banana: [16] Banana comes from a West African language – possibly Wolof, a language of the Niger-Congo family, spoken in Senegal and the Gambia. The original European discoverers of the word – and the fruit – were the Spanish and Portuguese, who passed them on to England. The term bananas ‘mad’ is 20th-century, but its origins are obscure; some have compared banana oil, a 20th-century slang term for ‘mad talk, nonsense’.
banana (n.)
1590s, borrowed by Spanish or Portuguese from a West African word, possibly Wolof banana. The plant was introduced to the New World from Africa in 1516. Top banana, second banana, etc. are 1950s, from show business slang use of banana for "comedian, especially in a burlesque show." Banana split first attested 1920. Banana oil "nonsense" is slang from c. 1910.
雙語例句
1. These companies are determined to keep a stranglehold on the banana industry.
這些公司決心要壟斷香蕉業。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Cut the banana in half lengthways.
把香蕉豎著切成兩半。
來自《權威詞典》
3. Cut out the banana oil ; flattery will get you nowhere!