ha—ha障碍；沟；矮篱，矮墙

【使用地区】：英国

【释义】：

Here is an exclamation that became a word，one of the most peculiar of derivations．A ha—ha is“an obstacle interrupting one’s way sharply and disagreeably，a ditch behind an opening in a wall at the bottom of an alley or walk．”It is used in gardens as a boundary that doesn’t interrupt the view from inside，and can’t be seen from the outside until you come very close to it；it is in effect a sunken fence，the inner side of the ditch perpendicular to and faced with stone．while the outer side is turfed and slop ing．When these ditches，or fosses，were first used extensively in the seventeenth century，people out for a stroll in the country were frequently surprised to find a sudden check to their walk．The exclamations of“haha!，”“ah—hah!，”or“hah—hah!”in expressing their surprise became the name of the ditch or sunken fence．

这原是感叹词，是最奇异的派生词之一。该词指“令人不快地突然阻碍某人去路的障碍”，也指“小巷或林阴道尽头墙洞门后的水沟”。在花园中，用来指不遮挡里面的视线，从外面要走近才能看得见的分界线。它实际上是下陷的篱笆，沟的内侧与石头成直角，面向石头，沟的外侧用草皮覆盖，呈倾斜状。当这些沟或渠在17世纪被开始广泛应用时，那些外出到乡村去散步的人经常会惊讶地突然止步。因此，表示惊讶的感叹词haha!、ah—hah!或hah—hah!就成了“沟”或“矮离”的代名词。