| 释义 |
low down, a. and adv.
[f. low a. and adv. + down adv.]
a. Used as a more emphatic synonym for the adj. in predicative use, and for the adv. (Written as two words.)
b. In attributive use; chiefly U.S., degraded, abject. (Written with hyphen.)
In quot. 1850 in b used in the geographical sense, and in quot. 1908 in a physical sense.
a.1548Elyot Dict., Demissus, humble, lowe downe. 1689Locke Civ. Govt. ii. v. §38 (1694) 194 In that part of the World which was first inhabited,..even as low down as Abrahams time, they wandred with their Flocks and their Herds..freely up and down. a1860J. A. Alexander Gosp. Jesus Chr. xv. (1861) 201 They put the date of Messiah's advent too low down. 1870Kingsley in Gd. Words 205/2 To see Sirius,..not, as in our dog-days, low down on the horizon, but riding high in heaven. 1890L. D'Oyle Notches 20 They had played it rather low down on the preacher. 1935[see growl v.3 3]. 1959‘F. Newton’ Jazz Scene 291 The widespread practice of equating joy with height..and grief with depth... Thus the quality most desired in the old blues is that it should be low-down or dragging.
b.1850Congress. Globe 25 Apr. 821/1 The ‘low-down’ Virginia Democracy had to yield to the western mountain Democracy. 1865Nation (N.Y.) I. 586 His manners and conversation, showed him to be a good-deal above that class commonly called ‘low-down, triflin' people’, or poor white trash. 1869Overland Monthly III. 130 There are the delusive ‘kettlings’, among the ‘low-down’ people. 1881Cable Mad. Delphine, etc. 104 It was so much better than he could have expected from his ‘low-down’ relative. 1882Daily Tel. 24 June, Lucas effected a beautiful low-down catch. 1888Eggleston Graysons xviii. 197 Her archaic speech was perhaps a shade better than the ‘low-down’ language of Broad Run. 1897M. Kingsley W. Africa 158 There is another low-down pigeon domesticated at Talagouga. 1901Scribner's Mag. XXIX. 484/1 Every low-down Neapolitan ice-creamer in the town. 1908Sears, Roebuck Catal. 604/2 The closet..is a syphon jet bowl with a low down tank and seat. 1915F. M. Hueffer Good Soldier iii. i. 140 Low-down Bowery tough. 1916‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin xii. 214 They considered that Pincher had played them a low-down trick in ignoring their charms and in going elsewhere for an object for his affections. 1928Variety 15 Aug. 49/4 There were as many as 35 or 40 dark-skinned musicians on the stand, kidding around and giving their conception of low-down tunes. 1968Blues Unlimited Sept. 10 John Lee Hooker comes here a lot, an' he plays some really lowdown things.
Hence low-downer U.S., a ‘poor white’ of the southern States.
1871Schele de Vere Americanisms (1872) 45 [Given as the designation current in North Carolina]. 1883Stevenson Silverado Sq. 131 They are at least known by a generic by⁓word, as Poor Whites or Low-downers. |