bird 在美语里的另一意

无聊时，读读报，看点八卦，猎点稀奇，顺便学点英语，三管其下，自乐哉！自美哉！自慰哉！这不，一不小心读到一位名为John的读者来信，狠哉！趣哉！妙哉！

不忍心一人独吞，与大家共享哉！

Farmers Have To Be On Roads

Once again, it is harvest time. At times, farmers need to drive our equipment on the county roads. Once again, some people just don't get it. As I drive my tractor, I usually have a close call with motorists. One-finger salutes are also seen on a regular basis.

Here are a few reminders when you are driving behind equipment or see it coming from the opposite direction:

* My tractor weights 20 tons; your car is about 2. Do the math.

* I'm usually on the road less than 2 miles. Be patient, I'll be at the next field soon.

* If you need to pass a tractor so badly because you're so late, buy a better alarm clock and get out of bed on time.

* If you feel the need to give me "the bird", grow up, take an anger management class. I pay road taxes, too, and am allowed to be on the roads just as much as you.

前文中的one-finger salutes不难理解，东西方文化中最共鸣的动作之一。但后文中的give someone the bird就有点吃不准了, google后，thefreedictionary.com告诉我们：

flip/give someone the bird (American & Australian, very informal)

to make a very impolite sign by raising your middle finger towards someone in order to show that you are angry with them.

If he'd shouted at me like that I'd have flipped him the bird.

Cow，此成语实在不雅，原来和前面的One-finger salutes是一回事儿，我这么雅的人就不做什么不雅的解释和不雅的发挥了，不雅的想像空间留给很雅的大家，反正难得不雅一回，不雅白不雅。