| 词汇 | fifth wheel |
| 词源 | fifth wheel. Looking at the fifth wheel of wagons and carriag- es many people thought it had no function, but this wheel, or circular plate, which was attached to the upper side of the front axle and never touched the ground, supported the vehicle’s body when it made a turn. Ignorance prevailed, however, and the expression fifth wheel came to mean “a useless or needless person or thing in any enterprise.” |
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