"utterance, recitation, action of the verb 'say,' " c. 1300, verbal noun from say (v.); meaning "something that has been said" (usually by someone thought important) is from c. 1300; sense of "a proverb" is first attested mid-15c.
?a va sans dire, a familiar French locution, whose English equivalent might be "that is a matter of course," or "that may be taken for granted." But recently it has become the tendency to translate it literally, "that goes without saying," and these words, though originally uncouth and almost unmeaning to the unpractised ear, are gradually acquiring the exact meaning of the French. [Walsh, 1892]
雙語例句
1. Lucy had strung a banner across the wall saying "Welcome Home Daddy".
露西在墻上掛了一條橫幅，上面寫著“歡迎爸爸回家”。
來自柯林斯例句
2. He hit back angrily, saying such remarks were childishly simplistic.
他憤怒地反擊，說這些話太過幼稚。
來自柯林斯例句
3. I heard the voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying.
我聽到有聲音，卻聽不清他們在說些什么。
來自柯林斯例句
4. He fled on Friday, saying he feared for his life.
他星期五逃走了，說是擔心自己有生命危險。
來自柯林斯例句
5. He was sitting there saying, "Yes, the figures make sense."