。Withdrawing-room就是“退避的房间”，这个叫法直到16、17世纪还很盛行。Drawing-room其实是withdrawing-room的简写。