quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- all-time (adj.)[all-time 词源字典]
- "during recorded time," 1910, American English, from all + time (n.). Earlier it had been used in a sense "full-time," of employment, or in opposition to one-time (1883).[all-time etymology, all-time origin, 英语词源]
- back-to-nature (adj.)
- first attested 1915.
- Bible-thumper (n.)
- "strict Christian," by 1843.
- big-tent (adj.)
- in reference to welcoming all sorts and not being ideologically narrow, American English, 1982 with reference to religion, by 1987 with reference to politics.
- box-top (n.)
- 1937, American English, from box (n.1) + top (n.1).
- care-taker (n.)
- also caretaker, 1769, from care (n.) + agent noun of take (v.). The back-formed verb caretake is attested by 1890.
- cat-o'-nine-tails (n.)
- 1690s, probably so called in reference to its "claws." It was a legal instrument of punishment in British Navy until 1881.
- double-take (n.)
- 1922, from double (adj.) + take (n.).
- double-team (v.)
- "attack two-on-one," 1860; see double (adj.) + team (v.). Related: Double-teamed; double-teaming.
- down-to-earth (adj.)
- also down to earth, as an adjectival phrase, attested from 1932.
- drive-through (adj.)
- 1949 (in an advertisement for the Beer Vault Drive-Thru in Ann Arbor, Michigan), from drive (v.) + through.
- egg-timer (n.)
- 1873, from egg (n.) + timer.
- eye-tooth (n.)
- also eyetooth, 1570s, so called for its position immediately under or next to the eye. Compare German Augenzahn. Related: Eye-teeth.
- fairy-tale (n.)
- "oral narrative centered on magical tests, quests, and transformations," 1749, translating French Conte de feés, the name given to her collection by Madame d'Aulnois (1698, translated into English 1699). As an adjective (also fairytale), attested by 1963.
- fern-tickles (n.)
- "freckles, spots or blemishes on the body" (late 14c.), of unknown origin. Related: Fern-tickled "having spots or blemishes on the skin."
- fine-toothed (adj.)
- c. 1600, "epicurean, having delicate tastes," from fine (adj.) + toothed "having teeth" (of a certain kind); see tooth (n.). By 1703 as "having fine teeth" (of a saw, file, comb, etc.); fine-tooth in this sense attested from 1804.
- fine-tune (v.)
- also fine-tune, 1969, a back-formation from fine-tuning (1909 in reference to radio; earlier in various machinery contexts). From fine (adj.) + tune (v.). Related: Fine-tuning.
- finger-tip (n.)
- also fingertip, 1817, from finger (n.) + tip (n.). Related: Fingertips. To have something at one's fingertips is from 1870.
- first-timer (n.)
- "rookie, one doing something for the first time," 1888, from first time; see first (adj.) + time (n.).
- fish-tail (n.)
- 1840, "the tail of a fish," from fish (n.) + tail (n.). As a verb, also fishtail, 1927, originally of aircraft, later automobiles. Related: Fishtailed; fishtailing.
- fish-tank (n.)
- 1921 as an ornamental object, from fish (n.) + tank (n.).
- flame-thrower (n.)
- also Flamethrower, 1917, translating German flammenwerfer (1915). See flame (n.) + throw (v.).
- flat-top (n.)
- 1943, "aircraft carrier," U.S. Navy, from flat (adj.) + top (n.). As a style of haircut, from 1956.
- flip-top (adj.)
- 1955, of product packaging, from flip (v.) + top (n.1).
- flood-tide (n.)
- 1719, from flood (n.) + tide (n.).
- follow-through (n.)
- 1896, of golf swings, from verbal phrase follow through; see follow (v.) + through (adv.). Figurative use from 1926.
- fortune-teller (n.)
- also fortuneteller, 1580s, from fortune + teller. Verbal phrase tellen fortune is from early 15c.; verbal noun fortune-telling is by 1570s.
- fox-trot (n.)
- also foxtrot, 1872, "a slow trot or jog trot, a pace with short steps," such as a fox's, especially of horses, from fox (n.) + trot (n.). As a type of popular dance to ragtime music, from late 1914, a fad in 1915. The early writing on the dance often seems unaware of the equestrian pace of the same name, and instead associated it with the turkey trot one-step dance that was popular a few years before.
As a variation of the one-step, as a legitimate successor to all the objectionable trots, the fox trot has attained a form which is in a fair way to become permanent. ... It has the charm of being an absolute fit for many of the most alluring transient tunes; and it can be danced, without self-consciousness, by hundreds of people who never pretended to be graceful or dancefully talented. [Maurice Mouvet, "Maurice's Art of Dancing," 1915]
- franc-tireur (n.)
