To expectorate is to force liquid out of your mouth — in plain English, to spit. Most often it means coughing something up from your chest and spitting it out, but it can just mean spitting.

To expectorate吐痰 is就是 to force liquid out of your mouth把液體用力排出嘴巴 in plain English用白話英文說 to spit就是「spit」 Most often最常見的情況 it means指的是 coughing something up from your chest把胸腔裡的東西咳出來 and再 spitting it out吐出去 but但 it can just mean spitting它也可以單純指吐口水

It is a strange word socially. It is far too formal for ordinary use: nobody watching a baseball player says 'he expectorated'.

It is它是 a strange word socially一個在社交場合上很奇怪的字 It is它 far too formal for ordinary use對日常使用來說太正式了 nobody沒有人 watching a baseball player看棒球選手時 says 'he expectorated'會說「he expectorated」

You meet it in exactly two places. First, medicine: a doctor asks whether you can expectorate, meaning can you bring the phlegm up. Second, public signs and rules — the old-fashioned 'Do not expectorate' on a bus or in a hospital, where the writer wants to sound official and, perhaps, less rude than writing 'no spitting'.

You meet it你會在 in exactly two places剛好兩個地方遇到它 First首先 medicine在醫學上 a doctor asks醫生會問 whether you can expectorate你能不能把痰咳出來 meaning意思是 can you bring the phlegm up你能不能把痰帶上來 Second第二 public signs and rules公共告示和規則 the old-fashioned 'Do not expectorate'老派的「禁止隨地吐痰」告示 on a bus or in a hospital出現在公車上或醫院裡 where在那種地方 the writer寫告示的人 wants to sound official想聽起來很正式 and而且 perhaps也許 less rude than writing 'no spitting'比直接寫「no spitting」聽起來沒那麼失禮

That is the joke inside the word: it is a polite dressing-gown put over a very ordinary, slightly disgusting act. In real life, say 'spit', or 'cough it up'.

That is這就是 the joke inside the word這個字裡面的玩笑所在 it is它是 a polite dressing-gown一件禮貌的睡袍 put over披在 a very ordinary, slightly disgusting act一個非常普通、有點噁心的動作上面 In real life在現實生活裡 say 'spit', or 'cough it up'就說「spit」或「cough it up」就好