アレを英語で？ ー dingus

当ブログでは、「あれを英語で？」のコーナーを設けていますが、今日は「あれ」ではなく、まさしく「アレ」を英語で何と言うのか、という話題です。


If you’re trekking in the Austrian Alps there’s a number of things you’d probably expect to see, including snow, rocks, and precious little vegetation. Hikers have gotten an eyeful of all that and much more in recent days, as someone has taken the liberty of installing a huge wooden phallus on the top of the Otscher peak, and nobody has claimed responsibility for it.

The odd tribute to the male reproductive organ was first spotted by a longtime hiker who declared it to be the peak’s new mascot, though the intentions of its builder remain unknown. At a height of over 6,200 feet, the peak isn’t exactly a leisurely climb, and carrying a man-sized (as in, the height of a man, not the size a man would- you know what, nevermind) dong to the top would be a bit of a challenge.

The area is popular among skiers and recreational hikers alike, so there’s no shortage of potential culprits who could have left the big wooden dingus behind, but that doesn’t bring us any closer to finding the identity of the prankster.
(Mike Wehner. Wood mysteriously erected. New York Post. November 8, 2017.)


アルプスの頂に屹立する「アレ」について（写真付きの記事はこちら）、記事中では、”phallus”なる単語がまず出て来ます。（”phallus”については、以前、”phalloplasty”という単語を取り上げた時に触れましたね。）

「アレ」は木製で、人の背丈程もあるそうですが、山のてっぺんに誰が何の目的で置いたのか謎のままだそうです。

引用部分の3段落目に出てくる、”dingus”というのがつまりは「アレ」を表現したいときに使う単語で、ドイツ語で「物」を意味するDingesから来ています。