| 释义 |
Gotham|ˈgɒtəm often improperly; ˈgəʊθəm|
Also 6 Gotum, 6–7 Got(t)am.
1. The name of a village, proverbial for the folly of its inhabitants (‘wise men of Gotham’). (There is a village so named in Notts., but it is not certain that this was the place alluded to.)
c1460Towneley Myst. xii. 180 Now god gyf you care, foles all sam, Sagh I neuer none so fare bot the foles of gotham. 1526C Mery Talys (1866) 45 Of the .iii. wyse men of gotam. c1560Misogonus ii. iii. 10 (Brandl Quellen 441) The wise men of gotum are risen againe. c1568A. B. (title) The Merry Tales of the Mad-men of Gottam (1630). 1603Harsnet Pop. Impost. 61, I doe verily suspect this wonder was acted somewhat neere Gotham and that the Spectators were the Posteritie of them that drowned the Eel. a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Wise Man of Gotham, a Fool. 1765Falconer Demag. 48 Let the great monarch ass through Gotham bray!
b. transf. Applied to (a) Newcastle, (b) New York.
1807W. Irving Salmag. xvii. (1811) II. 155 Chap. cix. of the chronicles of the renowned and antient city of Gotham. 1825Brockett N.C. Words, Gotham, a cant name for Newcastle. 1852Jutson Myst. N.Y. xiii. (Farmer), One of the vilest of all hells in Gotham.
†2. A ‘man of Gotham’, a simpleton.
1685Crowne Sir C. Nice v. Dram. Wks. 1874 III. 351 What a society of Gotam's are here, to laugh at a man for missing a woman?
†3. attrib. passing into adj.: Of or pertaining to Gotham; foolish, stupid. Gotham College: an imaginary institution for the training of simpletons.
1621Burton Anat. Mel., Democr. to Rdr. 69 They are all of Gotam parish. 1657J. Sergeant Schism Dispach't 333 Perhaps it may cause mirth in thee to read such Gottam-absurdities in a Dr. of Divinitie. 1675Cocker Morals 23 But who loves Ignorance before choice Knowledge, A Doctor may commence in Gotham College. 1681S. Colvil Whigs Supplic. (1751) p. vi, Some of the society of Gotham college had an intention to burn my lines. 1692–4R. L'Estrange Fables v. (1714) 5 'Tis the Fate of all Gotham Quarrels, when Fools go together by the Ears, to have Knaves run away with the Stakes.
Hence † ˈGothamist, one who takes after the men of Gotham; a blunderer, a simpleton. ˈGothamite, (a) = Gothamist; (b) a New-Yorker.
1589Nashe Pref. to Greene's Menaphon (Arb.) 8 The..perusing of our Gothamists barbarisme. 1660T. M. C. Walker's Hist. Independ. iv. 78 The Officers of the Army..a mad crew of Gotamists. 1802Lamb Curious Fragments ii, These were dizzards, fools, gothamites. 1807W. Irving Salmag. xvii. (1811) II. 160 Whereat the Gothamites..marvelled exceedingly. 1852Bristed Upper Ten Thous. ii. 37 The first thing..that a young Gothamite does is to get a horse. |