昔日文章

An international company announced that it was committed to the Hong Kong financial market “hook, line, and sinker” after it made huge profits in 2018. The idiom “hook, line, and sinker” means “completely”. In other words, this company is very willing to make investment in Hong Kong.  What do you think the three items “hook, line, and sinker” were originally associated with? They refer to angling, which is the sport or hobby of fishing. This leisure activity needs a hook, a fishing line and a lead weight (or a sinker) which keeps the fishing line under the water. When a fish nibbles at the bait on the hook, it is caught straightaway.  The idiom first appeared in an autobiography of Thurlow Weed, an American politician, in the 19th century.  “We are gone, hook, line, and sinker.”  Based on the idea that a fish is so hungry that it eats the bait without any doubts, this idiom is commonly used with the word “swallow”. The following example means that many Hong Kong people do not accept the changes to the fugitive law.  The general public in Hong Kong are not swallowing the proposed amendments to the extradition law hook, line, and sinker.  The idiom also implies a deception. In the following example, the old woman was tricked into believing the fraudster unquestioningly.  The conman was so clever that the poor old lady fell for his story hook, line, and sinker.（完全相信） .  Note that the comma after the word “line” is optional: “hook, line and sinker”.   Glossary Angling  釣魚 Lead  鉛 Sinker  釣絲上的鉛錘 Nibbles  一點點地咬 Bait  餌 Fugitive  逃犯 Extradition  引渡逃犯 Deception  欺詐  

What is the weather like in April in Hong Kong? Warm, humid and foggy? In Britain, April is typically a wet and soggy month. However, British weather is so unpredictable that even the month of April in early spring can change from rainy to snowy within a day. That is why British people like to talk about the weather in their daily conversations.  Young British children may hear their grandparents say, “April showers bring flowers in May”, to encourage them not to be disappointed but to look forward to brighter and sunny weather with optimistic hope.  The idea of this proverb was pioneered by a British poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, in the 14th century. In his writing, “The Canterbury Tales”, Chaucer said that April’s showers go through March’s drought and bathe the roots with water, which produces flowers.  Later in 1557, Thomas Tusser, an English poet and farmer, wrote a poem:  Sweet April showers  Do spring May flowers  These poetic verses appeared as an old English proverb, first recorded in 1846.  “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.”  Nowadays, in English-speaking countries, the shorter version “April showers bring May flowers” has become a common expression. It also carries a deeper meaning that even unpleasant and gloomy things can bring about delightful and joyful experiences.  In a couple of weeks, Christians will celebrate Easter（復活節）. Remember to trust Jesus who will guide us to overcome obstacles and look at the bright side of life. As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers” （四月雨帶來五月花；否極泰來）.  Glossary  Soggy  潮濕的 Unpredictable  難以預測 Disappointed  失望 Optimistic  樂觀的 Drought  乾旱 Gloomy  令人沮喪的 Overcome  克服 Obstacles  障礙

Recently, an international survey has shown that Hong Kong is now as expensive to live in as Paris and Singapore. The high cost of living is causing hardship for people who “live on the breadline”. These poor people survive on very low incomes or live at subsistence level.  The word “breadline” (originally “bread line”) comes from a queue of people waiting to receive bread or other food distributed as charity in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century.  Scholars believe that the charity was started by Charles Louis Fleischmann in 1876. Fleischmann, a Jewish（猶太） man born near Hungary, emigrated to the United States and opened a bakery. As an innovative producer of yeast, he ran a successful bakery.  One day, Fleischmann noticed that some hungry men were always standing outside his bakery taking in the scent of freshly-baked loaves. So, he decided to launch a charity known as “The Bread Line”. Every night, he gave out unsold bread to those in need. He also helped those unemployed to get jobs.  An early figurative use of “bread line” appeared in an American newspaper in 1907. The news reported that telegraphers conducted a strike because their bosses wanted:  “… to keep the wages of the telegraphers close to the bread line …”  During Lent（四旬期）, a season for Christians to reflect on and prepare for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us show our care and give alms to those who live on the breadline（十分貧困；僅夠糊口）in our community.   Glossary  Hardship  困苦 Subsistence  維持生活 Charity  慈善 Yeast  酵母 Strike  罷工 Crucifixion  被釘死在十字架 Resurrection  復活 Alms  施捨  

All schools have a set of rules on school attendance, students’ behaviour and homework. Are school rules necessary? Since they can discipline students and maintain the quality of the learning environment, students are advised to “toe the line”（循規蹈矩）.  The idiom “toe the line” means “conform to expected standards and attitudes”. Literally, the word “toe” functions as a verb which means “touch with one’s toe”.  It has been suggested that people had to put their toes behind the starting line in a sporting event. Some said that this saying originated from the British House of Commons（英國國會下議院）, where lines were painted on the floor to stop opposing legislators from sword-fighting.  However, scholars believe that the saying was most likely used by the Royal Navy（皇家海軍）in the early 18th century. Sailors had to line up with their bare feet for inspection behind the plank-lines on the decks.  The concept of this idiom first appeared as “toe the mark” in a book written by an American writer, James Kirke Paulding, in 1813.  “… he began to think it was high time to toe the mark, …”  Other words than “mark” were commonly used in the 19th century: toe the crack; toe the scratch; and toe the plank.  Nowadays, the idiom “toe the line” is very popular in politics. It is figuratively used to describe that a person of a particular group has to accept the authority or policies, especially unwillingly.  The British Prime Minister warned her party members to toe the line （遵從).  Chinese intellectuals were urged to toe the party line.   Glossary Conform  遵守 Bare feet  赤腳 Plank  板條 Crack  裂紋 Scratch  劃痕 Politics  政治 Unwillingly  不情願地 Party  政黨