| 释义 |
gape-seed|ˈgeɪpˌsiːd|
Also 6–7 gaping seed, 7 gapes-seed.
[f. gape n. or v. + seed n.]
1. In sarcastic phrases to seek gape-seed, buy gape-seed, or sow gape-seed: to stare gapingly at a fair or market, instead of transacting useful business.
1598Florio, Anfanare..to go idly loytring vp and downe as we say, to go seeking for a halfepenie worth of gaping seede. 1600Nashe Summers Last Will Wks. (Grosart) VI. 144 If a fellow..Should all his life time go from faire to faire, And buy gape-seede, hauing no businesse else. 1673O. Walker Educ. 195 They sow but gape seed which being harvested yields them a goodly crop of wonders. 1694Poor Robin Aug., And by that means..They for their Gapes-seed do pay dear. 1779Koran i. xl. in Sterne's Wks. (Dublin) VI. 81 The nine days wonder had sown its gape-seed long before. The novelty grew stale. 1856N. & Q. 2nd Ser. I. 362 Plenty of persons were ‘sowing gape seed’ at them. 1877N.W. Linc. Gloss. s.v., ‘She's gone to Brigg Stattus to saw gape-seed.’
2. Something stared at by a gaping crowd; also, the act of staring with open mouth.
a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Gape-seed, whatever the gazing Crowd idly stares and gapes after; as Puppet-shows, [etc.] any thing to feed the eye. 1725in New Cant. Dict. 1852Q. Rev. Mar. 431 When was gapeseed ever too gross for gulping asinine cockney curiosity? 1876C. M. Yonge Womankind vii. 55 The National Gallery well gone through, and not treated as gape-seed, is a key to volumes of art. 1879Times 29 May, Of the French team, Rayon d'Or came in for the most gapeseed.
b. One who stares with open mouth.
1885Sportsman 23 June 2/4 (Farmer) The ring was surrounded by a fairly strong crowd of gapeseeds. |