2009-03-10
A sucker is one who is easily fooled, easily tricked and cheated. His history is a long one because suckers are as old as mankind. There are several ideas as to how the word came into use. One goes back to the early European settlers in America.
The story is told that they found in the lakes and rivers of the new land strange fish, kinds that they had never before seen. One kind was especially strange－a small fish that swam in deep water and sucked up food from the river bottom. It could do this because of the shape of its mouth. The settlers began to call this fish a "sucker." After a time, they discovered many other kinds of fish that got food by sucking it into their mouths. They, also, were called suckers. So, suckers were found everywhere, and even the worst fisherman could catch a sucker of some kind. In time, the word was used to describe any easy victim.
Another explanation, however, is that the word came from the idea of someone being sucked into something without knowing it, as a person is sucked into some tricky business or scheme and fooled and cheated.
As far back as 1842, for example, there was a newspaper story about a coach driver who told a would-be passenger, "I do not have to drive anybody in the middle of the night, so don't try to suck me in." And there was a newspaper report about a sermon in church. The preacher said, "I can't help but say it : life is all moonshine, a monstrous humbug, a grand suck-in."
A third and more recent explanation is that "sucker" was coined to describe someone as trusting and innocent as a suckling－a young creature still sucking at its mother's breast. Of course, it would not be difficult to fool such a person.
The word was given popular fame by an American showman, P.T. Barnum. He said that there was a sucker born every minute. Nobody knew better than he. After all, he built his success on that idea. Millions of people paid money to see his circus freaks and fakes. Barnum should have said kinder words about these people. They may have been suckers, but they made him successful.
That can also be said of the man who wrote the line made famous by a Hollywood movie－that one should never give a sucker an even break, that one should, in other words, bleed him dry.
Strange as it may seem, this is a universal feeling. Nobody likes a sucker. Throughout history, everywhere in the world, people have been cruel to suckers. Psychiatrists, perhaps, can tell us why. Possibly, to risk a guess, people look upon suckers as they do upon people with leprosy, fearful of getting the disease.
Modern society has discovered a new kind of sucker, sometimes called an " angel." Such is one who can be talked or sucked into giving money to support some project. It may be a political campaign, a cause or an organization. Or it may be a new play.
There are as many projects as there are suckers to support them. Specialists and staffs work hard to develop what has become known as "sucker lists," with the names of people who may have money to give away. One newspaper, The Philadelphia Bulletin, said at one time, "The telephone directory is not intended to be a sucker list, but a smart operator can use it for one."
This is a frightening thought. Millions of us have telephones and each one of us is a promising candidates for some sucker list. We cannot, therefore, be too hard on suckers. They－and we－are part of modern life.
注解：
sucker 傻瓜。
tricked 被愚弄。
come into use 普遍使用。
settler 定居者。
suck 吸。
river bottom 河底。
victim 受害者。
explanation 解释。
scheme 诡计。
coach driver 马车驾驶。
would-be passenger 可能的乘客。
sermon 讲道。
preacher 讲道人。
can't help but say it 不得不说。
moonshine 空想。
monstrous humbug 大欺诈。
coin 铸造。
suckling 乳臭未干的小子。
showman 表演者。
freaks and fakes 把戏。
an even break 均等机会。
bleed him dry 榨光他的一切。
psychiatrist 心理医师。
leprosy 麻疯病。
political campaign 竞选。
The Philadelphia Bulletin 费城通讯报。
frightening 可怕的。
promising cadidate 有希望的候选人。
hard on 苛刻对待。
