今天要讲的英语词是kick-off 。Kick-off不就是足球比赛时踢的第一个球吗? 没错，但这是kick-off 的原始意思，现在kick-off 也可以指任何事情的开始。今天开始的是什么事呢？今天我们开始播出"学个词"这个新节目。We kick-off the new program "Learn A Word" today.
竞选官职的候选人往往以发表讲话来开始竞选活动。Candidates kick off their campaigns with a speech. 有的美国学生学期开始先开个party。Students kick-off the semester with a party! 我们则以讲解kick-off 这个词来开始我们的新节目。We kick-off our program by teaching the word kick-off. 今天学的词是kick-off...
Expansion:
以上是美国之音"Learn A Word"的课文材料。看了"不过瘾"，下面加上我自己对kick一词的理解。
kick-off 的同义词是start,begin, 和commence。 kick(踢)，是个很有意思的英文词，有关的表达性也很精彩传神。比如:
1。老美很喜欢用的一词有kick-ass or kick butt。字面上看是"踢屁股"的意思，但老美用这词时，引伸为"不服输一定要赢"。如在体育比赛(或任何其他比赛)前，为表达和烘托想要赢的气氛和斗志，老美参赛者都会嗷嗷: "Come on! Let's kick ass."或，"Let's go! I want to kick some butt!". 比赛结束后，赢方往往还会调侃败者: "Hey! I kicked your butt today!".
2。大概老美真的喜欢踢东西，kick一词是经常使用。没事闲聊或到处转游以消磨时光叫做 kick around or kick about (=kill time)。例: He spent the next three years in Italy, kicking around the country on a motor scooter = 接下来的三年他在意大利度过，开一辆小破车在这个国家到处闲逛。
3。做生意拿佣金叫做 kickback(=commission), 尤其是私下不公开的那种。佣金的意思不就是你让人家赚了钱人家再"踢回"一些钱给你吗! kick back作动词时还有休息放松的意思: Yesterday afternoon he kicked back at home and watched TV. = 昨天下午他在家休息看电视(kick back = 自己没事来回"踢脚")。
4。kick in有"捐赠"和"交自己应交的那份"的意思: Our school wanted to raise fund for its basketball team and expected that parents would kick in some cash to start with(我们学校想要给篮球队募捐并希望家长们率先捐些现金)；Each colleague in my office kicked in a few dollars for the office party。= 我办公室的每位同事都交了几块钱要办个聚餐会。
5。kick up(=stir up, provoke)就是要刺激(某人谋事)了，如: Clouds of dust were kicked up by passing cars = 过往的车辆把一团团灰尘都扬起来了； A sandstorm kicked up while we drove through the desert. = 当我们驾车穿过沙漠时，沙尘暴起来了。
6。中国人喜欢足球，很多足球词汇用到kick: corner kick = 角球；free kick = (间接)任意球；goal kick = 球门球；penalty kick = 罚球。中国足球很臭，队员素质球技两差，有时真想kick他们的butt。
英文词汇的一词多义总是难点，kick-off 是开始(或开场、开球)，但也还有别的用途，如: The coach eventually kicked him off the team (教练最终把他开除出队)。 kick一词本身既可以作动词又可以作名词。这种一词多义的难点开头会给我们中国人造成困难，不易习惯，但多读多看慢慢就会有感觉。请看:
作动词 :
1。The powerful rifle kicked upon being fired. = 开枪时这杆枪的后座力很大(不及物)。
2。The rifle kicked my shoulder when I fired it. = 开火时这枪撞击我的肩膀 (及物)。
作名词 :
1。a rifle with a heavy kick = 一杆后座力大的枪;
2。a car engine with a lot of kick = 一台大功力的汽车引擎(这儿kick = power);
3。He got a kick out of the show. = 他从看表演中得到了刺激(或能量);
4。They went bowling last night just for kicks. = 昨晚他们去打保龄球只是为了刺激(或消磨时光);
5。I'm on a science fiction kick. = 我最近迷上科幻小说(kick = a temporary obsessive interest)。
另外还有用到kick的四条谚语:
1。kick the bucket: 如果某人kicked the bucket, 则不是说他(她)踢到了那个桶，而是表示他(她)以死了。The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102. = 那位老人在 102 岁时去世了。或: When I kick the bucket, bury me on top of that mountain。
2。kick up one's heels: 也不是说踢到脚后跟，而是表示突然的兴奋快乐鲜活，有点像中文的"因兴奋而手舞足蹈起来"； When she retires, she plans to kick up her heels and travel. = 她计划退休后要自己好好享受到处旅游。
3。kick upstairs: If we kick someone upstairs, 那不是仅仅把某人踢上楼去，而是把人提升(踢上楼去)而后闲止起来，有点中国话的"明升暗降" 的意思。Brown is being kicked upstairs to become chairman of a small and unimportant committee. = Brown 虽提升了，但被踢上了楼挂了起来当了一个不起眼的委员会的头。
4。kick the habit: 戒掉(不良)习惯(如吸烟)，也就是说，把不良习惯踢出掉。No coffee for me, thanks. I'm trying to kick the habit. = 我不要咖啡了，谢谢!(我正在戒除喝咖啡的坏毛病)。'Does she still smoke?' 'No, she kicked the habit a couple of years ago. = '她还抽烟吗?' '不了, 她两年前就戒烟了'。
记住了，学英语的过程也就是让我们习惯英美人士表达方式的过程。理解上也要灵活，不要死抠中文译文。举两个例子说:
(1) I just love this car. When you slightly push the gas pedal, the power kicks in immediate. 在这句中，kick in就不是"交钱"，而是"交出力量"，并且是作为不及物动词来用，中文译作"我很喜欢这辆车。稍踩油门力量马上就起来"较为合适。
(2) 我们在上面看到 The coach eventually kicked him off the team. 这句也完全可以说成 The coach eventually kicked him out of the team. 人说话时会因场合、情绪、语气而选择一些不同的词汇(尽管意思相近)。
学习外国语还得多琢磨体会，死记字典上的词条往往会框死思维和理解。
最后是一则阅读小故事: Where the Phrase kick the bucket Originated
There are two main explanations about this one.
(1) The word bucket here doesn't refer to the conventional English bucket at all. It is believed that this word actually came from the French buque, meaning a yoke or similar piece of wood. Such a piece of wood was used as the beam from which a pig was hung and slaughtered. Helplessly, the pig, when hung by his heels, would struggle during the process and would kick the buque. Somehow, this French word buque became bucket later in England and the phrase “kick the bucket” came to signify “to die”.
(2) The second one is probably a little more "human". It explains that the bucket is the one on which a suicide stands before hanging himself or herself ─ if the bucket is kicked, the job is done. This explanation is of course less credible than the first one.
