SAT GRE
外刊例句
- Many had left academic or government sinecures to start their own businesses.
很多人放弃学术机构或政府部门的闲职开创自己的企业。
——《经济学人》 - Precedents exist in Argentina for offering state support of writers, including subsidies at the provincial level, and a select few have been given sinecures.
阿根廷以前也有过为作家提供政府补助，包括省级补助在内的先例，个别经过筛选的受益者还有挂名职务。
基本释义
[noun] a job that you are paid for even though it involves little or no work
[名词] 闲职，挂名职位
深入解读
sinecure是一个拉丁借用词。在拉丁文中sine意为without（没有），cura意为care（关心，照管），短语sine cura则是without care（不费心的，不操心的）的意思。英语把这个短语合为一词 sinecure，早先用以指教会中不担任教化工作但却领取干薪的牧师职位，现在则泛指工作清闲而报酬优厚的职位，即“闲职”或“挂名差事”。
英语另有几个单词也源出拉丁语cura：
- curator
a person who takes “care” of a museum or library
博物馆或图书馆馆长 - curate
a person who takes “care” of souls
助理牧师 - cure
bring health to somebody by taking “care” of him
治愈
影视用例
出自1982年美国电影《苏菲的抉择》（Sophie's Choice），改编自威廉·史泰隆（William Styron）的同名原著小说。该片讲述了从奥斯维辛集中营出来的波兰女性苏菲，认为自己害死了家人而无法原谅自己，最终在巨大的精神压力下和同居男友双双自杀的故事。
同近义词
- doddle: a task or an activity that is very easy
- cinch: something that is very easy
- gravy train: a situation where people seem to be making a lot of money without much effort
