英文阅读：See the light of day?
Reader question:This – Never Seen the Light of Day – is the title of a song. What does "see
the light of day" mean?
My comments:
For something to "see the light of day" is for it to get its share of
opportunity to succeed, to be shown, to be brought out and made known. The
expression probably comes from the ideas of "day" and "night". The day follows
the night, but if something never sees the light of day, obviously it will
remain in the dark (of night) for ever.
The expression is often, more often than not at any rate, used in a
negative statement. For example: "Your plans are good. They may work but I'm
afraid they'll never see the light of day with the current administration." This
means the current regime will never give you the opportunity to try your plans
out. Their attention is elsewhere.
In other words, your plans have no chance (of being put to work).
Or the expression could be used in a questioning remark: "Your plans are
good. They may work but will they ever see the light of day?" Here, the speaker
is doubtful.
I have been reading about the assassination of JFK the other day... More
than four decades have passed since that fatal date in Dallas but a lot of
writers are still fascinated with the tragic death of the US President. Among
other things, a large number of eyewitnesses to the killing of Kennedy were
later found dead, and often in mysterious circumstances prompting conspiracy
theorists to conclude that at least some of these witnesses were gotten rid of
by the powers that be just so that their tales would never see the light of
day.
Ah well, enough of my made-up examples. Here are a few from the media:
1. Eight out of 10 ideas for a business or invention never see the light of
day
New Year, new resolutions. Will you change your job, aim for promotion or
start your own business? There are so many good intentions, but how often do we
make that leap to starting our own business?
NESTA, the UK's largest early stage investor in innovative and creative
businesses, commissioned research to find out why so few of our 'good ideas'
make their way to the balance sheet.
The 'Fear of Failure Report' released by NESTA, reveals that nearly one in
three (29%) people have had what they thought was a great business idea or
invention but eight out of 10 of those didn't do a thing about it. When asked
why, 61% said that they didn't know where to start, 67% claimed not to have
sufficient funds and 33% just didn't have the time.
- Nesta.org.uk, January 2, 2007
2. Will this tunnel plan see the light of day?
Six years ago, my colleague, Robert Weimer, proposed substituting a tunnel
for the failed bridge project between Long Island and Rye. He pushed the idea in
one of the last editorials he wrote before retiring.
Bob, a smart man and gifted writer who cared deeply for Long Island, died a
few months later, but his idea lives on.
- Newsday.com, November 27, 2007
3. The first of what will probably be a handful of rumors tied to prying
Jason Kidd out of the Eastern Conference broke Wednesday, roping in Portland in
addition to probable trade participants Dallas and New Jersey.
Published reports surfaced that had the Blazers contemplating facilitating
Kidd's return to the Mavericks by moving Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye and
Jarrett Jack, players who have contributed considerably to this season's
revival. In return, they would get Dallas' fourth-year point guard Devin Harris,
once considered untouchable since he's one of a handful of players in the league
capable of staying with Tony Parker of rival San Antonio.
According to several NBA sources,that deal will never see the light of day.
That being said, there is validity to the fact the Trail Blazers are doing some
talking, which compromises the bubble of security they've been operating under
during this Cinderella season. While it might seem naïve that the third-youngest
team in league history would be able to keep all of its parts together for the
foreseeable future, the fact is that for reasons related to cap issues and
roster space, only the true core is safe.
- The Juice: Kidd 3-way trade? No, but Blazers will deal – someday
(CBSSports.com, February 1, 2008)
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