| 释义 |
oojah slang.|ˈuːdʒɑː|
Also oojar, ujah.
[Of uncertain origin.]
A substitute expression used to indicate vaguely a thing of which the speaker cannot at the moment recall the name, or which he does not care to specify precisely; a ‘what-you-may-call it’, gadget. So in extended forms ooja-ka-piv |ˈuːdʒɑːkəpɪv|, (ujah-ka-piv), oojah-capiff |ˈuːdʒɑːkəpɪf|, ooja-ka-pivi |ˈuːdʒɑːkəpɪvɪ|, (ooja-ka-pivvy, oojah capivvy). See also next word. So oojah-cum-spiff a., all right, ‘O.K.’.
1917W. Muir Observations of Orderly xiv. 229 ‘Oojah’, anything. 1925Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 215 Oojah (also Ooja-ka-pivi), a substitute expression for anything the name of which a speaker cannot momentarily think of, e.g. ‘Pass me that h-m, h-m, oojah-ka-pivi, will you?’ 1930Wodehouse Very Good, Jeeves! i. 25 ‘All you have to do,’ I said, ‘is to carry on here for a few weeks more, and everything will be oojah-cum-spiff.’ 1931J. Van Druten London Wall ii. ii. 73 There's a whole lot in the Oojah Capivvy now. 1933Partridge Words, Words, Words! iii. 192 For thingummy, Tommy says oojah, with variants oojah-ka-piv, oojah-cum-pivvy, and oojiboo. 1935D. L. Sayers Gaudy Night viii. 178 Oh, look! your bag's opened itself wide and all the little oojahs have gone down the steps. 1941P. Kendall Gone with Draft 118 An oojah..a gadget. 1943Hunt & Pringle Service Slang 49 Oojah, sauce or custard. 1951Landfall V. 89 For Pete's sake, boy, don't lose that little oojah. 1962Sunday Times 4 Feb. 31/6 This was the catch-phrase in a music-hall song in use during the first world war... I remember the line and the tune: ‘You cannot eat it, or see it, or hear it—you just ask for Ujah-ka-piv. Ibid., ‘Ujah’..was used as widely and as indiscriminately as ‘gimmick’ and ‘gadget’ are used now. 1966‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 78 Whur's ther ojah-capiff?, where is the hammer, spanner or whatever it might be? 1971B. W. Aldiss Soldier Erect 94 I've seen blokes in hot countries go clean round the oojar because of the perverted practices of native women. |