| 释义 |
▪ I. tick-tack, n.|ˈtɪkˌtæk|
Also 6 Sc. tik tak, 7 tic-tack, tick(e)-tacke, 7–9 tic-tac.
[Echoic: so Du., Norw. tiktak, Sw., Da., Ger. tick-tack, F. tic-tac. In sense 2 an adaptation or kind of translation of F. trictrac, a similar echoic word: see tric-trac.]
1. a. An imitation of a reduplicated or alternating ticking sound, esp. that made by a clock (see tick n.3 2); also that of the firing of small artillery. (Used as adv. or int., and hence as n. to denote the sound.)
1549Compl. Scot. vi. 42 Than the smal artailȝe cryit, tik tak, tik tak, tik tak, tik tak. 17..in Ritson's Gamm. Gurton's Garl. (1783) 53 Here a nail, there a nail, Tick, tack, too. 1840P. Parley's Ann. 54, I am quite tired of your [a clock's] tick tack. 1858O. W. Holmes Aut. Breakf.-t. viii, Our brains are seventy-year clocks... Tic-tac! tic-tac! go the wheels of thought. 1909Daily Chron. 12 June 5/1 A Gatling gun..played upon the infantry..; one heard the ‘tick-tack’, ‘tick-tack’ of the spitting fire.
b. In auscultation, The sound of the heart-beat. (Usually in Fr. form tic-tac.)
1853Markham Skoda's Auscult. 175 The normal sounds of the heart are generally indicated by the expression ‘tic-tac’... This tic-tac I call the sounds (Töne) of the heart... By murmurs (Geräusche) I understand the abnormal sounds..blowing, sawing, rasping, etc. Ibid. 207, I have occasionally heard two sounds..in the place of the proper second sound: thus, instead of the ordinary ‘tic-tac’, a ‘tic-tac-tac’. 1860J. M. Carnochan Operat. Surg. 136 (Cent. Dict.) The normal tick-tack of the heart beat with healthy precision.
c. Chiefly N. Amer. A contrivance, such as a button on a piece of thread, spun to make a clattering sound against a window or door as a practical joke, esp. at Hallowe'en.
1884I. M. Rittenhouse Jrnl. in Maud (1939) 288, I formed plan after plan to frighten them. Finally a ‘tick-tack’ was decided on. 1947Sun (Baltimore) 7 Oct. 16/3 The Park has decided to have an old-time Hallowe'en, with the old boys puttin' tick-tacks on windows.
d. transf.
1927D. H. Lawrence Mornings in Mexico 63 Seeing the white monkeys for ever mechanically bossing, with their incessant tick-tack of work. 1934S. Beckett More Pricks than Kicks 133 ‘God’ he exclaimed, executing a kind of passionate tick-tack through his pockets.
†2. An old variety of backgammon, played on a board with holes along the edge, in which pegs were placed for scoring. Also fig. Obs. (Also called tric-trac, in F. trictrac.)
1558Forrest Grysilde Sec. i. xi. (Roxb.) 28 To pastyme at Tables, Tick-tacke or Gleeke. 1598B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. iii. iii. c1618Moryson Itin. iv. iv. vi. (1903) 396 They play much at Tables, Commonly Tick Tack and lurch, but never at Irish. 1740tr. De Mouhy's Fort. Country-Maid (1741) II. 188 Sometimes we plaid at Tick-tack.
3. = tick-tacker.
1918G. Frankau One of Them xxi. 159 Silent the tic-tac's tell-tale Semaphore: On thousand tracks, unridden,..Hay waves.
4. attrib.
†a. Belonging, or addicted, to the game of tick-tack (obs.).
b. slang. Applied to a system of ‘telegraphy’ or signalling used by bookmakers at race-meetings, and hence to the men who practise this (cf. ticker3 b).
1583Babington Commandm. ii. (1590) 104 If hee bee a drunken ale-stake, a ticktack tauerner. 1665in Boston (Mass.) Transcript 17 Sept. (1910) ii. 8/1 Two tick tack tables. Ibid., A tick tack board with the pieces. 1899Daily News 15 Mar. 5/5 Another class who are persecuted most absurdly, as it seems to me, are the ‘tick tack’ men. 1905Daily Chron. 1 Feb. 3/6 A prisoner puzzled the Kingston Bench by describing himself as ‘a racecourse telegraphist’... A detective explained that the man practised what is known as ‘tick-tack telegraphy’—signalling by means of the arms to outside bookmakers.
Hence tick-tacker, one who practises tick-tack telegraphy; tick-tacking ppl. a., making an alternating ticking sound.
1842Father Oswald xii. 117 The death-watch..is a little tick-tacking noise. a1847Eliza Cook Old Mill-stream xxi, Thy pouring cascade, and the tic-tac-ing mill. 1912Daily News 28 Mar. 4 Bookies, tipsters, tick-tackers, runners, welshers, backers, and all the great army who go racing.
▪ II. tick-tack, v.
Also tic tac, tic-tac.
[f. the n.]
1. intr. = tick-tock v.
1842,a1847[implied at tick-tacking ppl. a.]. 1859Mrs. Stowe Minister's Wooing ii. 17 The solemn old clock that tick-tacked in the corner.
2. intr. and trans. To produce a whirring, clattering sound by spinning a tick-tack (sense 1 c) against a window, etc., as a practical joke. dial. and N. Amer.
1901F. E. Taylor Folk-Speech S. Lancs. s.v. Tick-tackin', a boys' practical joke. See Window-tackin'. 1970J. H. Gray Boy from Winnipeg 188 We got tired of the project and abandoned it in favour of ringing doorbells and tick-tacking windows.
3. trans. and intr. To signal (information) by means of tick-tack telegraphy.
1907Favourite 30 Nov. 9/3 Kilbeg was ‘tick-tacked’ out at 4 to 1 by the private clerk of one particular firm. 1908Tatler 3 June 247 The above system of signalling, which is known as tick-tacking, may be seen on any racecourse. 1927Observer 27 Mar. 18/6 A man in the body of the hall was detected tictacing to Labour supporters and guiding the uproar. 1937L. Mann Murder in Sydney xxv. 273, I also noticed Leon Caspar ticktacking to the girl in response to which the girl challenged two of those called on the panel. 1972Guardian 11 Aug. 8/6 The policeman tic-taced to the judge what the punishment should be. |