| 释义 |
new broom
[In allusion to the prov. new brooms sweep clean (sweep v. 13 b).]
One newly appointed to a position who vigorously makes changes in personnel or procedures; one who effects fundamental or numerous alterations. Also (with hyphen) attrib. and as v. trans. and intr.
[1776G. Colman (title) New brooms! An occasional prelude. Ibid. 15, I am glad he is gone. Catcall. Glad! Phelim. To be sure I am glad. New Brooms, you know.] 1855[see broom n. 3 b]. 1925[see clean v. 6 c]. a1930D. H. Lawrence Phoenix II (1968) 114 The Reverend Mr. Flewitt is newly arrived on the circuit, and wants to sweep the chapel very clean of sin, being a new broom. 1938Ann. Reg. 1937 93 The War Ministry, where Mr. Hore-Belisha was proving himself a veritable ‘new broom’. 1951N. Marsh Opening Night v. 114 Our little stranger..seems to be new-brooming away. 1963Economist 10 Aug. 496/3 Lord Hill of Luton, new-brooming his way through the Independent Television Authority. Ibid. 7 Sept. 809/1 The new government's new-broom mentality. 1969Listener 14 Aug. 205/1 This seems to me exactly what is happening at the BBC, new brooms bustling about tidying up, rationalising and sorting out on very ill-thought-out principles. |