| 词源 |
in hock. In the game of faro, much played in 19th-century America, the last card in the box was called the hocketty card (from a word of unknown origin), this card later said to be in hock, as was any player who bet on the last card. This was a bad bet, most often a losing one, so that to be in hock soon meant “to owe money.” Pawnshops were a convenient place to get money to pay debts, so they became known as hock shops, and to be in hock soon meant to have some or all one’s valuable possessions in a hock shop or, generally, to be in very bad financial shape. |