black sheep的词源

英文词源

black sheep (n.)

by 1822 in figurative sense of "member of some group guilty of offensive conduct and unlike the other members," supposedly because a real black sheep had wool that could not be dyed and was thus worth less. But one black sheep in a flock was considered good luck by shepherds in Sussex, Somerset, Kent, Derbyshire. Baa Baa Black Sheep nursery rhyme's first known publication is in "Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book" (c. 1744).

中文词源

black sheep：害群之马

字面意思是黑羊，指黑羊羊毛利用价值有限，通常只能扔掉。并且词义进一步贬义化。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：black sheep 词源，black sheep 含义。