trimmer 的詞源

「修剪者」，在任何意义上，1550年代，「装饰或美化者」，来自 trim (v.) 的施动名词。意为「切割、修剪、修整等的工具或（后来的）机器」的意思出现在1580年代，特别是用于修整边缘的工具。

比喻义「在竞争中不公开站队，但根据情况改变意见、行动等的人」始于1680年代，源自航海术语中的动词，意为「根据风向调整帆或桅杆的平衡」（1620年代）。

This innocent word Trimmer signifieth no more then this , that if men are together in a Boat , one part of the Company would weigh it down of one side , an other would make it lean as much to the contrary : It happeneth there is a third opinion , who conceive it would do as well if the Boat went even without endangering the Passengers. Now it is hard to imagine by what figure in Language , or by what rule in Sense , this cometh to be a Fault ; and it is much more a wonder that it should be thought a Heresie. [Lord Halifax, probably the first so labeled in the modern political sense, "The Character of a Trimmer," 1689]

这个无辜的词 Trimmer 仅仅意味着，如果人们在一艘船上，船员的一部分会让船倾向一侧，另一部分则会让船倾向相反的方向：恰好有第三种意见，认为如果船能平稳行驶而不危及乘客，那也很好。现在很难想象通过什么语言的表达，或通过什么理性的规则，这会被视为错误；更令人惊讶的是，这竟被认为是异端。[Lord Halifax, probably the first so labeled in the modern political sense, "The Character of a Trimmer," 1689]