trimmer 的词源

“修剪者”，在任何意义上，1550年代，“装饰或美化者”，从动词 trim 派生的施动名词。1580年代起，指“剪切、修剪、修整等的工具或机器”，尤其是用于修整边缘的工具或机器。

比喻义“在竞争中不公开表态，而是根据情况变化意见、行动等” originated于1680年代，源自航海术语“根据风向调整帆或桅杆的平衡”（1620年代）。

This innocent word Trimmer signifieth no more then this , that if men are together in a Boat , one part of the Company would weigh it down of one side , an other would make it lean as much to the contrary : It happeneth there is a third opinion , who conceive it would do as well if the Boat went even without endangering the Passengers. Now it is hard to imagine by what figure in Language , or by what rule in Sense , this cometh to be a Fault ; and it is much more a wonder that it should be thought a Heresie. [Lord Halifax, probably the first so labeled in the modern political sense, "The Character of a Trimmer," 1689]

这个无辜的词 Trimmer 仅仅意味着，如果人们在一艘船上，船员的一部分会使船向一侧倾斜，另一部分则会使其向相反方向倾斜：恰好有第三种观点，认为如果船能够平稳行驶而不危及乘客，那也很好。现在很难想象通过什么语言表达或感性规则，这被视为错误；更令人惊讶的是，这竟被认为是异端。[Lord Halifax，可能是现代政治意义上第一个被如此标签化的人，“The Character of a Trimmer，”1689年]