词语掌故：大人物(2/2)
概括：当人们形容一个人很重要，或者他认为自己很重要的时候，会用到一些短语，来看一看其他表达“大人物”的短语吧。Hints:
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校对：OFELIA1030
翻译：龙猫08
注解：龙猫08
组长：李奇亮
答疑：trans0829http://t1.g.hjfile.cn/listen/201204/201204130741057671816.mp3The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describes an important person. The expression is top banana. A top banana is the leading person in a comedy show. The funniest comedian is called the top banana. The next is second banana. And so on.
Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object. The object was shaped like the yellow fruit: the banana.
Top banana still is used mainly in show business. Yet the expression can also be used to describe the top person in any area.
A kingpin is another word for an important person. The expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine pins fall. And that is the object of the game.
So, the most important person in a project or business is the kingpin. If the kingpin is removed, the business or project is likely to fail.
Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that police have arrested the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation.某个物体的顶部是最高的部分，所以在描述一位重要人物的短语中出现top并不奇怪，即top banana。Top banana是喜剧中的主角。最有趣的喜剧演员被称为top banana，略逊色的是second banana。以此类推。
为什么用banana来表示呢？早期的戏剧表演通常都包含这样一个部分：其中一个喜剧演员会用一个柔软的东西敲打其他人的头。而这个东西的形状就像这种黄色的水果：香蕉。Top banana仍主要用于演艺界。然而，这个短语还可以用来形容任何领域的重要人物。
Kingpin是另一个形容重要人物的短语。这个短语来自保龄球运动。Kingpin是保龄球中最重要的球瓶。如果用保龄球准确地击中它，kingpin能让其它九个球瓶都倒下，达成打保龄球的目标。因此，一个项目或企业中最重要的人就被称为kingpin。如果kingpin调动了，这个企业或项目就可能会失败。Kingpin通常被用于描述一个重要的罪犯，或者犯罪团伙的头目。例如报纸可能会报道说，警察逮捕了偷车团伙的头目。
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