核心畫面

You can hold on to one small, soft, short sausage — the kind a child pushes onto a stick over a fire. It is little, it bends, it is cheap, and you never eat just one. Every other use of the word keeps some part of that picture. Aimed at a person it keeps the softness, and means someone who bends instead of standing firm. Used in card games it keeps the smallness and the number: one is nothing, a handful wins.

可以想成一根短短軟軟的小香腸,就是小孩插在樹枝上烤的那種。它很小、會彎、很便宜,而且從來不會只吃一根。這個字其他的用更多收起可以想成一根短短軟軟的小香腸,就是小孩插在樹枝上烤的那種。它很小、會彎、很便宜,而且從來不會只吃一根。這個字其他的用法,都還留著這張圖的一部分。用在人身上,留下的是「軟」——遇到事情就彎下去,不是站穩的那種人。用在卡牌遊戲,留下的是「小」跟「多」——一張不算什麼,一堆就能贏。這條線是方便記的說法,資料裡沒有給這個字的字源,所以不是在講歷史。

Three branches

吃的東西

核心畫面本身,也是這個字最常見、最中性的用法。

noun · B2

A small sausage of the kind you eat in a bread roll or cook over a fire. It is a casual, friendly word, and it is also spelled wienie.

小香腸/熱狗腸

拿來說人的話

從香腸的「軟、小、不起眼」聯想到人:不夠硬、不夠有份量。這是一條幫助記憶的聯想,資料裡沒有字源可以證明它真的是這樣長出來的。

noun · B2

An insulting name for someone who is weak, easily frightened, or slow to understand. Children use it far more than adults, and it can also be used about yourself as a joke.

膽小鬼/孬種

卡牌遊戲的行話

留下的是「小」和「多」:一根香腸餵不飽人,一盤才行;一張小生物牌沒有用,一堆才會贏。

noun · C1

In collectible card games, a small creature card that costs very little to put into play. Players use a lot of them at once instead of one large creature.

小生物牌(低費小怪)