Today we leave the mainstream -- the majority. We go to the edge of society – to the lunaticfringe.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines lunatic fringe as "members of a political or socialgroup or movement who have the most extreme or foolish ideas".
It is the radical part of a group or political party. Two other words that describe people whoare part of the lunatic fringe are fanatics and zealots.
But now, let's look at the word "lunatic".
Lunatics are mentally unstable people or people who behave very foolishly. The root of lunaticis "luna," Latin for "moon." The Old French "lunatique" means "insane." The Online EtymologyDictionary explains that in the late 13th century, people who were mentally unstable werethought to be affected by changes of the moon.
Now, the word "fringe" has several meanings.
For example, fringe can be a decorative border. Curtains, pillows, tablecloths and clothingare all things that can have fringe. This meaning goes back hundreds of years.
Fringe can also mean to be on the outer edge of something. For example, the family lived onthe fringe of a national park. This is an actual area where their property meets the park.
But you can also be on the fringe of something that you can't physically touch. For example, my friend who lives in Los Angeles has worked on the fringe of the entertainment industry formany years.
Fringe theater is theater that is experimental in style or subject matter. There are fringetheater festivals all over the world. One difference between fringe festivals and traditionalarts festivals is the way performers are chosen. Usually, traditional festivals include a selectionprocess. However, most fringe festivals do not. It is usually a first come, first served process.
As a result, you can see some strange and different theater performances at a fringe festival. They are definitely not mainstream.
The term comes from Scotland's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. According to the festival's website, it dates back to 1947.
That year, eight uninvited theater groups came to perform at the recently formed EdinburghInternational Festival. They weren't part of the official festival. But this did not stop theperformers. They performed on the fringe, or edge, of the official festival.
That is the meaning of fringe that is part of today's expression – lunatic fringe.
The Online Etymology Dictionary says that, in the late 1800s, "lunatic fringe" described a typeof hairstyle for young women. Women with this hairstyle wore their hair straight across theirforehead.
These days, in American English, we call the hair that falls over the forehead "bangs". There areseveral examples of writers in the late 1800s using the phrase "lunatic fringe" to mean ahairstyle.
However, word historians give former President Theodore Roosevelt credit for today's meaningof "lunatic fringe."
In 1913, shortly after a failed attempt to become president again, Roosevelt wrote about an artexhibit of painters. These artists painted in ways no one had seen before. At the time, theywere the "lunatic fringe" of the art world.
This paragraph is from Roosevelt's writing titled, "History as Literature".
"... we have to face the fact that there is apt to be a lunatic fringe among the votaries (loyalfollowers) of any forward movement. In this recent art exhibition the lunatic fringe was fullyin evidence, especially in the rooms devoted to the Cubists and the Futurists, or Near-Impressionists."
We cannot guarantee that Theodore Roosevelt was the first to borrow this expression from awomen's hair salon and use it in another type of salon -- one where important conversations ofthe day take place.
But he does get the credit for making lunatic fringe more mainstream.
词汇精讲:1.a selection process 筛选过程
Under the new civil service legislation, assistant ministers and deputy state secretaries arehired through a competitive selection process, paving the way for continuity in civilservice.
根据新的公务员法,助理部长和副部长的任命将通过竞争性的选拔程序,为行政事务的延续性铺平了道路。
2.first come, first served 先到先招待;先来后到;先到的先招待;近水楼台先得月
The rule in the restaurant is first come, first served.
餐馆的规矩是先到先招待。
3.give credit for 相信······具有(某种优良品质);称赞;认可
I do give credit for Cotto for wanting to fight Martinez, but it's pretty obvious that Arumwon't bless this fight because of how good Martinez is.
我的确相信库托真的想同马丁比赛,但是相当明显,阿鲁姆不渴望这场比赛,因为他知道马丁内兹有多棒。
4.get the credit for 获得荣誉
Soldiers usually win the battles and generals get the credit for them.
士兵们赢得战斗,而将军们获得荣耀。
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