The shirt has been a common piece of clothing for men and women for a great many centuries.Some of the expressions made from the word are as old,and as common,as the shirt itself.

　　"Keep your shirt on".That sounds like good advice for anyone,especially on a cold day.But the expression "keep your shirt on"gives a very different kind of advice.

　　It means stay calm,do not get excited.Or,it can mean slow down,do not be in such a hurry.The meaning depends on the situation.

　　Americans began using the expression about one hundred fifty years ago.Back then，men often fought with their fists over a women,or money owed from playing cards,or almost anything.Before the men would fight,they almost always would remove their shirts.The expression,"keep your shirt on",was advice to stay calm.It was a way of trying to stop the fight.

　　You may say "keep your shirt on" to someone who is getting angry with you.Or,you may say it to someone who is in a terrible hurry.

　　许多世纪以来，衬衫是男女都穿的一种普通衣裳。用衬衫组成的许多词语中有一些也跟衬衫一样古老，一样普通。

　　“别脱掉衬衫”这句话听起来像是人人适用的忠告，尤其是在天凉的时侯。其实它告诫的内容并非如此。

　　这句话的含义是：保持镇静，不要激动。它也可以指慢一些，不要急急忙忙。到底指什么，全看上下文而定。

　　美国人是在大约一百五十年前开始这么说的。在那时侯，男人们常常为了一个女人，或是为了赌债，或是为了任何芝麻大的事而挥拳对殴。打架之前，他们差不多总是先把衬衫脱掉。因此，“别脱掉衬衫”这句话当时就是劝人保持镇静的。这是一种试图制止斗殴的办法。

　　如果有人对你发火，你可以对他说“别脱掉衬衫”。你也可以对一个手忙脚乱的人说这句话。