| 词源 |
break. When a criminal went to trial or left prison in the late 19th century his friends often took up collections called breaks to raise money for a lawyer or to help give him a fresh start. These breaks possibly took their name from collections per- formers had made since medieval times during pauses, or “breaks,” in their acts, but there is no solid proof of this. The collections for criminals may have given rise to the expression “to get a break,” meaning “to have some good luck.” Perhaps collection breaks were held long before the first recorded men- tion of them. Or “to get a break” might come from a break in pool or billiards, where once a player breaks the racked balls he has a chance to make a long, successful run. |