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AstroTurf is fake grass — a plastic surface laid down so people can play football, baseball, or other sports without a real lawn. It began as a trademark, and the name stuck so hard that many English speakers use it for any artificial pitch, the way a brand name becomes the everyday word for a whole kind of thing.
AstroTurf is fake grassAstroTurf是人工草皮—— a plastic surface laid down一種鋪在地上的塑膠表面 so people can play football, baseball, or other sports讓人們可以踢足球、打棒球或做其他運動 without a real lawn而不需要真的草地。It began as a trademark它一開始是個商標， and the name stuck so hard但這個名字太深植人心， that many English speakers use it for any artificial pitch讓很多英語使用者把它拿來稱呼任何人工球場， the way a brand name becomes the everyday word for a whole kind of thing就像品牌名變成整類東西的日常說法一樣。
It was put into a huge indoor stadium in Houston, the Astrodome, in 1966 (Houston liked to call itself a space city, so “astro” is in the name); before that the product was sold as ChemGrass.
It was put into a huge indoor stadium in Houston, the Astrodome, in 19661966年，它被鋪進了休士頓一座巨大的室內體育場the Astrodome； Houston liked to call itself a space city休士頓喜歡自稱是太空城市， so "astro" is in the name所以名字裡才有『astro』。before that the product was sold as ChemGrass在那之前，這個產品是以ChemGrass的名字銷售的。
On the sports side the word is informal-to-neutral.
On the sports side在運動這一邊， the word is informal-to-neutral這個字的語感介於口語和中性之間。
Though actually, people also stretch it: because this grass is fake, AstroTurf — and especially the verb — became a way to talk about fake “ordinary people” support in . That stretched use is astroturfing.
Though actually不過其實， people also stretch it人們也會延伸這個字的用法： because this grass is fake因為這種草是假的， AstroTurf — and especially the verb —AstroTurf——尤其是它的動詞形式—— became a way to talk about fake "ordinary people" support in politics變成了一種說法，用來講政治上假造出來的『一般民眾』支持。That stretched use is astroturfing這種延伸用法就叫astroturfing。
組成astro- + turf (grass, or a piece of ground with grass). Named after the Astrodome in Houston, the first big sports hall to put this surface in. First sold as ChemGrass.
同家族的字
- turfthe second half: grass, or the ground it grows on
- astroturfingthe political joke: fake “grassroots,” playing on this fake grass
- astroturfera person who runs that fake-support campaign
原始詞典資料9 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
AstroTurfnoun/ˈæstɹoʊˌtɝf/
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A synthetic material used in sports grounds as a durable substitute for natural grass.
- And then there's AstroTurf. Invented in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and patented by Monsanto in 1965, AstroTurf is the world's first synthetic turf used as a sports playing surface, coming to fame—and its name—when it was put into the Houston Astrodome in 1966.
Astroturfverb
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To cover with an artificial grasslike material.
- But what was there left to Astroturf? The sitting-room? Hugh's bald patch?
- Is it just me, or is it hard to find anyone nowadays to Astroturf your car?
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governmentpoliticsTo fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda.
- We have been Astroturfed by some of the biggest players in the business. As you will read in the coming pages, a reasonable-sounding group called Americans for Balanced Energy Choices spent us$40 million during the last presidential[…]
- Even Maher reacted; his Achilles' heel is that even though he's a leftie, he exhibits clear contempt for the astroturfed audience he relies upon for his laughs. The awkwardness continued for a full, commercial-free half hour,[…]
Astroturfadj
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Of a group created by a larger organisation (especially a corporation or political party), but presenting itself as a grassroots organisation.
- Can we assure readers that astroturf letters will not appear as letters in The Star? Unfortunately, no. At least a dozen Web sites from which astroturf can be generated have been identified. Many more exist.
- The defining feature of astroturf groups is that they are generated by an industry, think tank, or front group, but disguised to appear as a spontaneous, popular 'grassroots' effort. They are created to lobby or campaign on behalf of[…]
Astroturfnoun
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governmentpoliticsA campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support.
- An Astroturf campaign is a fake grassroots movement: it purports to be a spontaneous uprising of concerned citizens, but in reality it is founded and funded by elite interests. Some Astroturf campaigns have no grassroots component at all. Others catalyse and direct real mobilisations.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。