Question of the Day #116

"Fareed Zakaria: GOP is a banana republic ‘platform to support the ego, appetites of one man and his family’"
From the headline of this article at Raw Story.

上記の文で、banana republicの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "banana republic" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味： 英辞郎によると、


〈侮蔑的〉バナナ共和国◆バナナなどの果物の輸出への依存度が高い南米の国々

とあるが、ちょっと違うと思います。なぜなら、重要な要素が抜けているからです。英英辞典でも様々な定義があることは確かですが、口語英語においてbanana republicの最も重要な要素は、「腐敗している、独裁政治の国」であることです。
同義語： kleptocracy

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

a small country, especially in South and Central America, that is poor, corrupt, and badly ruled

Synonym: kleptocracy

Etymology/語源

Wiktionary によると、

O. Henryの1904年の短編集Cabbages and Kingsで初めて使用。O. Henryが1896-1897年に滞在したホンジュラスをモデルにしたAnchuriaという架空の国のことを言った。

According to Wiktionary :

Coined by American author O. Henry in his 1904 book of short stories, "Cabbages and Kings", set in the fictional "Anchuria", which was based on his 1896-97 stay in Honduras.

Examples

• If those consumers get their hands on some money, they'll move upmarket to Crate and Barrel and banana republic.
• Tropico is the excellent nation-builder game that simulates a Caribbean banana republic during the Cold War.
• Opponents said Sarkozy backing his son for the job made France look like a “ banana republic.”
• At that time we had a treaty with about every foreign country except Belgium and that banana republic, Anchuria. - Cabbages and Kings, O. Henry