Deer Caught in Headlights

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

On this program we teach common words and expressions in American English. Today we talk about an animal found in many parts of the United States -- deer.

Washington, D.C. is home to many deer. They are sweet-looking, especially the baby fawns² with their white spots. In the city, they are fun to watch, but they do cause trouble.

They make a lot of gardeners angry because deer eat almost everything!

In many parts of America, you will see road warning signs about deer. Adults are not little animals. An average male weighs about 135 kilograms! Deer sometimes leap into the path of fast-moving traffic. This can have serious, sometimes deadly, results.

And, that is what brings us to today's expression – like a deer caught in headlights.

Deer will often stop suddenly in the middle of a road and stare into the lights of a vehicle coming toward them. They appear frozen³ in place, or "caught" in the headlights.

When people are in a state of extreme surprise, fear or confusion⁴, we say they are like deer caught in headlights. They seem so frightened that they can not think clearly. They do not know what to do, so they do not do anything.

Sometimes we shorten⁵ the phrase and simply say, "like a deer in headlights."

This is a little different from being called "doe-eyed." A doe is a grown female deer. People who are doe-eyed are innocent, clueless. They are unaware⁶ of what's going on around them.

Now, please keep this in mind. We usually use "like a deer caught in headlights" in situations that are not life-threatening.

For example, people who have stage fright often look like a deer in headlights. Let's say I am acting⁷ in a play. I know all my lines and feel ready. But on opening night, as I look out into the audience and see all those faces ... I freeze. I forget all my lines and stare into space, unable to speak. Someone watching might say, "What is wrong with Anna? Is she supposed to just stand there doing ... nothing? She's like a deer caught in headlights."

So the next time you are really surprised or scared, you may find yourself looking frozen and wide-eyed -- like a deer in headlights.

Words in This Story

fawn¹ – n. a deer that is less than a year old

leap – v. to jump over something : to move quickly

stare – v. to look at someone or something for a long time often with your eyes wide open

stage fright – n. nervousness felt at appearing before an audience

audience – n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something (such as a concert) or watch something (such as a movie or play) : the people who attend a performance

1 fawn   

n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承

参考例句：

• A fawn behind the tree looked at us curiously.树后面一只小鹿好奇地看着我们。
• He said you fawn on the manager in order to get a promotion.他说你为了获得提拔，拍经理的马屁。

2 fawns   

n.（未满一岁的）幼鹿( fawn的名词复数 )；浅黄褐色；乞怜者；奉承者v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的第三人称单数 )；巴结；讨好

参考例句：

• He fawns on anyone in an influential position. 他向一切身居要职的人谄媚。 来自辞典例句
• The way Michael fawns on the boss makes heave. 迈克讨好老板的样子真叫我恶心。 来自互联网

3 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

4 confusion   

n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。
• His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

5 shorten   

vt.弄短，缩小，减少

参考例句：

• Minor accidents can shorten the life of a car.小事故会缩短汽车寿命。
• My dress is too long I must shorten it.我的连衣裙太长了，我得把它截短些。

6 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。