今日は、Japan's Cultural Code Words, 「湯舟」の項、英語タイトルは "The Japanese and Hot Water"にあった表現を取り上げます。
Traditional bathing practices in Japan differed significantly from those that developed in Europe. When the first Europeans arrived in Japan in the mid-1500s, they were shocked by thses differences. To begin with, the Japanese bathed daily, while the Europeans thought that regular bathing was harmful to the health and avoided it most of the time. Anybody who bathed as often as once a month was considered touched in the head.
最後に出てきた "touched in the head" が「頭がおかしい」という様な意味であることは文脈から容易に想像できます。一応辞書で意味を確認します。
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: touched (in the head): Rur. crazy. Sometimes Bob acts like he's touched in the head. In fact, I thought he was touched.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: behaving in an unusual and strange way: You must think I'm a bit touched, hanging around in graveyards.
・Wiktionary: (slightly mentally deficient): retarded (offensive), touched in the head
風呂好きの私としては、たまになら別ですが、毎日シャワーだけで済ます人は "touched in the head" と思わずにはいられません。私の家族にもいますが。
Japan's Cultural Code Wordsをやっと読み終えました。
Traditional bathing practices in Japan differed significantly from those that developed in Europe. When the first Europeans arrived in Japan in the mid-1500s, they were shocked by thses differences. To begin with, the Japanese bathed daily, while the Europeans thought that regular bathing was harmful to the health and avoided it most of the time. Anybody who bathed as often as once a month was considered touched in the head.
最後に出てきた "touched in the head" が「頭がおかしい」という様な意味であることは文脈から容易に想像できます。一応辞書で意味を確認します。
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: touched (in the head): Rur. crazy. Sometimes Bob acts like he's touched in the head. In fact, I thought he was touched.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: behaving in an unusual and strange way: You must think I'm a bit touched, hanging around in graveyards.
・Wiktionary: (slightly mentally deficient): retarded (offensive), touched in the head
風呂好きの私としては、たまになら別ですが、毎日シャワーだけで済ます人は "touched in the head" と思わずにはいられません。私の家族にもいますが。
Japan's Cultural Code Wordsをやっと読み終えました。
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