VOA慢速英語:大人物的表達方式Bigwig and Top Banana

Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

現(xiàn)在是美國之音英語教學(xué)詞匯掌故欄目。

Some expressions describe people who are important -- or who at least think they are. One such expression is bigwig.

用來描述一些重要的人物或者至少他們自認為自己了不起的那些人的一些詞組，其中的一個就是bigwig。

In the 17th century, important men in Europe began to wear false hair, called wigs. As years passed, wigs began to get bigger. The size of a man's wig depended on how important he was. The more important he was -- or thought he was -- the bigger the wig he wore. Some wigs were so large they covered a man's shoulders or back.

17世紀，歐洲一些重要人物開始戴一種被稱為wigs的假發(fā)。隨著時間的流逝，這種wigs假發(fā)開始變得越來越大。假發(fā)的大小取決于這人的重要性，這個人物越重要，或者他自認為自己越重要，假發(fā)就越大。一些假發(fā)太大了，以至于覆蓋了人的肩膀或者后背。

Today, the expression "bigwig" is used to make fun of a person who feels important. People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the expression behind his back.

今天"bigwig"這個詞用來取笑那些自認為很重要的人。人們從來不會當(dāng)面說某人是一個bigwig，他們只在背后說人時用它。

"Big wheel" is another way to describe an important person. A big wheel may be the head of a company, a political leader, a famous movie star. They are big wheels because they are powerful. What they do affects many people. Big wheels give the orders. Other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big wheel makes the little wheels turn.

"Big wheel"是描述重要人物的另一種方式。一個big wheel可能會是一家公司的頭兒，一位政治領(lǐng)袖，或者一位著名的電影明星。之所以稱他們?yōu)閎ig wheels 是因為他們手里有權(quán)利。他們的所作所為會影響許多人。他們發(fā)號施令，其他人執(zhí)行。就像許多機器一樣，大輪子帶動小輪子旋轉(zhuǎn)。

Big wheel became a popular expression after World War II. It probably comes from an expression used for many years by people who fix parts of cars and trucks. They said a person "rolled a big wheel" if he was important and had influence.

Big wheel是在二戰(zhàn)以后開始被廣泛應(yīng)用的。它可能來自那些修理汽車或者卡車的人，可能已經(jīng)被那些人用了好多年了!如果一個人很重要或者具有影響力，他們就稱這些人為“能滾動大輪子”的人。

The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describes an important person. The expression is top banana. A "top banana" is the leading person in a comedy show. The funniest comedian is called "the top banana." The next is "second banana." And so on.

某物的最頂部是它最高的一部分。所以說用top相關(guān)的短語來表示一個重要的人也就不足為奇了。這個短語就是top banana。"top banana"是指一部喜劇表演的主角。最有趣的喜劇演員被稱為"the top banana"。其次是"second banana"，然后依次類推。

Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object. The object was shaped like the yellow fruit: the banana.

為什么用banana這個詞呢?在早期的喜劇表演中經(jīng)常會出現(xiàn)這樣的場景：一位喜劇演員會用一個軟的東西擊打其他演員的頭。這個東西的形狀很像一種黃色的水果：香蕉。

Top banana still is used mainly in show business. Yet the expression can also be used to describe the top person in any area.

Top banana仍然主要用于娛樂圈。但是它還可以用來描述各個領(lǐng)域的拔尖人才。

A "kingpin" is another word for an important person. The expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine pins fall. And that is the object of the game.

"kingpin"是表示物的另一個詞。這個詞來源于保齡球比賽。Kingpin是保齡球中最重要的球瓶。如果正確地用保齡球擊中它，kingpin能讓其它九個球瓶都倒下去而這就是打保齡球的目的。

So, the most important person in a project or business is the kingpin. If the kingpin is removed, the business or project is likely to fail.

因此不管是一項工程，或者是一個企業(yè)里最重要的人就稱之為kingpin。如果kingpin被撤掉，那么這個企業(yè)或者工程可能會失敗!

Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that "police have arrested the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation."

Kingpin也經(jīng)常用來形容一個重要的犯人，或者犯罪集團的頭目。比如說報紙上可能會這樣報道“警察已經(jīng)逮捕了一起汽車盜竊案的嫌疑頭目。”

This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Marilyn Christiano.

這次的詞匯掌故是由Marilyn Christiano編寫的。

I'm Warren Scheer.

我是Warren Scheer。
（本文轉(zhuǎn)自chinavoa.com）

Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

Some expressions describe people who are important -- or who at least think they are. One such expression is bigwig.

In the 17th century, important men in Europe began to wear false hair, called wigs. As years passed, wigs began to get bigger. The size of a man's wig depended on how important he was. The more important he was -- or thought he was -- the bigger the wig he wore. Some wigs were so large they covered a man's shoulders or back.

Today, the expression "bigwig" is used to make fun of a person who feels important. People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the expression behind his back.

"Big wheel" is another way to describe an important person. A big wheel may be the head of a company, a political leader, a famous movie star. They are big wheels because they are powerful. What they do affects many people. Big wheels give the orders. Other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big wheel makes the little wheels turn.

Big wheel became a popular expression after World War II. It probably comes from an expression used for many years by people who fix parts of cars and trucks. They said a person "rolled a big wheel" if he was important and had influence.

The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describes an important person. The expression is top banana. A "top banana" is the leading person in a comedy show. The funniest comedian is called "the top banana." The next is "second banana." And so on.

Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object. The object was shaped like the yellow fruit: the banana.

Bigwigs are worn for Bastille Day celebration in New York on July 13, 1997. (AP File photo)

Top banana still is used mainly in show business. Yet the expression can also be used to describe the top person in any area.

A "kingpin" is another word for an important person. The expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine pins fall. And that is the object of the game.

So, the most important person in a project or business is the kingpin. If the kingpin is removed, the business or project is likely to fail.

Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that "police have arrested the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation."

This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Marilyn Christiano.

I'm Warren Scheer.