核心畫面

A sitter can be thought of as the one that stays put while everything else moves. Someone holds a pose in a chair so a painter can work. Someone stays in the house with the children while the parents go out. A ball stops in front of an open goal and waits to be kicked. In each case the word points at whoever, or whatever, is staying in place.

sitter 可以想成「留在原位的那一個」。有人坐在椅子上不動,讓畫家慢慢畫。有人留在家裡陪小孩,等爸媽回來。球停在更多收起sitter 可以想成「留在原位的那一個」。有人坐在椅子上不動,讓畫家慢慢畫。有人留在家裡陪小孩,等爸媽回來。球停在球門前面,等著被踢進去。周圍都在動的時候,這個字指的就是待在那裡不走的那一個。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary records sitter as Middle English sitter, sittere, that is sit plus -er: one who sits.

Wiktionary 記錄 sitter 來自中古英語的 sitter、sittere,等於 sit 加上 -er,也就是「坐著的那個人」。這條線索和上面的畫面接得上。

Wiktionary (kaikki extract, entry sitter/noun): "From Middle English sitter, sittere, syttare, equivalent to sit + -er."

Three branches

坐著讓人畫、讓人拍的人

這是最貼近字面的一支:人真的坐在那裡不動。核心畫面幾乎不用轉換就直接拿來用。

noun · B2

The person who sits or stands still while an artist paints or draws them, or while a photographer takes their picture.

肖像模特兒

留下來陪著、顧著的人

把「留在原位」從一個姿勢擴大成一段任務:人留在那個地方,直到該回來的人回來。

noun · B1

Someone who stays with a child and looks after them for a few hours while the parents are out, usually for pay. It is the short form of babysitter.

臨時保母

停在那裡等人打的球(運動俚語)

這一支把「留在原位」的主角從人換成球,畫面本身沒變:東西停著,等你來處理。

noun · C1

In sports such as football, snooker and cricket: a chance to score that is so easy that the player is expected to take it. It is slang, and it is used most often when the player misses.

超簡單的得分機會