释义 |
Toc H|tɒk eɪtʃ| [Representing T.H., initials of Talbot House (see sense 1 below), which was so called in memory of Gilbert W. L. Talbot (d. 1915); see toc.] 1. Colloq. abbrev. of the name of Talbot House, a rest-house and club for soldiers opened at Poperinghe, 15 Dec. 1915.
1918in P. B. Clayton Tales Talbot House (1919) 138 Owing to the inconsiderate retirement of our old neighbours, the Boche, Toc. H. is in a pretty fix. 1925Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 286 Poperinghe..was visited by thousands of officers and men, for practically every one of whom ‘Toc H’, with its unique atmosphere and surroundings, proved alike a club and a home from home. 2. An association, orig. of ex-servicemen, founded by the Rev. P. T. B. Clayton after the war of 1914–18 to embody Christian fellowship and service.
1920Christmas Spirit ‘Toc. H.’ Ann. 77 (heading) Toc. H. Late Talbot House. Ibid., To open the club houses, Toc. H. asks for sympathy and help in many practical forms... H.R.H. The Prince of Wales has consented to open the H.Q. Club in London in 1921. 1930Toc H Jrnl. Jan. 3 Toc H will indeed begin..to be..a power making for righteousness. 1954P. Toynbee Friends Apart i. 17, I intended to work in a Toc H settlement. 1981J. Brabazon Dorothy L. Sayers xix. 241 An Anglican priest, chaplain to the Toc H hostel where I was staying. 3. Toc H lamp: an oil lamp, an emblem of Toc H, used ironically as a type of dimness.
1977New Statesman 9 Sept. 341/1 ‘He is as dim as a Toc H Lamp’..is not yet rare as a phrase though members of the Toc H organisation may well be thin on the ground. 1977J. Porter Who the Heck is Sylvia? v. 46 Sometimes you can be dimmer than a Toc H lamp. |