小词详解 | quack
quack 英 [kwæk] 美 [kwæk]
SAT TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
One sure giveaway of quack medicine is the claim that a product can treat any ailment.
有一种绝对能推销出去狗皮膏药的方法就是说它包治百病。
——《经济学人》Here, the nexus of quack pharma and industry-owned politicians has produced quite a windfall: nearly one in four dollars in the supplement market passes through this state.
在这里,补品业的奸商和为该行业服务的政客相互勾结,大发横财:在补品市场上,几乎每4美元中就有1美元流经了犹他州。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[noun] a person who dishonestly claims to have medical knowledge or skills
[名词] 虚假声称拥有医学知识或技能的人
深入解读
中国历史上有所谓的“江湖郎中”,西方社会中也有此类人物,在英语中称为quacksalver,缩写为quack。quack原本表示“鸭子的嘎嘎叫声”,salve表示“膏药”,salver表示“卖膏药的人”。之所以将江湖郎中称为quacksalver,是因为这些江湖郎中在沿街叫卖膏药时,大吹大擂的样子很像鸭子在嘎嘎叫,所以被形象地称为quacksalver。
影视用例
出自1994年美国黑色幽默犯罪片《低俗小说》(Pulp Fiction)。该片电影充斥着脏话、幽默和暴力,并以具有讽刺意味的非线性叙事来呈现,获得第67届奥斯卡金像奖最佳原创剧本奖。
同近义词
swindler: a person who uses deception to deprive someone of money or possessions
charlatan: a person who claims to have knowledge or skills that they do not really have
racketeer: a person who makes money through dishonest or illegal activities
往期回顾