话匣子英语:试水
Andrew: So, our first expression is to test the waters.
Harp: Yes. To test the waters.
Andrew: Mmhmm. Plural, right? Waters.
Harp: Yes. I’ve heard some people say to test the water, but normally it’s to test the waters.
Andrew: Mmhmm. And what does to test the waters mean?
Harp: So basically, to test the waters means when you’re not really sure about an action so you’re approaching it very cautiously. You’re not making a rash decision. You’re being very cautious about it.
Andrew: Exactly. You’re testing something out, right?
Harp: Exactly. So you’re… You’re kind of maybe talking to some friends about an action and seeing how they’re going to react. Or you’re talking to your boss about a new project. You’re… You’re testing the waters to see if this is a good idea, a good action to take.
Andrew: Exactly. Because committing 100% to doing something right from the start sometimes is a foolish idea. You need to try things slowly.
Harp: Yup. You need to get all the information you can, get a lot of reactions from people before you make a final decision to act on something.
Andrew: Exactly. And so this is testing the waters. And this expression… I think it has an interesting origin.
Harp: Oh yeah? Tell me about it.
Andrew: Well, if you think, you know… Sometimes before you go swimming, you wanna put your hand or your foot into the water to test the temperature before you jump in, right?
Harp: Yes.
Andrew: And so, this is just literally an extension of that idea. Putting your finger in the water to test the temperature is the same thing as trying out something before you commit fully4 to that thing.
