喜樂美語

核心畫面

One picture holds this whole word: a sock pulled over someone's hand. The sock has a face, the fingers open and close like a mouth, and it seems to speak. But nothing about it is its own. The hand chooses the words, the hand chooses the movement, and the hand stays out of sight. Whenever English reaches for sock puppet outside the toy box, it is reaching for that arrangement: something visible in front, someone hidden behind it, and a voice that belongs to the hidden one.

這個字的各種意思，可以想成都從同一個畫面長出來：一隻襪子套在手上。襪子縫了眼睛，手指一開一合，看起來就像在講話。可是…更多收起這個字的各種意思，可以想成都從同一個畫面長出來：一隻襪子套在手上。襪子縫了眼睛，手指一開一合，看起來就像在講話。可是它自己什麼也沒有。話是手的主人想的，動作是手的主人做的，而那隻手躲在看不見的地方。英文只要把 sock puppet 用在玩具以外的地方，指的幾乎都是同一種關係：前面有一個看得見的角色，後面有一個藏起來的人，聲音其實屬於後面那個人。

From the word’s history

The word is put together from sock and puppet, so its literal sense is simply a puppet made out of a sock.

來源資料寫著 From sock + puppet，也就是 sock（襪子）加 puppet（手偶）。字面意思就是「襪子做的手偶」，而 puppet 本身在英文裡早就帶有「被人操縱」的意味，這條線索正好接上後面幾個比喻用法。

Wiktionary entry supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:860658569:13019), etymology_text: From sock + puppet.

Two branches

手上的襪子手偶

這是字面的意思，也是整個字的出發點。看得見的襪子、藏起來的手，兩樣東西在這裡都是實物。

noun · B1

A simple puppet made from a sock that you wear on your hand. It usually has eyes, and sometimes a mouth or hair, sewn or glued on, and it looks like it is talking when you move your fingers.

襪子手偶

有人在後面操縱

把玩具的結構搬到人和帳號身上：外面看到的那一個只是外殼，真正在動的是後面那隻看不見的手。

noun · C1

A person or group that looks independent but is completely controlled by someone else, who decides what they say and do.

傀儡

原始詞典資料4 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。

sock puppetnoun/ˈsɒkˌpʌpɪt/

  • 1

    A puppet made from a sock placed over a hand.

  • 2

    Synonym of puppet (“a person completely controlled by another”)

  • 3

    derogatoryAn alternative pseudonymous online account, especially one used for abuse.

    • Trying to prove that a new user is simply a previous user in a new sock puppet is quite hard for the ordinary user and even administrators.
    • The Internet has created many opportunities for online voting. Unscrupulous people will create sock puppets in order to stuff online ballot boxes. In other cases, a sock puppeteer may create multiple identities to support arguments, voice opinions, or otherwise create the online illusion that may people support the sock puppeteer. This practice is called a "Sybil attack" […]

sock puppetverb/ˈsɒkˌpʌpɪt/

  • 1

    To create or use a sock puppet (alternative user account).

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。