爱情可以是永恒的，但是爱人间的昵称却随着时间流逝不断演变和更替。你还是只会将爱人唤作honey或sweetheart吗？这里有20种甜蜜昵称，虽然古老，但是却能给即将到来的情人节增加一点新鲜感。

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What did "I'm the huckleberry to your persimmon" mean?

昵称一：越橘果

Popular in the 1830s, it was the comparison of something small to something great. It became a saying of love and "huckleberry" came to mean sweetheart, friend, or partner. 这一说法在19世纪30年代很流行，原来是用于将小东西（越橘果）和大东西（柿子）相比较。后来这一说法便用来表达爱意，越橘果也成了爱人、朋友或伴侣的代称。

If you were to call someone a "mouse," what were you referring to them as?

昵称二：老鼠

Taken from Old English but popularized by Shakespeare, it means a demure or quiet darling, particularly a woman.这一昵称来自古英语，但却是因为莎士比亚而普及的，指的是娴静的爱人，尤其是女性。

demure[dɪˈmjʊr]: adj. 端庄的；娴静的

Not a knight in training, what did "squire" mean?

昵称三：侍从

A "squire" is a man who accompanies or escorts a woman. “侍从”指一个陪伴或护送女性的男子。

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What did "lambkin" refer to?

昵称四：小羊

Used by Shakespeare in his "Henry" plays, "lambkin" can refer to both a small child and lovers. It was an endearing term used among families. 莎士比亚在他的戏剧《亨利》系列中用过这个说法。“小羊”可以指小孩，也可以指爱人。在过去曾被用为家人之间的昵称。

If you called someone "golpol," how were you describing them?

昵称五：美人

This 16th-century term to describe beauty was derived from the word gold-poll or golden headed, according to David Crystal's "Words in Time and Place."根据戴维·克里斯特尔的《时空中的词汇》，这个词语源于gold-poll或golden headed（金发美人），在16世纪用于形容美人。

What would you mean by the word "tib"?

昵称六：小牛

You were calling them a young calf. In 14th-century England, calves were seen as both very expensive and also cute. "Tib" refers to someone desirable.这个词是小牛的意思。在14世纪的英国，小牛被认为既昂贵又可爱。因此tib指有吸引力的人。

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What did the name "ladybird" mean?

昵称七：瓢虫

Taken from "Romeo and Juliet," the name refers to a close female friend or sweetheart.这个昵称来自《罗密欧与朱丽叶》，指的是亲密的女性朋友或爱人。

If someone called you a "duck," they were referring to you as what?

昵称八：鸭子

Darling or dear. This term was Shakespearean in origin. 称呼某人“鸭子”相当于说“亲爱的”。这个昵称源自莎士比亚作品。

What did the term "bearcat" mean?

昵称九：熊狸

In the 1920s, a "bearcat" referred to a hot-tempered woman with a lot of spirit. 在20世纪20年代，“熊狸”指的是精神饱满的急性子女人。

What did "old thing" mean?

昵称十：老东西

In the 19th century, "old thing" lost its negative connotations and was used as a term of affection for one's partner.在19世纪，“老东西”不再含有贬义，而是被作为对伴侣的昵称。

英文来源：内幕网

翻译&编辑：丹妮

来源：中国日报网