| 释义 |
whip-hand|ˈhwɪpˈhænd|
[f. whip n. 1.]
1. The hand in which the whip is held in driving or riding; the driver's or rider's right hand.
1806Ann. Reg. 1804 413/1 For a morning's ride this might be complimentary; but it was here depriving me of the whip hand. 1809Christian Blackstone's Comm. I. 74 The law of the road, viz. that horses and carriages should..keep the left side of the road, and consequently..pass each other on the whip-hand. 1838Bentley's Misc. IV. 601 A thick gold ring on the little finger of his whip-hand. 1887R. H. Roberts In the Shires ii. 27 Raising his whip-hand, which brings the cavalcade to a halt.
2. fig. phr. to have the whip-hand (of): to have the advantage or upper hand (of), control. Hence in similar phr.
1680Alsop Mischief Impos. ii. 8 When once they are got into the Saddle, and have the whip-hand of the poor Laity. 1690Child Disc. Trade Pref. C 8, Before the Dutch get too much the whip-hand of us. 1694Echard Plautus 204 A silent Woman has always the whip Hand of a Talker. 1849De Quincey Engl. Mail-Coach Wks. 1890 XIII. 307 In the art of conversation,..he admitted that I had the whip-hand of him. 1863Cowden Clarke Shaks. Char. viii. 200 He has a secret of her own, and this gives him the whip-hand of her. 1884Rider Haggard Dawn xiv, For the sake of my own safety, I dare not abandon the whip hand I have of you. 1947Sun (Baltimore) 22 Dec. 2/1 Its objective will be to outstrip the Marshall plan and so to gain the political whiphand over Europe. 1951F. Yerby Woman called Fancy (1952) xvi. 302 In that election year of 1894, the white vote was so hopelessly divided that the blacks..held the whip hand. 1974Howard Jrnl. XIV. 49 The white population who have for so many centuries held, both literally and metaphorically, the whip hand. 1977M. Thatcher in Observer 25 Sept. 10/1 If trade unions hold the whip hand, upon whose back does the lash fall? 1985Times 26 Jan. 21/2 Sir Owen, however, still has the whip hand: he has the money and can bail the banks out of the whole complex exercise. |