下面這個例子描述了一位爸爸給他的孩子們帶回來一隻小狗的場景:
例句-1:The kids went hog wild, chasing the poor puppy all around the house, then fighting over who got to hold it, pet it and give it a bowl of dog food.
孩子們簡直高興得發瘋,滿屋子追著可憐的小狗跑,接著他們又爭著搶著要抱它,撫摸它,並給它吃一碗狗食。
然而養一條可愛的小狗並不總是那麼逗樂的。這位爸爸有一天下班回家發現小狗把家裏的垃圾弄得滿地都是。更氣人的是它還在津津有味地大啃特啃爸爸那雙心愛的皮鞋。
例句-2:I went hog wild when I saw this mess, I chased him around, cornered him and was about to spank him when he wagged his tail and licked my hand and I couldn't be mad any more.
我看到這一團糟氣得簡直髮瘋。於是我到處追那只狗,把它趕到角落裏沒處逃的地方正要打它,它卻又搖尾巴又舔我的手,讓我再也氣不起來了。
我們再來學個帶有hog這個詞的習慣用語:
hog heaven,它可以用來泛指任何可以帶來極大快樂的地方。想像一下在泥塘裏打滾的豬有多自得其樂,這泥水塘可說是它的天堂了。
例句-3:Have you tried that new restaurant that serves all you can eat for seven dollars? It's hog heaven if you like nothing better than to stuff yourself until you can't eat one more bite.
你去過那家新開的餐館嗎? 那兒供應自助餐,每人七美元。這地方對好吃又喜歡把自己塞得漲破肚子的人來說簡直就是天堂。
例句-4:Jerry gets so tired lifting weights that he barely has the strength left to get home. But then he's in hog heaven down at the beach when the girls crowd around to admire all his bulging muscles.
雖然傑裏舉重舉到累得幾乎連回家的力氣都沒有了,但是等他到了海邊,一群姑娘圍著看他鼓鼓的肌肉的時候,他就又有些飄飄然了。
這裡的be in hog heaven意思是處於自我陶醉的境地。儘管苦練身體或大吃大喝讓某些人覺得其樂無窮,是某些人的hog heaven,但都只是讓某些人樂在其中;不是每個人,因為人各有所好。此外, hog heaven不同於宗教信念中的天堂。首先正如剛才所說的那樣,hog heaven描述的是給某些人極大快樂的地方或場合,其次那種快樂往往是非精神上的肉體享受。