第982期：嘘！学会这个词别让你老婆/女朋友知道 – ball and chain
今天要讲的这个词大概跟每个人都有关系，不论你是单身还是已婚。
ball and chain
字面意思是“球和链子”，真实的意思还真的就是这样，一根链子加一个铁球，你想到了什么？
对，古代的一种刑罚——a heavy iron ball attached to a chain and fastened to a prisoner.
Wikipedia说，A ball and chain was a physical restraint device historically
applied to prisoners, primarily in the British Empire and its former
colonies, from the 17th century until as late as the mid-20th century.
把人的腿脚铐起来不说，还加一个很重的铁球，完全限制了人的活动自由。这个意思后来引申为所有限制人自由的东西，a heavy restraint；Something, usually a responsibility of some kind, that restricts one’s freedom or limits one’s possibilities for personal pursuits.
如果你的工作又枯燥又繁重，看不到任何希望，但你又得每天朝九晚五去上班，这份工作就是 ball and chain.
看个例句：
This job is such a ball and chain, I can’t wait to quit and start freelancing.
另外一个引申义用 ball and chain 来特指老婆或女朋友。表示这层意思时一般来说是玩笑语气，而且几乎都指男人的另一半，而不指女人的丈夫或男朋友。（女权主义者肯定不满意这个词）
Ball and chain — (jocular, can be offensive) a person’s spouse or romantic partner, especially a female.
所以英语笑话中专门有一类笑话叫作 ball and chain jokes，指的就是有关婚姻和老婆的笑话。
试举几例：
英语中的 ball and chain jokes经常会包含少儿不宜的内容，这时候一般会提前提示：This joke may contain profanity. Confirm you are over 18. 意思是这则笑话是18禁的荤段子。
佛老平时喜欢去 https://upjoke.com 看英语笑话，上面的段子比较对我的胃口:)
很多社交媒体上都有这类笑话，你可以试试在 Reddit, Quora, Twitter上搜索 ball and chain jokes.
小结今天的内容：
Ball and chain means anything that restricts one’s freedom or opportunities. It can be a job, a debt etc., or one’s wife, as a symbol of restraint.
