| 词源 |
honest Injun. A pledge of faith (meaning “it’s true,” “I swear it”), an American equivalent to the British expression honor bright. The first printed reference to this Americanism, which is sometimes considered offensive today, appeared in an 1851 issue of the San Francisco publication Pioneer: “Instead of simply asking you if it is true, he will invariably nod his head interrogatively, and almost pathetically address you with the solemn adjuration, ‘Honest Indian’?” Whether the reference to Indian honesty was originally sarcastic or admiring, the phrase is certainly not sarcastic anymore. An expression com- mon in Mark Twain’s stories, honest Injun is still heard, if infrequently. |