| 释义 |
zinger U.S. slang.|ˈzɪŋə(r)|
[f. zing n. + -er1.]
1. Something outstandingly good of its kind.
1955M. Allingham Beckoning Lady vi. 99, I don't know why it was such a zinger, unless it was that it was very big and very cheap. 1968Times 30 May 10, I think every actress needs one zinger of a part early in her career. 1973N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 4 Nov. 79 (caption) A zinger of a novel. 1976New Yorker 9 Feb. 84/2 It's a zinger of a scene: an educated, socially conscious woman dating a lumpen lost soul. 1980R. Adams Girl in Swing v. 63 My private collection was becoming what an American friend..described as a ‘zinger’.
2. a. A wisecrack; a punch line.
1970Time 12 Oct. 7 Ann-Margret is giving him a hard time on the home front, too, tossing out little zingers about his advancing age like ‘Flab is reality’. 1970Life 30 Oct. 40 In casual chatter the zingers [of Dick Cavett] are just as fast and frequent as they are on the show. 1975Homemaker's Mag. Oct. 28/2 The Vancouver Status of Women group is planning to put out a booklet of useful zingers... Sometimes you just need one sharp line to show you mean business. 1979Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 31 Mar. 76 (caption) One more zinger about my height, and I shall be compelled to thrash you mercilessly about the feet and ankles. 1980Maledicta III. 254 Sorry. After having exhibited immense self-control not to quip,..I just had to shoot off this little zinger.
b. A surprise question; an unexpected turn of events, e.g. in a plot.
1973R. Thomas If you can't be Good (1974) vii. 51, I would drone along..asking tired questions... Then I would throw in the zinger and watch what happened. 1976Publishers Weekly 2 Feb. 91/1 There's a zinger toward the end, in which the nominal hit man gets hit, but it doesn't really compensate for the tedium the reader's gone through. 1983Fortune 11 July 134/2 The supervisor should also encourage discussion..of what may seem like personal issues... In the process, though, be wary of ‘zingers’, heart-to-heart matters brought up at an awkward time, often near the end of a meeting. |