common criminal 一定是「臭名昭著的罪犯」吗？

klwo2

问题的起源，是诸多ESL 词典在common下面举例：

朗文：
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ORDINARY 普通的 [only before noun, no comparative] ordinary and not special in any way 普通的，平凡的
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He insists that he is a revolutionary, not a common criminal.
他坚持说自己是个革命者，而不是普通的罪犯。

牛津高阶：

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[only before noun] ordinary; not unusual or special 普通的；平常的；寻常的；平凡的
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/ k! n( M8 P/ z0 uIn most people's eyes she was nothing more than a common criminal.
在多数人的眼里她只不过是个普通的罪犯。

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2 \3 k( Z) h3 u. k! t/ G还有：英語常用詞疑難用法手冊：
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4) 一般的、不特别的。
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# M& e0 X4 H- x9 G* }: zthe common man 普通人
! \3 v8 R8 }  Lthe common people 老百姓
+ ?3 [* s% X; o4 S, GHe was treated like a common criminal. 他受到像普通刑事犯那样的对待。
0 C. ?$ X; i3 S9 d/ OIt's common decency. 这是起码的教养问题。

然而邪门的是：
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" w6 a4 p0 B" U. h" V英汉大词典：
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8. 众所周知的；臭名昭著的
1 _. O, B# C+ V1 Q& C. _% Ma common criminal 臭名昭著的罪犯

Webster's New World College Dictionary：
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4. widely but unfavorably known [a common criminal]

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网上有人发文章《谭译｜common加上criminal可不普通啦！ 》（http://www.sohu.com/a/151435067_256852），认为common + criminal 的搭配「应是“众所周知或臭名昭著的罪犯”，而非“普通罪犯”」。

- y* L& i9 h9 q/ U5 A% S7 A, n: g先说common criminal为什么可以是「众所周知或臭名昭著的罪犯」，因为common的主要意思有两层，按照SOED的分法：
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1. Of a public or non-private nature. ——共同、共有、公共
6 U" |1 q$ ?: t$ x2 W/ D2. Of ordinary occurrence or quality.　——　平常、不稀奇、平凡，甚至低劣
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SOED在Of a public or non-private nature. 这个分类下面有个小义项：
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5.Generally known; spec. (of an offender or offence) public, notorious, habitual. ME.
J. Wesley Baptized liars and common swearers.
8 e$ g; ?: s  A/ K# l5 @* I$ gcommon nuisance etc.

广为人知、大家都知道。元照英美法詞典：

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common nuisance
公害
指侵犯不特定多数人的健康权、财产权、名誉权等合法权益的危害，表现为进行了法律所不允许的行为，或者未能尽到法律要求其应尽的义务等。
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' p4 }' u1 y- }2 ^# K/ qWorld Book Dictionary：
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generally or publicly known; notorious:
a common pickpocket, a common liar.

这就是众所周知或臭名昭著的小偷骗子嘛
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$ P- l8 T- A7 i3 r: U" D远东英汉大辞典：

9. 聲名狼藉的。a common thief 一個聲名狼藉的小偷

) `" N' H! H; n8 D6 T21世紀大英漢詞典：
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3.众所周知的，臭名昭著的，声名狼藉的

2 z% o% }# K$ V/ `2 K1 ^问题来了，common能表达「众所周知或臭名昭著」，是不是意味着common + criminal 的搭配 只能表达「众所周知或臭名昭著」，绝不能表达另一层意思「Of ordinary occurrence or quality.」呢？

/ i" b* S* C9 Z. D当然不是！

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a : without special rank or status平凡的；无特殊地位的
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You're nothing but a common [=ordinary] thief!
你什么都不是，就是个不起眼的小偷！

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7 T  l9 W* h, {9 M编者已经贴心地说了「=ordinary」，那就应该照着「Of ordinary occurrence or quality.」理解啦
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再看下面这些google books 里面搜来的例句：
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2 Q' v/ f; d5 J( A: }On his release, MacDermott was again anxious to deny that he had been given any special consideration. He was treated like a common criminal, he insisted, just like all the other DORA prisoners

很明显common是跟special 对立的
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They treated me like a common criminal 'The way people are offended by it. Like, a guy wrh a list of convictions as long as yer arm, who can't believe that he was treated like a 'common criminal!' That somewhere there must be this one common criminal, and everyone else is a special class of criminal!

很明显common是跟special 对立的

结论应该是：
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common 自带「Of a public or non-private nature. 」「Of ordinary occurrence or quality.」两大意义，跟criminal 这类词搭配的时候，既可以表达第一类意思（公共+罪犯 =公众都认识的罪犯），也可以表达第二类意思（普通+罪犯=普通罪犯）。第二类意思是字面意思，一看就知道，所以英英词典着重解释第一类意思，但绝不是说没有第二类意思呀！
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+ s" v# f/ A1 H7 a& JESL 词典举例，只举了第二类意思，也不是说第一类错误，只是没提而已，万万不可搞出非此即彼的事情来！

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21世紀大英漢詞典
% W- g! A" v  G/ X( Acommon criminal
1.普通犯罪者
6 f6 u. |& M& ~$ g3 `1 q: \2.惯犯

21世纪英汉大说「惯犯」，大概是从SOED「Generally known; spec. (of an offender or offence) public, notorious, habitual. 」这里看来的，不过还是说「人所共知的罪犯」比较好。
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13603700372

所以楼主的意思，该怎样翻译，就看具体的文章情景。
common 解释成臭名昭著，我觉得也就是往下引申了一层的结果，就是为普通大众所知的，也就是臭名昭著吧，

鸭呼嘿

I suppose a "common criminal" in current English means an "ordianary criminal" in most cases. The other meaning a "notorious criminal", if not never used, is probably rather old-fashioned.


To make it certain, I have consulted English speakers at italki.com and wordreference.com.

There have been no answers that mentioned the sense of "notorious", which reminds us that a "notorious criminal" was not even an option of the meanings of the phrase in their mind.

鸭呼嘿

Is a "common criminal" an "ordinary criminal" or a "notorious criminal"? Are the two meanings equally often used in contemporary English?

I have several use examples as follows, is it possible to decide at the first sight/hearing which meaning is carried in each sentence without more context(and I actually do not have)?

' D  s/ I: ~" B+ ?1. He also berate Carter for inviting Soviet dissident Vladmir Bukovsky, whom he called " a common criminal", to the White House?

2. Because of one minor offence he was branded a common criminal.

3. The government insisted he was a common criminal.
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4. A Canadian judge upheld the deportation on Thursday of one of China's most wated figitives, calling him a "common criminal".
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5. As for pictures of Mr. Strauss-Kahn in handcuffs, the French may see a famous politician treated like a common criminal.
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( K9 ^& n& P) _% K# ]  F) m6. He refused to wear the blue uniform of a common criminal, going naked or in underpants.
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7. In most people's eyes she was nothing more than a common criminal.
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鸭呼嘿

The previous post was what I have presented in the forementioned forums. I have collected the examples from Bing Dictionary.

Among them the sentence 2 seemingly has a meaning of "notorious criminal" with "common criminal", but I strongly suspect its source: It's may probaly have been created without a specific context by a non-native English speaker just to show the sense of presumable "notorious".

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