客引き
解説 Definition
Barker は店や見世物などの前で通行人に声をかける「客引き」を指す名詞です。Barker と大文字なら英語圏の姓にもなりますが、この語義では職業や役割を表します。
A barker is a person who stands outside a show, shop, or attraction and loudly calls to passersby to persuade them to enter or buy something. The term is now often associated with historical fairs, theaters, and similar venues.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
barker は bark「犬がほえる、大声で叫ぶ」に、人を表す -er が付いた語で、「大声で客を呼ぶ人」と組み立てて覚える。outside a theater、call out to people、attract visitors のような場面が目印。現代では客引きの一般語としてはやや古風で、呼び込み役を具体的に表す。
Break barker into bark plus the agent ending -er: literally, it suggests someone who “barks” or calls out loudly. Picture a person outside a small theater, fairground show, or market addressing people in the street and trying to attract visitors. Useful context clues are call out, outside the theater, and attract customers. The word is somewhat old-fashioned today and is especially associated with fairs and public attractions. A capital B may indicate the surname Barker, but the occupational noun is normally lowercase.
例文
A Barker stood outside the small theater.
小さな劇場の外に客引きが立っていました。
The Barker called out to people in the street.
その客引きは通りの人々に声をかけました。
The market hired a Barker to attract more visitors.
その市場はより多くの客を集めるために客引きを雇いました。
barker の類義語・関連語
barker の語源・成り立ち Etymology
bark「ほえる・怒鳴る」に、人を表す接尾辞 -er が付いた語で、bark は古英語 beorcan にさかのぼります。犬のように大声を張り上げる人という発想から、店先や見世物で客を呼び込む「客引き」の意味になりました。関連語は bark, barking。
Barker is formed from the verb bark and the agent suffix -er, meaning a person who performs an action. Bark, in the sense of a dog’s sharp cry or a similarly loud human utterance, goes back to Old English beorcan. From the image of someone shouting repeatedly, barker developed the occupational sense of a person calling publicly to attract customers to a show or business.
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