even-Steven

"even-Steven"というちょっと変わった単語表現は、五分五分、とか対等、互角、公平平等、といった意味です。

そもそも、"even"という単語にそれらの意味があることはご存知でしょう。

一方、"Steven"の方はというと、これは人の名前のようですが、こちらには意味はありません。単に、韻を踏むためだけに挿入されているもので、いわゆる押韻合成語の類です。

最近の若者言葉（!?）で、「マジ卍（まじまんじ）」というものがありますが、似たものがありますね。

以下の用例はコーパスから拾ってきました。

"Just because one of my sons needs soccer shoes doesn't mean the other gets a new pair, too. I don't subscribe to the even-Steven mentality," says Ann Marie Maglino, a Cranford, New Jersey, mom of two boys, 8 and 6. Growing up in a big family, she learned early that everything wasn't always about her and that your parents can't give you a constant flow of material things.

(Parenting, 2006)

What were your rigid ideas of what a feminist marriage would look like?

Oh, man. It would be totally 50/50, you know - that when it came to the finances, when it came to the children, when it came to the housework, everything would be even-steven. Everybody pulls their weight. Everybody has a say.

(NPR, 2016)

以前特集しました、押韻俗語についてもご覧ください。