| 释义 |
▪ I. platoon, n.|pləˈtuːn|
Forms: 7–8 plotton, 8 plat-, plottoon, 8– platoon.
[ad. F. peloton (15th c. in Hatz.-Darm., pron. (plɔtɔ̃) little ball, platoon, dim. of pelote: see pellet n.1 and -oon.]
1. a. Mil. A small body of foot-soldiers, detached from a larger body and operating as an organized unit; variously applied: see quots. (obs.); spec. half a company, a squad, a tactical formation preserved in some armies for purposes of drill, etc. Revived in the British army for an organizational unit (usu. a quarter) of a company of infantry. Also used for comparable organizational units in other armies.
Formerly volley-firing was done by platoons: cf. b.
1637Monro Exped., etc. ii. Abridgm. Exerc. 184 Eight Corporall-ships of Musketiers, being thirty-two Rots divided in foure Plottons, every Plotton being eight in front, led off by a Captaine. 1704J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, Plattoon..is a small Square Body of Musketeers, such as is usually drawn out of a Battalion of Foot, when they form the Hollow Square to strengthen the Angles. 1727–41Chambers Cycl., Plattoon, or Plottoon, in war, a small, square body of 40 or 50 men, drawn out of a battalion of foot, and placed between the squadrons of horse, to sustain them; or in ambuscades, streights, and defiles, where there is not room for battalions or regiments. 1734tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) II. v. 254 Platoons which consisted of four and twenty men each. 1788M. Cutler in Life, etc. (1888) I. 420 Just as we got up with them, they began to fire by platoons. 1846Hist. Rec. 1st Regiment of Foot 130 The street contained only a platoon abreast, so the first platoon fired their 24 rounds, and then filed off, and were succeeded by the next and following platoons. 1853Stocqueler Mil. Encycl., Platoon, a subdivision or small body of infantry. The word is obsolete, except in the term ‘manual and platoon exercise’. 1875tr. Ct. de Paris' Hist. Civ. War in Amer. I. 272 The recruits must go through a series of exercises and evolutions..first singly, then by platoons, by battalions next, and finally by brigades. 1913Army Order No. 323. 16 Sept. §4 A company will be divided into four platoons, each commanded by a subaltern... Each platoon will be sub-divided under regulations to be issued later. 1915D. O. Barnett Let. 18 Jan. 40 I've bought A. Coy. No. 4 Platoon. 1917J. M. Barrie Old Lady shows her Medals 72 You have knitted enough things already to fit up my whole platoon. 1929Encycl. Brit. XVIII. 64/2 In the U.S. cavalry a troop is divided into four platoons. 1938‘I. Hay’ King's Service xiv. 245 The number of platoons in a rifle company has been reduced from four to three. 1945H. P. Samwell Infantry Officer with Eighth Army iv. 33 We had agreed that he should bring up Company H.Q. and the reserve platoon behind, while I led the forward platoons. 1948N. Mailer Naked & Dead (1949) i. ii. 25 What a bunch of good old boys there were in the platoon, he told himself. 1964H. D. Chaplin Queen's Own Royal W. Kent Regiment 1951–1961 ii. 45 Four platoons under Major Crumplin spent Christmas and the New Year festival in the jungle. 1964Clough & Cash tr. Gorbatov's Years off my Life x. 161, I told Kostevich to send a platoon from each battalion to man the line. 1965I. Adamson Forgotten Men i. 15 Working with Animal Transport Platoons had been part of their training in the Bush Warfare School. 1971E. Luttwak Dict. Mod. War 153/2 Platoon, an army formation subordinate to the battalion and comprising a number of squads or sections. Normally the smallest unit with an organizational identity, it varies in size from the 12 men of a Soviet army tank platoon to the 40 plus men of a U.S. army infantry platoon. 1972J. Strawson Battle for Ardennes vi. 90 The critical feature was occupied..by a weak platoon numbering some eighteen men of the 394 US Infantry Regiment of 99th Division.
b. transf. A number of shots fired simultaneously by a platoon or body of men; a volley.
1706Farquhar Recruiting Officer iii. ii, I tell you what, I'll make love like a platoon. 1747Gentl. Mag. 317 The Welsh fuzileers fired two platoons upon the Dutch. 1817M. Wilks Hist. Sk. S. India (1869) II. xxxiii. 145 Threw in a regular platoon on the flank which killed the officer commanding. 1889Doyle Micah Clarke 298 These can fight in line and fire a platoon as well as one could wish to see.
fig.1775Sheridan St. Patr. Day i. i, 2 Sol. We'll argue in platoons. 3. Sol. Ay, ay, let him have our grievances in a volley.
†c. Short for platoon exercise. Obs.
1796Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 251 After the manual and platoon, the battalion remains formed at close order, and the major returns to his post in the rear. 1816‘Quiz’ Grand Master ii. 50.
2. transf. and fig.
a. A squad; a company or set of people.
1711Acc. Last Distemper of T. Whigg ii. 44 Tom..danc'd away the Hays with them in regular Plattoons. 1790Burke Fr. Rev. Wks. V. 100 To love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of publick affections. 1837W. Irving Capt. Bonneville (1849) 376 This is played by two parties drawn out in opposite platoons before a blazing fire. 1841Emerson Lect., Times Wks. (Bohn) II. 250 If you speak of the age, you mean your own platoon of people.
b. Amer. Football. A group of players trained to act together as a single unit of attack or defence and usu. sent into or withdrawn from the game as a body.
