核心畫面

Picture a ball that tells a lie on the way down. Everything about it says it will turn to the left after it bounces, the batter moves for the left, and then it goes right. The trick is not power; it is a false signal, and the batter has already committed before the truth arrives.

可以想成一顆會說謊的球。它在空中飛的時候,每個線索都說它落地後會往左邊彎,打者也照著往左邊準備。結果球一落地就往右邊更多收起可以想成一顆會說謊的球。它在空中飛的時候,每個線索都說它落地後會往左邊彎,打者也照著往左邊準備。結果球一落地就往右邊跑。這顆球厲害的地方不是快或重,而是先給了一個假訊號,等打者身體已經動了才翻臉。這個「先騙你,再翻方向」的畫面,就是這個字後來能拿去講難題的原因。

From the word’s history

The origin is not certain. One suggestion in the source is googie, an egg, pointing at the odd way the ball bounces; the earliest record is Australian English in 1896.

來源不確定。資料提到一種說法是來自 googie(蛋),指的是球彈跳的方向很怪。最早的紀錄是 1896 年的澳洲英語,比英國球員 Bosanquet 在 1900 年前後把它練成名還早。因為來源本身就是推測,這條線索只能當參考,不能當定論。

Wiktionary entry for googly, etymology 1 (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:552934078)