Straw in the Wind —— 預兆；測試

** an indication of future development 未來發展的跡象 // a clue or test of public opinion 對公眾輿論的線索或測試 // fragmentary evidence 零碎的證據 something that suggests what

might happen 預示某事的跡象

~~ 預兆；測試；跡象；苗頭；預示；先兆；徵兆；線索；一葉知秋；草動知風向；風向標

~~ straws in the wind // straw vote // writing on the wall // wake-up call // heads-up // red flag // warning shot // canary in the coal mine // smoking guns

!! A straw will bend in the direction of the wind. The term indicates a future direction, e.g., kind of cars people will like to buy, or a test of an issue. 一根稻草會順風的方向彎曲。該術語表示未來的方向，例如，人們想要購買哪種類的汽車，或者一個議題的測試。

!! In 1654, John Selden wrote in Table-Talk: Libels: "Take a straw and throw it up into the air, you shall see by that which way the wind is." 1654年，John Selden 在其著作 “桌上談話”中的誹謗主題寫道：“拿起稻草把它扔到空中，你應該看到風是向哪個方向吹”。

>> The startup executive said casually he wouldn’t mind getting out of the office and spending more time with his family -- a straw in the wind that he was willing to sell the company. 這位創業高管隨便地說他不介意離開辦公室，花多點時間和家人在一起 -- 這預兆他願意出售該公司。

>> A congressional candidate put a straw in the wind during the TV interview that he was empathetic to defectively-born child -- to see if his district’s population were okay with anti-abortion policy. 一位國會候選人在接受電視採訪時發出測試說他對出生有缺陷的孩子表示同情 -- 看看他所在地區的全體居民是否贊成反墮胎政策。

學勤進修教育中心英語專科導師

李啟文 教授