| 词源 |
white-collar worker; blue-collar worker. White-collar work- er, dating back to about 1920, means anyone who performs nonmanual labor; it especially indicates salaried office workers and lesser executives who haven’t been unionized. His or her opposite in America is the blue-collar worker, anyone who works with his or her hands, is usually unionized, and often works for an hourly wage. The white-collar worker’s counterpart in Britain is called a “black coat.” All of these designations were obviously suggested by working attire, just as a “hard-hat,” a construction worker, takes his or her name from the protective helmets such workers wear. |