Fall guy 可以係女人

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26/02/2012

Fall guy 可以係女人 毛孟靜

Fall guy,並非解「秋天人」,而口語直譯,好像是「有個(男)人跌低咗」?不。Fall guy最傳神的對等粵語,係「替死鬼」。這個guy,不限男人。就像稱呼人「Guys! 」等於「People!」等於「各位!」,包含兩性。Guy這個字屬中性(unisex)。

She’s the fall guy for them,她是他們的替死鬼。做了人家的替死鬼, 是being used as a proxy for those who are really responsible,出了事,成了「孭鑊」替身。這句話中的proxy,並非平日許多人理解的選舉中的「授權」票,而是「替身、代表」之意。

Guy 不分男女,總之是人,那fall 的來源呢?卻見眾說紛紜,包括︰

1. 拳手在賽事中被打跌—taking a fall.2. 撒旦給逐出伊甸園— Lucifer’s fall from paradise.

3. 受騙或墮入情網的fall—You fall for that?You fell for him?

4. 古羅馬戰士傳統,面對敗陣,要死在自己的劍下—to fall on their own sword.5. 默片時代為大明星跳崖—Fall from cliff 的替身。

He could feel the axe dropping, and he refused to be the fall guy. 他覺得(頭上的)斧頭快要掉下來了,但他拒絕做替死鬼。不說fall guy,亦可淨講take the fall,替人頂罪、消災。He refused to take the fall,他不肯代罪、他拒絕孭鑊。

話說在80 年代,美國有套頗受歡迎的電視劇,叫The Fall Guy,fall guy 這個講法自此在美國益發流行。同義詞是否即scapegoat,代罪羔羊?聽上去,fall guy 與scapegoat,替死鬼跟替罪羊,似乎差不多。

差不多,但並非百分百一樣。就像中文講到「羊」,一般感覺清白無罪,scapegoat 就多似innocent。但替死鬼一個「鬼」字,就令人有一點「鬼頭仔」、「可能同流合污」的聯想了。已故美國近代語文大師William Safire(威廉 · 撒菲爾)說,fall guy 有三個不同程度的解釋︰

1. an innocent scapegoat — 清白的代罪羔羊。

2. a sucker easily victimised—易上當一派,即是蠢人、a sucker,才會成為替死鬼。

3. a confederate ( 同黨) taking the rap for others(為其他人孭黑鍋)out of fear or in expectation of reward,一個本就同流合污的人,因恐懼或期待回報,於是代為孭鑊。

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