“面包”的言外之意

面包是英美等西方国家人们的主食,面包的重要性也体现在语言里。人们用bread来统称“食物、营养品”,如beg one’s bread指“乞食、讨饭”;bread还用来指“生计、谋生之道”,如one’s daily bread指“每日的粮食”,earn one’s bread指“自食其力”,out of bread指“失业”,in bad bread指“处境不妙”,eat the bread of idleness指“不劳而食”,live on the bread line指“难以糊口”,take the bread of one’s mouth指“抢某人的饭碗、使某人衣食无着落”。