| 释义 |
unˈpalatable, a.
[un-1 7 b, 5 b.]
1. Not agreeable to the palate. Also in fig. context.
1682Dryden Medal 148 The Man..Might laugh again, to see a Jury chaw The prickles of unpalatable Law. 1700T. Brown Amusem. viii. Wks. 1720 III. 76 Our Doctor..cloys his Auditors with that unpalatable Ragoust. 1748Anson's Voy. ii. viii. 218 We found them [sc. pearl oysters] extremely tough and unpalatable. 1799J. Robertson Agric. Perth 206 The grass is coarse, unpalatable to cattle. 1846A. Soyer Cookery 380 It would..cause the fillets to eat tough and altogether unpalatable. 1871Darwin Desc. Man ii. xi. I. 416 It would be highly advantageous to a caterpillar to be..recognised as unpalatable by all birds.
2. Unpleasant, distasteful, disagreeable.
1711tr. Werenfelsius' Disc. Logomachys 201 These things, my Son, may at first seem, to your Age, unpalatable and hard. 1749Smollett Regicide iv. ii, Candid friendship that disdains to hide Unpalatable truth! 1829Scott Anne of G. xxvii, The Duke's eye lowered gloomily on the deliverer of this unpalatable message. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. xx. IV. 467 The King commanded himself sufficiently to return thanks for this unpalatable counsel.
Hence unˈpalatableness; ˌunpalataˈbility.
1805Saunders Min. Waters 82 Perhaps the unpalatableness of this drink has caused it to be in worse credit than it deserves. 1934Webster, Unpalatability. 1974 Nature 25 Jan. 170/1 The potential unpalatability of a current policy designed to affect the demographic situation in the next century. 1981Birds Summer 37/2 Inedible insects advertise their unpalatability by wearing warning colours—usually black and yellow or black and red.
Add: unˈpalatably adv.
1891Cent. Dict., Unpalatably,..in an unpalatable manner; disagreeably. 1929Appellate Div. Reports (N.Y. Supreme Court) CCXXIV. 112 The introduction of so much sugar that it would be impossible to add saccharin without causing the beverage to be unpalatably oversweetened. 1988Nature 22 Dec. 699/1 The British government has advertised in the press its advice that eating eggs is safe provided that they are well (perhaps unpalatably) cooked. |