consort, parting shot, consortium

Parting shot

Meaning

A final remark, usually cutting or derogatory, made just before departing.

Origin

A 'parting shot' is now a metaphorical term but it clearly alludes to the shooting of weapons. The first such literal reference that I've come across is in the writings of John McLeod, who was surgeon of His Majesty's Ship Alceste. McLeod includes this comment in A Narrative of a Voyage to The Yellow Sea, 1818:

The consort, firing a parting shot, bore up round the north end of the island, and escaped.

consort

(kŏn'sôrt')
consort 有'sharing或partner的意思。
同義字：Synonyms: pool, syndicate等等。
不知道為什麼，＜韋氏1913年版＞沒收它。
1. 【事】 合夥;聯合;協會,組合;(先進國家為援助開發中國家而召開的

)債權國會議;(國際性的)放款銀行團/財團/協議
hc 補： 聯營企業
2. 【事】 【律】 配偶的權利 ( 配偶一方要求另一方同居、相助、相愛的權利 )

n.

1. A husband or wife, especially the spouse of a monarch.
2. A companion or partner.
3. A ship accompanying another in travel.
4. Partnership; association: governed in consort with her advisers.
5. A group; a company: a consort of fellow diplomats.
6. Music. 這現在常寫為 concert
   1. An instrumental ensemble.
   2. An ensemble using instruments of the same family.

v., -sort·ed, -sort·ing, -sorts. (kən-sôrt') v.intr.

1. To keep company; associate: a politician known to consort with gangsters.
2. To be in accord or agreement.

v.tr.

1. To unite in company; associate.
2. Obsolete.
   1. To escort; accompany.
   2. To espouse.

[Middle English, colleague, from Old French, from Latin cōnsors, cōnsort- : com-, com- + sors, fate.]

在＜朱蘭的質量手冊＞中，將 consortium 翻譯成「財團」，我覺得或許不適當，因為它也常用來表示類似「協會」、「聯盟」等等，如下例所述。

倫敦零售業協會(London Retail Consortium，LRC)公佈調查結果顯示，英國倫敦6月同店零售銷售同比增長8.7%，營 業收入達到2月份以來最高水平。 LRC發佈數據稱，剔除商場面積改變的影響，倫敦6月同店零售銷售同比增長8.7%，略 弱於07年6月的....

consortium

noun [C] plural consortiums or consortia
an organization of several businesses or banks joining together as a
group for a shared purpose:
a consortium of textile manufacturers




WordNet Dictionary
Definition: [n] an association of companies for some definite purpose