词汇大师-- Recession Spawns an Expanding Lexicon

　　AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on WORDMASTER: terms from the recession. Dictionary editor Ben Zimmer is back with us. And it sounds like he's going to start with a popular term these days, "shovel¹-ready."
(Sound of shoveling)

　　BEN ZIMMER: "Well, shovel-ready is a term that's been used to describe infrastructure² projects that are ready to go when stimulus³ money is available. The new stimulus package has passed the Congress and they are prioritizing those projects that are already planned out. And all they need is the money to get started and people can start digging in and getting to work right away."
AA: "And we know that some of these projects are not in the traditional sense of building roads or rebuilding bridges, they're more health care investments, educational investments. Is there a term to describe those, or are those in danger of being left out because they can't claim they're shovel-ready because they don't involve shovels⁴ -- "
RS: "Or don't involve digging?"
BEN ZIMMER: "I think that there are metaphorical⁶ shovels at work in those other types of projects. Even though it starts with construction projects, things that are obviously related to digging in with shovels, it's definitely been extended to other things. So you can be shovel-ready even if you don't have a shovel."
RS: "What other terms have come about in recent months because of our economic situation?"
BEN ZIMMER: "Well, we've heard a lot of terms coming out of the banking⁷ sector⁸. The Treasury⁹ Department has said that it's going to evaluate banks by using a 'stress test.' In the medical sense, you can undergo a stress test to see, for instance, how strong your heart is. So that's used as a diagnostic method in medicine.
"Stress tests are also used, for instance, in information technology to test software, to see how robust¹⁰ the software is given different situations. In the financial sense, it's to determine how robust a bank or other financial institution is to withstand further economic conditions that could increasingly get worse in the future."
RS: "And now we have words like 'good bank' and 'bad bank' and 'zombie bank.' What are those?"
BEN ZIMMER: "Well, the zombie bank is a term that's been used to refer to a bank that really should have gone bust¹¹ but it's being kept alive by government guarantees in the form of bailout money, for instance. So there are banks that people are saying 'Well, it's really just surviving because it's being propped¹² up by the government.' So it's a zombie -- it's really already dead, but the government is somehow trying to keep alive a bank that's already dead because its stock is almost worthless, its value has really gone under. And so people are talking about zombie banks in this way.
"But there are a lot of banks that are in a kind of a gray area right now, where it's unclear what their future is going to be. And what happens with them will really be contingent¹³ on what happens with the government taking over their bad debt, what's often called 'toxic¹⁴ debt' or 'toxic assets.' And so the proposal is to have a government-run bank, which has been labeled a bad bank, that would allow these private banks to unload all of their bad debt.
"There are people in the government who don't like that term. They would prefer to call it an 'aggregator bank' because it aggregates¹⁵ all of this toxic debt from the private banks and allows the government to deal with it without the government completely taking over the bank."
RS: "With the term bad bank, you really know what you've got, though."
BEN ZIMMER: "And oftentimes we need some distance on a particular event before we really know what the terminology¹⁶ is that we're using to describe it. For instance, we don't really even know what to call this current economic downturn. There have been lots of suggestions about calling it the Great Recession or the Great Credit Crunch¹⁷ or various other terms. But like the Great Depression in the nineteen thirties, we probably need some distance before we really have a label that will stick."
AA: Ben Zimmer is executive producer of the Visual Thesaurus, an online thesaurus and dictionary. So what would you call the economic situation right now? Give us your suggestions and comments at our Web site, voanews.com/wordmaster where you can also find a whole list of recession-related terms that Ben has put together. And that's WORDMASTER for this week. With Rosanne Skirble, I'm Avi Arditti.
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Words of the Recession
Ben Zimmer, executive producer, visualthesaurus.com
The Banking Meltdown
bad bank: proposed government-run bank that would allow private banks to unload their toxic assets (some suggest a more benign¹⁸ term: aggregator bank).
zombie bank: a bank that should have gone bust, kept alive by government guarantees.
bankster: combination of "bank" and "gangster¹⁹" (revival of term from the '30s).
stress test: Treasury Department test for the nation's largest banks, to evaluate whether they have adequate capital to withstand further downturns (metaphor⁵ borrowed from cardiac stress tests).
clawback: system by which a financial company can take back bonus payments paid to employees in previous years to make up for losses in the current year.
malus: like a "clawback," allows executive bonuses to be held in escrow over an extended period and returned based on failed performance. (Union Bank of Switzerland introduced a "bonus/malus" system.)
cramdown: involuntary imposition by a court of a reorganization plan over the objection of creditors²¹. (President Barack Obama supports legislation to allow federal bankruptcy²² judges to "cram²⁰ down" mortgage loan balances on the primary residences of people who file for bankruptcy protection.)
Stimulating²³ Terms
shovel-ready: used to describe infrastructure projects that are ready to go when stimulus money is available. Winner of the Most Likely to Succeed category in the American Dialect Society's 2008 Word of the Year voting, with "bailout" the overall winner. (Word Routes column)
stim package: journalistic shorthand for "stimulus package" (officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA) -- shortened even further to stim pack.
TIGER: Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (a contrived²⁴ acronym²⁵ from the Department of Transportation); new transportation projects will be stamped with the TIGER logo.
three-legged stool: Obama's metaphor for a multi-pronged approach to economic recovery (restoring jobs, restoring credit, regulatory reform).
porkulus: epithet²⁶ used by conservative opponents of the stimulus package, who see it as more "pork" than "stimulus."
Hard Times
crecession: a suggested term for the current crisis, mixing "credit crisis" and "recession" (It hasn't caught on. There have been many other suggestions, from "The Credit Crunch" to "The Great Recession." We might not settle on a name until after the fact (much like we haven't settled on a name for the current decade).
depression: a dangerous word, as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently learned. He dared to use the D-word to describe the global economic picture, but then he issued a correction saying that he meant "recession." Ironically, "depression" was originally used by Herbert Hoover as a more benign term for what had previously²⁷ been called a (financial) "panic."
hard times: an old phrase that makes an appearance whenever the economy suffers, going back to the financial panic of 1837.
doing more with less: a management cliche²⁸ used to justify²⁹ downsizing and belt-tightening. The expression goes back to the 19th century but became a catchphrase during the austerity measures of World War II.
The Home Front
homedulgence / homedulging: the tendency for consumers in a recession to socialize at home, indulging on a smaller scale (similar to last summer's staycation).
chiconomic: style-conscious on a budget (similar to frugalista, recessionista and recession chic).
bleisure: the blurring³⁰ of business and leisure, as more people work from home or for less strictly³¹ defined hours.
(The last three are buzzwords promoted by The Future Laboratory, a British trend forecasting and consulting business.)

