maverick: [19] Originally, in the American West, a maverick was an unbranded calf that had become separated from its mother and its herd (by convention, any farmer or stockman who came upon such a calf could add it to his herd and brand it as his own). The name probably comes from Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803– 70), a Texas cattle-owner (and ancestor of the Maury Maverick who coined the word gobbledegook) who did not brand the calves of one of his herds. The familiar modern metaphorical application to an awkwardly independent-minded person was in place before the end of the 19th century.
maverick (n.)
1867, "calf or yearling found without an owner's brand," so called for Samuel A. Maverick (1803-1870), Texas cattle owner who was negligent in branding his calves. Sense of "individualist, unconventional person" is first recorded 1886, via notion of "masterless."
实用例句
1. Her independence and maverick behaviour precluded any chance of promotion.
她的独立精神和自行其是断送了一切升迁的机会。
来自柯林斯例句
2. You're a maverick and you'll try anything.
你是个爱自行其是的人,样样事情都要尝试一下.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. He was too much of a maverick ever to hold high office.
他太特立独行，永远不可能做高官。
来自辞典例句
4. Politically, she's a bit of a maverick.
在政治方面, 她有点自行其是.
来自辞典例句
5. Wisconsin's independent, maverick, polyglot nature was firmly established by 1848 , the year it became a state.