- "sharpshooter of the irregular infantry," 1808, French, literally "free-shooter," from franc "free" (see frank (adj.)) + tireur "shooter," from tirer "to draw, shoot" (see tirade). A term from the French Revolution.
- free-thinker (n.)
- "one not guided in belief by authority; one who submits the claims of authority to what he deems the test of reason," 1690s, from free (adj.) + think (v.) + agent noun suffix -er (1). Free-thought "rationalism" is from 1711. Related: Free-thinking.
- full-time (adj.)
- also fulltime, 1895; full-timer is attested from 1855, in reference to students; see full (adj.) + time (n.).
- gap-toothed (adj.)
- "having teeth set wide apart," 1570s, from gap (n.) + toothed "having teeth" (of a certain kind); see tooth (n.). Chaucer's gat-toothed, sometimes altered to this, is from Middle English gat (n.) "opening, passage," from Old Norse gat, cognate with gate (n.).
- get-together (n.)
- 1911, from get (v.) + together (adv.). The verbal phrase is attested by c. 1400 as "collect, gather;" meaning "to meet, to assemble" is from 1690s. As "to organize" (oneself), by 1962.
- give-and-take (n.)
- 1769, originally in horse-racing, referring to races in which bigger horses were given more weight to carry, lighter ones less; from give (v.) + take (v.). General sense attested by 1778. Give and take had been paired in expressions involving mutual exchange from c. 1500. Give or take as an indication of approximation is from 1958.
- globe-trotter (n.)
- also globetrotter, "world traveler," especially one who goes from country to country around the world with the object of covering ground or setting records, 1871, from globe + agent noun from trot (v.). As a verb, globetrot is recorded from 1883. Related: Globe-trotting.
- go-to-meeting (adj.)
- "suitable for use in a church or on Sundays," 1790, especially of clothes but the earliest recorded reference is to music.
- good-time (adj.)
- 1928, from the noun phrase, from good (adj.) + time (n.). Expression to have a good time "enjoy oneself" attested from 1822; earlier have a good time of it (1771). To make good time "go fast" is from 1838. In Middle English, good time was "prosperous time," also "high time" (that something be done).
- hair-trigger (n.)
- 1795; Figurative use by 1841. Hair perhaps in reference to the slight pressure required to activate it.
The difference between a hair-trigger and a common trigger is this--the hair-trigger, when set, lets off the cock by the slightest touch, whereas the common trigger requires a considerable degree of force, and consequently is longer in its operation. [Charles James, "Military Dictionary," London, 1802]
- half-time (n.)
- also halftime, half time, indicating "half of the time," 1640s, from half + time (n.). Tempo sense is by 1880. In football, from 1867.
- half-track (n.)
- also halftrack, type of military vehicle with traction-chains as well as wheels, 1927, from half + track (n.).
- half-truth (n.)
- 1650s, from half + truth.
- heart-throb (n.)
- also heartthrob, 1821, "passion, affection;" 1839 in literal sense, "a beat of the heart," from heart (n.) + throb (n.). Of persons who inspire romantic feelings, from 1928; used 1910s of a quality that appeals to sentiment or emotion in newspapers, advertising, etc..
- heart-to-heart (adj.)
- 1867; see heart (n.) in figurative sense of "inmost feelings."
- heel-tap (n.)
- also heeltap, 1680s, "one of the bits of leather that are stacked up to make a shoe heel" (see heel (n.1)); meaning "bit of liquor left in a glass or bottle" first recorded 1780s; the exact connection is uncertain unless it be "the last or final part."
- high-tail (v.)
- also hightail "move quickly," attested by 1890, U.S. slang from cattle ranches (animals fleeing with elevated tails); from high (adj.) + tail (n.). Related: Hightailed; hightailing.
- high-toned (adj.)
- 1779 of musical pitch, 1807 of morality, from high (adj.) + tone.
- hog-tie (v.)
- also hogtie, "bind hands and feet," 1887, from hog (n.) + tie (v.). Related: Hog-tied.
- hoity-toity
- also hoity toity, 1660s, "riotous behavior," from earlier highty tighty "frolicsome, flighty," perhaps an alteration and reduplication of dialectal hoyting "acting the hoyden, romping" (1590s), see hoyden. Sense of "haughty" first recorded late 1800s, probably on similarity of sound.
- holier-than-thou
- as an adjectival phrase in reference to supercilious sanctimony attested by 1888, American English. The text is in Isaiah lxv:5.
- honky-tonk (n.)
- "cheap night club," by 1898, Southern U.S., of unknown origin. As a type of music played in that sort of low saloon, it is attested from 1921.