駄犬、卑劣な人
解説 Definition
（古風・軽蔑的）価値が低いと見なされた犬、特に雑種犬や攻撃的な犬。転じて、卑劣な人や臆病者をののしる語としても使われます。
A cur is a dog regarded as stray, ill-tempered, mixed-breed, or worthless. The word is old-fashioned and contemptuous, and it can also be used as an insulting term for a cowardly or despicable person.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
cur は現代では古風で侮蔑的な響きを持ち、飼い主のいない犬、雑種犬、攻撃的で価値が低いと見なされた犬を指します。stray dog より感情的な軽蔑が強い点が重要です。古い物語で唸る犬を追い払う場面や、卑劣な人への罵倒として使われる場面と結び付けましょう。
Cur is not a neutral everyday word for a dog. It carries an old-fashioned, contemptuous tone and may describe a stray, bad-tempered, mixed-breed, or supposedly worthless dog. Compare it with stray dog, which simply says that the animal is roaming without an owner and does not automatically express disgust. In older stories, imagine a snarling dog being driven away as a cur. The same contempt explains the transferred use for a cowardly or despicable person. Remember the emotional tone as carefully as the basic meaning, since using cur for a real dog or person can sound insulting.
例文
The old story describes a snarling cur at the gate.
その古い物語では、門のところにいる、うなり声を上げる駄犬が描かれています。
He called the traitor a miserable cur.
彼はその裏切り者を卑劣なやつとののしりました。
cur の類義語・関連語
cur の語源・成り立ち Etymology
cur は中英語以来、価値が低いと見なされた犬や気性の荒い犬を指して使われています。それ以前の語源は不明で、犬の唸り声との関連を挙げる説もありますが、確証はありません。派生語 currish は「犬のように唸る、気性の荒い、卑劣な」という意味です。
Cur has been used in English since the Middle English period for a low-value or aggressive dog. Its deeper origin is uncertain, and proposals connecting it directly with a growling sound are suggestive rather than firmly proven. From the unfavorable associations of such dogs, the noun developed into an insult for a contemptible or cowardly person. The adjective currish, meaning snarling, ill-tempered, or contemptibly cowardly, was formed from cur with the suffix -ish.
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