| 释义 |
red line, n. phr.
Used to describe the British army, esp. in phr. thin red line; also transf.
1855F. Duberly Let. 8 June in E. E. P. Tisdall Mrs. Duberly's Campaigns (1963) v. 147 They advance, supported by the impenetrable red line, our infantry. 1877W. H. Russell Brit. Exped. Crimea iii. ii. 156 The Russians..dashed on towards that thin red line tipped with steel. 1890Kipling Departm. Ditties (U.S. ed.) 61 It's ‘Thin red line of 'eroes’ when the drums begin to roll. 1935‘G. Orwell’ Clergyman's Daughter iv. 226 Napoleon Buonaparte..soon found that in the ‘thin red line’ he had more than met his match. 1971Guardian 24 Feb. 10/1 Trade unionists..are beginning to give physical support to the Union of Post Office Workers as their ‘thin red line’. 1974Times 19 Apr. 14 Home of the thin red (or khaki) lines... ‘Home of the British Army’, say the road signs leading into Aldershot.
Add:2. A red mark (on a gauge or dial) indicating a safety limit or critical point; spec. in Aeronaut. and Motoring, the line on a tachometer which denotes the maximum safe speed, r.p.m., etc. Hence, a maximum speed or safety limit. Also transf. and fig. Chiefly U.S.
1956W. A. Heflin U.S. Air Force Dict. 431/1 Redline,..a red mark or line on the airspeed indicator in certain airplanes, indicating the safe maximum speed of the airplane; also a line on other indicators to indicate a danger point. 1973Sci. Amer. Apr. 11/1 Coming down the mountain I kept the engine constantly at red-line in first, second and third gears. 1975High Time Dec. 119/2 You can bet the pilot's pucker factor is almost at redline. 1980D. Cameron Ballooning Handbk. iii. 44 For lesser flights it is enough to..keep an eye on the temperature gauge, being ready to slow or stop the climb as it approaches the ‘red line’. 1982J. A. Angelo Dict. Space Technol. 238/2 Redline,..term denoting a critical value for a parameter or a condition that, if exceeded, threatens the integrity of a system, performance of a vehicle, or success of a mission. 1987Super Bike June 68/1 Presuming that they know by now which gearing to pull.., I reckon the true redline is more like 8000 rpm. |