1941Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress 14 Jan. 11 They [sc. football teams] can still send in as many players—platoons included—while the clock is stopped. 1948N.Y. Times 28 Sept. 36/6 Eleven men may be sent in at a time now, even with the clock running..but Lou [Little] is opposed to this unlimited substitution rule in theory. Maj. Joel Stephens, of West Point,..said that Army has the ‘two-platoon’ system now. 1949Sun (Baltimore) 2 Dec. 17/7 Schweder is one of the unusual football players of the ‘platoon age’ in that he plays on both offense and defense.
c. Baseball. (See quot.)
1976Webster's Sports Dict. 318/2 Platoon..Baseball, two or more players who alternate at the same position. The players who make up a particular platoon are usually average players who are adequate fielders but who are not outstanding hitters.
3. attrib., as platoon commander, platoon corporal, platoon drill, platoon exercise, platoon fire, platoon firing, platoon leader, platoon officer, platoon sergeant, platoon-training; also humorously platoon swearing (= utterance of a ‘volley’ of oaths, quot. 1793).
1917W. Owen Let. 23 Nov. (1967) 509 Interesting work but hardly ‘lighter’ than a *Platoon Commander's. 1920J. C. Chase Soldiers All 57 He received orders to proceed to Hill 182... He sent runners to notify his platoon commanders. 1974G. Blaxland Queen's Own Buffs iii. 21 There was to be similar pairing of platoon commanders and platoon sergeants.
1941A. Cotterell What! No Morning Tea? 29 After breakfast there was a joint lecture by our two *platoon corporals on what to call the various parts of the rifle.
1935I. Miller School Tie xv. 290, I could never get the hang of anything more evolutionary than *platoon-drill.
1796Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 251 The major closes rear ranks for the *platoon exercise.
1818Scott Hrt. Midl. li, Nature seems to expect the thunder-burst, as a condemned soldier waits for the *platoon-fire which is to stretch him on the earth.
1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 514 The discharging [of neurons] may take place by *platoon firing or by company firing, or by desultory rank firing..the general opinion is in favour of platoon firing.
1952T. J. Mulvey These are your Sons iv. 85 He's got three rifle *platoon leaders and one weapons platoon leader.
1923Kipling Irish Guards in Gt. War I. 24 A newly appointed *platoon-officer..admonished them unofficially.
1915D. O. Barnett Lett. 41, I like the men awfully, especially my *platoon sergeant. 1965Brophy & Partridge Long Trail 224 The Staff..were known only by occasional glimpses. The platoon⁓sergeant, whatever his defects, was visible and human. 1974Platoon sergeant [see platoon commander].
1793Law in E. A. Bond Trial Warren Hastings (1860) III. 266 After having tried his hand to hit the mark twice alone, then he indulged in *platoon swearing.
1923Kipling Irish Guards in Gt. War II. 138 These Somme officers were accordingly told that most of their time should be given to *platoon-training. 1942E. Waugh Put out More Flags ii. 125 After the stand-easy they fell in for platoon training.
▸ orig. U.S. A number of road vehicles moving together as if in convoy on account of the regulated flow through a traffic system.
1967Ann. Math. Statistics 38 760 We count as the successive service times the time required for the platoon to merge, plus the fixed length of the green cycle on the main road. 1976Traffic Engin. & Control July 300/3 Vehicles were considered to be part of a platoon if they followed each other at the cross-section at headways not larger than five seconds... The smallest platoon consists of two vehicles. 1983Sci. Amer. Mar. 122/1 When the drivers travel at a certain speed, they are supposed to find a green light at each intersection. In heavy traffic this sequencing forces the cars into what traffic analysts call platoons. 1994New Scientist 15 Oct. 40/1 Vehicles will join the platoons from the rear. When they wish to leave, the platoon will split behind the exiting vehicle to allow it to drop back and leave the motorway. 2000Dallas Morning News (Nexis) 23 Aug. 4 a, ‘We try to stop cars in what we call platoons,’ Mr Taylor said. ‘The cars are grouped together and they make the green on the next signal and go straight through a corridor of lights.’
▪ II. plaˈtoon, v.
[f. prec. n.]
†1. intr. To fire a volley; also fig. Obs.
1706Farquhar Recruiting Officer iii. ii, I'll kneel, stoop, and stand, faith; most ladies are gained by platooning. 1780S. J. Pratt Emma Corbett (ed. 4) II. 46 The veteran Carbines, after having platooned and pioneered it for a number of years.., could keep the field no longer.
2. trans. To dispose in platoons.
1961in Webster s.v., The advantages from platooning students in smaller schools.
3. Baseball.
a. trans. To alternate (a player) with another in the same position.
b. intr. To interchange with another player in the same position. Hence plaˈtooning vbl. n.
1967Webster Add., Platoon.., to alternate (one player) with another player in the same position (as on a baseball team). 1969Time 5 Sept. 52 Hodges decided to ‘platoon’ him by playing him only against lefthanded pitchers. 1971L. Durocher in Webster Add. s.v., If I can't play him every day, I'll platoon him in left field. 1971Ibid., Platoon.., to alternate with another player in the same position. 1972N.Y. Times 4 June v. 2/7 Buckner also shares first base with Wes Parker and Crawford platoons with Manny Mota in left field. Ibid. 3 Nov. 45/6 He might junk the platooning system used rigidly by Williams. |