Weasel, Duck, Dog: Animals That Are Also Verbs

Weasel, Duck, Dog: Animals That Are Also Verbs

A few months ago, I told Anna Matteo I would write a Words and Their Stories program about animals that are also verbs. But I failed to keep my promise.

Instead of accepting responsibility, I told her I was too busy. And that I could not think of enough words. And that somebody else might want to write the program instead.

In other words, I tried to weasel out of it. A weasel is a small, brown mammal with a long body and short legs. It has a face a little like a mouse. A weasel does not appear very threatening; however, weasels can kill and eat animals four times their size.

Weasels sometimes dance before they kill their prey¹. Maybe that is why Americans say “weasel out” when we mean “try to avoid something in a dishonest way.”

By the way, you can also weasel your way into something. That means try every trick to accomplish your goal, even if it something you really do not deserve.

But back to my weasel-y ways. Anna would not accept my excuses. She would not let me avoid the work I promised to do. That is to say, she would not let me duck my obligation.

She hounded me. She dogged me day and night. She told our colleagues about my bad behavior, and they began to badger² me about the program, too.                                                           

As you can imagine, “to hound” or “to dog” people is to pursue them. For example, hunting hounds find and chase creatures such as foxes, birds and raccoons. And if a hound traps these animals, he will rarely let them go. Hounding someone usually involves asking something again and again.

“To badger” someone has a similar meaning. A badger is related to a weasel but is bigger and fatter. A badger is also not as violent as a weasel; however, if a badger seizes something in its teeth, it holds on tight and won’t let go. Americans say they are badgering someone when they are insistent³, but not aggressive.

Eventually, everyone’s badgering affected⁴ me. Besides, I was worried Anna might rat me out and tell our boss I was an unreliable colleague. The word “rat” in this expression probably relates to a belief that rats cannot be trusted. Rats in the U.S. have a bad reputation, whether or not they deserve it.   

Anyway, I finally sat down to write the program. Fortunately, like the animal that collects nuts and saves them for the winter, I had squirreled away some ideas. They included fish, such as in the expression “fish for compliments,” and worm, as in “I will worm my way into his heart,” as if I am tunneling with determination through the dirt.

Americans also shark, or fool, others, especially by pretending they are not good at something when they really are. And of course, we can bug⁵ people: bother them like a mosquito or a fly buzzing in an irritating way.  

But now I have hogged⁶ Anna’s program enough – selfishly taken more than I was really allowed or invited to. So I will close this episode of Words and Their Stories – but please do write to us if you ferret out a few more examples of animals that are also verbs.

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 badger   

v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠

参考例句：

• Now that our debts are squared.Don't badger me with them any more.我们的债务两清了。从此以后不要再纠缠我了。
• If you badger him long enough,I'm sure he'll agree.只要你天天纠缠他，我相信他会同意。

3 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

6 hogged   

adj.（船）中拱的，（路）拱曲的

参考例句：

• The guy hogged the whole park bench. 那个人占着整张公园长椅。 来自辞典例句
• The cat hogged himself to attack a big dog. 那只猫拱起背向一条大狗发起了攻击。 来自互联网