| 释义 |
▪ I. † agin(ne, v. Obs.
For forms see be-gin.
[for earlier an-ginnan, on-ginnan, also found in same sense: see ongin, and a- prefix 2. Afterwards aphetized to gin of which the pa. tense gan became a frequent auxiliary.]
To begin.
c1000O.E. Gosp. Mark vi. 7, & agan hí sendan twám & twám. c1160Hatton Gosp. ibid., & angan hyo sænden twam & twam. 1205Layam. 18761 Oðere weies þu most agunnen [1250 agynne]? ȝef þu hire wult awinnen. c1230Ancren Riwle 74 Ne aginne hit neuer so wel. c1302Pol. Songs 189 The Flemmysshe..Agynneth to clynken huere basyns of bras. 1340Ayenb. 197 Huo þet wile riȝtuolliche do elmesse, he ssel beuore aginne at himzelue.
▪ II. agin, prep.|əˈgɪn|
Widespread dialectal var. again prep. (= against) and against prep., often used jocularly and esp. in phr. agin the government, taken to represent the typical Irishman's or countryman's attitude in politics.
1823E. Moor Suffolk Words 5 'A struv agin um as long as 'a could. 1841Lever C. O'Malley iii, ‘Have ye a great spite agin him?’ ‘I have,’ said I fiercely. 1847Sporting Life 23 Oct. 114/1 A pound to a hay-seed agin' the bay. 1878W. S. Gilbert H.M.S. Pinafore ii. 26 I'm unpleasant to look at, and my name's agin me. 1888Nation (N.Y.) 2 Aug. 81/3 It was as natural for them to support the party in power..as it was for the ‘Pat’ of the anecdote to reply, when asked on landing which party he belonged to: ‘I'm ag'in the gover'mint.’ 1904Athenæum 5 Nov. 615 He was by nature ‘agin' the Government’. 1920Galsworthy In Chancery ii. xii, Possession, vested rights; and anyone ‘agin’ 'em—outcast. ‘Thank Heaven!’ he thought, ‘I always felt ‘agin’ 'em, anyway!’ 1920Punch 21 July 53/1 To compel the poor thing [sc. the motor car] to crawl is ‘agin natur'’. 1960Guardian 4 Nov. 14/3 The Kennedy crowds..are noticeably..people who are agin the Government. 1961New Statesman 28 Apr. 656/3 Ashington has one other grievance agin the government. ‘Why don't they encourage light industry to come yere?’ 1963Listener 17 Jan. 120/2 The real breeder, the chap with green fingers for dealing with living things, knows that artificial insemination is ‘agin nature’.
▪ III. agin, adv.|əˈgɪn|
Dial. var. of again adv. (= once more). Cf. agin prep.
1815D. Humphreys Yankey in Eng. iii. 58 They were done over agin, no longer than half an hour ago. 1892‘Mark Twain’ Amer. Claimant viii. 67 Blame my skin if I hain't gone en forgit dat name agin! 1906E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands viii. 92 D'yeh mean t' tell me how Hoggy's let you loose agin after you gettin' glorious in his dry-goods, 'n' makin' his name mud all up 'n' down ther town? 1935Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. ix. 197 De Devil broke a anchor cable. Jack took it and broke it agin. |