1 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

4 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

5 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

6 metaphorical   

a.隐喻的，比喻的

参考例句：

• Here, then, we have a metaphorical substitution on a metonymic axis. 这样，我们在换喻（者翻译为转喻，一种以部分代替整体的修辞方法）上就有了一个隐喻的替代。
• So, in a metaphorical sense, entropy is arrow of time. 所以说，我们可以这样作个比喻：熵像是时间之矢。

7 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

11 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

12 propped   

支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
• This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。

13 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

14 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

15 aggregates   

数( aggregate的名词复数 )； 总计； 骨料； 集料（可成混凝土或修路等用的）

参考例句：

• Snowflakes are loose aggregates of ice crystals. 雪花是冰晶的松散凝结。
• Our airplanes based in Europe should be included in the aggregates. 我们驻欧飞机应包括在总数内。

16 terminology   

n.术语；专有名词

参考例句：

• He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
• The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。

17 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

18 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

19 gangster   

n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒

参考例句：

• The gangster's friends bought off the police witness.那匪徒的朋友买通了警察方面的证人。
• He is obviously a gangster,but he pretends to be a saint.分明是强盗，却要装圣贤。

20 cram   

v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习

参考例句：

• There was such a cram in the church.教堂里拥挤得要命。
• The room's full,we can't cram any more people in.屋里满满的，再也挤不进去人了。

21 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

23 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

24 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

25 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

26 epithet   

n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语

参考例句：

• In "Alfred the Great","the Great"is an epithet.“阿尔弗雷德大帝”中的“大帝”是个称号。
• It is an epithet that sums up my feelings.这是一个简洁地表达了我思想感情的形容词。

27 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

28 cliche   

n./a.陈词滥调(的)；老生常谈(的)；陈腐的

参考例句：

• You should always try to avoid the use of cliche. 你应该尽量避免使用陈词滥调。
• The old cliche is certainly true:the bigger car do mean bigger profits.有句老话倒的确说得不假:车大利大。

29 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

30 blurring   

n.模糊，斑点甚多，（图像的）混乱v.（使）变模糊( blur的现在分词 )；（使）难以区分

参考例句：

• Retinal hemorrhage, and blurring of the optic dise cause visual disturbances. 视网膜出血及神经盘模糊等可导致视力障碍。 来自辞典例句
• In other ways the Bible limited Puritan writing, blurring and deadening the pages. 另一方面，圣经又限制了清教时期的作品，使它们显得晦涩沉闷。 来自辞典例句

31 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。