Занимательное лингвострановедение. Текст 6

Tea [ti:] — dried leaves of an evergreen shrub grown in China, India. If we scan the item “tea” from the point of view of culture bound lexis we will definitely find out its connection with some categories, which have been studied. Tea is evidently a connotative item and the item belonging to the “Briticisms”.  So we have at least two categories that give us a right to put “tea” into the culture-oriented language studies.

Tea is traditionally the most popular drink in Britain, and is usually drunk with milk, and sometimes with sugar. People may drink tea at any time of day, but especially at breakfast time. Tea is drunk in many different social situations. It may form part of an afternoon tea party, served in elegant china cups and saucers and accompanied by sandwiches and cakes, but it is just as popular drunk from mugs as a morning or afternoon “brew” (or “cuppa”) at work. Tea also suggests comfort and warmth, and sitting down with a “nice strong sup of tea” is a common response to problems and worries. Traditionally, there plenty of expressions, connecting with tea. Here are some of them: Not for all the tea in China; It is not my cup of tea; A storm in a teacup; To read the tea leaves for somebody; Tea-table conversation, etc.

Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o’clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter (some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread) and cake be brought to her room during the late afternoon.

Webster´s English Encyclopedic Dictionary. – Oxford University Press. — 2007

Ключи:

В тексте приведены устойчивые выражения. Необходимо дать их адекватный перевод:

• Nice strong sup of tea – чашка крепкого чая
• Not for all the tea in China – не за какие коврижки
• It is not my cup of tea – не для меня, не мой конек
• A storm in a teacup – буря в стакане воды
• To read the tea leaves for somebody – гадать на кофейной гуще
• Tea-table conversation – разговорчики, болтовня, разговор ни о чем