大家可能会感到奇怪，top是“最高”，banana是“香蕉”，“最高”跟“香蕉”有什么关系呢？Top banana 这个说法是来自美国的文艺界。一百年前美国还没有电影和电视。当时有一种舞台演出，内容有流行的音乐、舞蹈和说笑话。有时一个讲笑话的演员讲完一个笑话之后，别人就给他一个香蕉。慢慢地，人们便把最滑稽的演员称为 top banana。现在，人们还是把电视上演闹剧的人叫做 top banana，但是top banana这个说法随着社会的发展又有了新的含义，它也可以指一个公司的总裁，或者是政府官员。下面就是一个讲前美国官员基辛格的例子：
Formany years Doctor Henry Kissinger has been a top banana in Americanforeign policy. He is no longer in public office but plenty of peoplestill listen to his advice。
Top brass和 top banana有相似之处，但是所指对象不同。Top banana 的说法比较随便，而 topbrass的说法源自于军队，所以比 top banana更加郑重一些。Brass就是黄铜。但是，top brass里的brass指的是美国军帽帽舌上金颜色的编织物。起初，top brass指军队里的高级将领。战争结束后，topbrass也用来指商业界的重要人物。比如：
Do you know how Mr. Iacocca got to be thetop brass at the Chrysler auto company? He was the one most willing topick up and try new ideas and these took him all the way to the top。
Seethat guy selecting potato chips over there? Don't mistake him as anordinary person like you and me. He's the top brass in our company,with the power to hire or fire anybody in the whole outfit。
Who would imagine somebody like Lee could even graduate from college-confined to a wheel chair! Now he's going to America all by himself. Nobody could feel more on top of the world right now!
I really admire Alice. Thirty years of hard work raising kids. Her youngest son just got married and all her children are doing well. Shetells me she's on top of the world now for the first time in her life。
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