不知在哪一篇文字中(現(xiàn)在竟再也想不起來了，抱歎得很），筆者曾有根有據(jù)地介紹過“接錢樹”的英語等值品就是“money tree”， 以為“money tree”與“搖錢樹”是不可多得的天生的一對?，F(xiàn)在又有了新的發(fā)現(xiàn)，覺得英語中還有一個詞，雖不如“money tree”之與“搖錢樹”那般字字緊扣，卻也能傳“搖錢樹”之神。此詞非別，即“profit machine”是也。請看兩詞在原作中的用例（目前尚未收入詞書）：

1. In the“money tree's”long tiffany of boasts, evasions and intrigues that, at least, has the doleful ring of truth.
                                                                —Newsweek, May 15,1989, p. 21

2. Khun Sa ... collected $ 200 million in 1988 and expects to receive twice as much this year. That has earned him the nickname “The Money Tree" among the estimated 16.000 ethnic Shan guerilla fighters he leads.
                                                                 —Newsweek, May 15, 1989, p. 20
3. For a profit machine like Droxal Burnham, a $ 650 million fine is no crushing burden. The company has already set aside nearly $ 400 million for paying the expected penalty. On top of that, the company has about $2.3 billion in total capital that could be tapped . The fine would have to be more than $1.5 billion to deplete the company's resources enough to worry its creditors and leave it with less than the minimum capital necessary for membership in the stock exchanges.
                                                                  —Time, January 2, 1989, p. 66

“搖錢樹”的另一位候選人則是“money spinner”:

4. money-spinner/.../ n infml, esp. BrE something that brings in much money： Th is
seaside hotel's a real money-spinner, especially in the summer months .
                                             —Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English