| 词源 |
bellwether. Since Anglo-Saxon times a bellwether has been a castrated male sheep that usually has a bell fastened around its neck and leads the flock. Later the word was applied humor- ously to a ringleader, the leader of any mob, conspiracy, or the like, and then was used to describe any leader who assumes the forefront of a profession or industry, etc., as in “New York is the bellwether of the publishing industry.” |