minnows
minnows — 名詞
- minnowssingular
- minnowsesplural
1. a tiny freshwater fish that swims in rivers, streams, and ponds, often seen in l
小魚
常見於淡水的小型魚類，常成群出現
a tiny freshwater fish that swims in rivers, streams, and ponds, often seen in large groups near the surface
Owen caught three minnows in a glass jar by the riverbank.
Owen 在河岸邊用玻璃罐捉了三條小魚。
The children watched minnows dart between the smooth stones in the shallow stream.
孩子們看著小魚在淺溪的光滑石頭間穿梭。
collocation: minnows dart
A heron stood still in the water, waiting for minnows to swim past its legs.
一隻鷺靜靜站在水中，等著小魚游過牠的腿邊。
Greta filled the classroom aquarium with a dozen minnows and some floating water plants.
Greta 在教室的水族箱裡放了十幾條小魚和一些漂浮的水草。
Anglers often use live minnows as bait when they are trying to catch larger fish.
釣魚的人想釣大魚時，常會用活的小魚當作魚餌。
2. a person, company, or group that has very little power, money, or influence comp
小角色
權力、財力或影響力極小的人或組織
a person, company, or group that has very little power, money, or influence compared with the dominant forces in the same field
Faisal's startup remained a minnow in an industry ruled by three tech giants.
Faisal 的新創公司在由三家科技巨頭主導的產業中仍只是個小角色。
metaphorical: a minnow in an industry
Apinya's three-person charity was a minnow next to the Oxfam teams unloading crates after the cyclone.
Apinya 那間只有三人的小慈善機構，跟颶風後在卸物資的 Oxfam 團隊一比，只是個小角色。
Talia handed out leaflets for Green Horizon, yet the party remained a minnow in the Bundestag.
Talia 替 Green Horizon 黨發傳單，但這個黨在聯邦議院裡仍是個小角色。
Aoi's label was a minnow among top fashion brands, but her designs were bold.
Aoi 的品牌在頂尖時尚品牌中只是個小角色，但她的設計很大膽。
The supermarket chain bought up several minnows in the local grocery market last year.
這家連鎖超市去年收購了本地雜貨市場中的幾個小角色。
- small fry
same metaphor but much more informal; often dismissive
- nobody
only for people, never for companies or organisations
- lightweight
stresses lack of ability or substance, not just low status
- heavyweight
a person or group with great influence and power
- giant
a very large and dominant company, especially in business
用法筆記
Often used in business and politics to contrast small players with dominant ones. Usually plural when talking about a group of small companies.