VOA词汇掌故2024--Are You the Windshield or the Bug?

Are You the Windshield or the Bug¹?

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

　　Life has its ups and downs. We all have good days and bad days. Sometimes life seems easy, sometimes difficult. We can't always feel on top of the world every day.

　　Today, we explore some idioms and expressions that describe this common condition of life.

　　A windshield is the transparent² screen, usually of glass, on a vehicle. It protects the people inside. But to many insects a windshield can also be a screen of death.

　　Take a drive in America in the warm months, especially on higher speed roads, and watch as bugs³ meet their end on the windshield glass.

　　And that is where we get our first expression: Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug.

　　On our good days, we reach our goals. We get things done. On those kinds of days, we are taking care of business. We are killing⁴ it! On those days we are the windshield.

　　But then our luck changes. Things don't go our way. We may be down in the dumps or just down on our luck. For whatever reason, we are not at the top of our game. On these days, we are the bugs.

　　This expression is very informal. So, it is not very serious. Similar expressions include "peaks and valleys." Peaks are high while the valleys are low. You can also say "you win some, you lose some." And sometimes we refer to life as a "rollercoaster ride." Rollercoasters are famous for their high climbs and sharp drops.

　　Now let's hear two people use some of these expressions in a short conversation.

　　A: Hey, what's wrong? You look a little down.

　　B: I just got some bad news from project I'm working on. And things were going so well.

　　A: Well, you know what my Grandma Gardenia⁵ used to say, "Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug."

　　B: Today I'm definitely the bug.

　　A: I'm sure things will look better tomorrow. Granny Gardenia also used to say, "you win some, you lose some."

　　B: You know ... you're right. We all go through tough times.

　　A: That's the spirit! (sighs) Every time I hit a rough patch, Granny Gardenia would say, "Don't let a little setback⁶ get you down. Tomorrow is a new day!"

　　B: Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it.

　　A: Don't thank me. Thank my grandma. It's impossible to be down in the dumps around Granny Gardenia.

　　The British band Dire⁷ Straits has a song about the subject of life's good times and bad. It's called The Bug. The song reminds us that we should enjoy the good times because they are temporary. As the song goes: sometimes you're the windshield/sometimes you're the bug.

　　Do you have a similar expression in your language? Let us know in the comments section or send us an email at [email protected].

　　Words in This Story

　　transparent – adj. transmitting light so that objects lying beyond are entirely⁸ visible

　　dump – n. a disorderly or undesirable⁹ place

　　conversation – n. talking or a talk between two or more people

　　rough patch – n. a period of problems in your life

1 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。

2 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

3 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 gardenia   

n.栀子花

参考例句：

• On muggy summer night,Gardenia brought about memories in the South.闷热的夏夜，栀子花带来关于南方的回忆。
• A gardenia stands for pure,noble.栀子花是纯洁高尚的象征。

6 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

7 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。