VOA慢速英语 词语学习Buff: 你对某事很痴迷吗?

　　Buff: Are You a Buff About Something?

　　词语学习Buff: 你对某事很痴迷吗？

　　Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Today we tell about the word "buff."

　　The word buff has several meanings. Buff is a light yellow color. Buff is also a soft cloth used to rub a surface until it looks bright and shiny.

　　Yet these meanings are old, and their history is not known. The meaning of buff that we do know about is one that describes a person. A buff is someone who has a strong, special interest in something. For example, someone who loves jazz music is a jazz buff. Someone who is deeply interested in the American Civil War is a Civil War buff.

　　This meaning of the word is known to be American. Its use started almost two-hundred years ago in New York City.

　　At that time, New York was a growing city. There were no huge tall buildings of steel and stone. Buildings then were made of wood and brick. Many were old and fires often broke out in them. The city did not have well-organized fire departments. So when the fire alarm bell rang, men near the sound of the fire bell dropped what they were doing and rushed out to fight the fire.

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