| 词源 |
Jumbo. P. T. Barnum purchased the fabled elephant Jumbo from the London Zoological Society in 1881 for “The Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth.” Jumbo, captured by a hunting party in 1869, was one of the largest elephants ever seen in West Africa; the natives called the six-and-a-half-ton beast by the Swahili word jumbo, meaning “chief.” He became a great favorite in the London Zoo, giving rides to thousands of children, and his sale to the American showman caused quite an uproar. Within six weeks the incomparable P.T. had reaped $336,000 from the $30,000 investment, and he made Jumbo’s name a synonym for “huge” throughout America and the world. See thick as jesse. |