| 释义 |
▪ I. † prank, n.1 Obs. rare.
[Goes with prank v.1: see also prank n.2]
A pleat, a fold.
c1440Promp. Parv. 411/2 Prank, of prankynge, plica, plicatura.
▪ II. prank, n.2|præŋk|
Also 6 pranque, 6–7 pranck(e, 6–8 pranke.
[Origin unascertained. Goes with prank v.2, both appearing c 1525.
Some would connect the vb. and n. with prank v.4, and the cognate words there mentioned, taking a ‘trick’ as ‘an act done to show off’; but this does not appear to be supported by the early use. Others would take it as a fig. application of prank n.1 fold, pleat, comparing the fig. sense of ‘wrinkle’, but the evidence is not sufficient to substantiate the suggestion.]
A trick; a frolic. †a. In early use, a trick of malicious or mischievous nature; a trick or action deserving of reprobation; a deed of wickedness; sometimes rendering L. scelus or facinus. Obs.
a1529Skelton Agst. Scottes 150 Your pryde was peuysh to play such prankys. 1530Palsgr. 658 He wyll playe me a pranke, il me jouera dune bricolle. 1532More Confut. Tindale Wks. 665/2 Now hath it bene an old prank of heretykes, to vse that fashyon of malycyouse corruptynge the bookes of the holye scrypture. 1539Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) II. 182 Themperour whom his grace knoweth..more to regarde his honour and profitt then to Imagyn and Consent to so an unreasonable shame⁓full & dishonourable pranque. 1568Hist. Jacob & Esau iv. i. in Hazl. Dodsley II. 230 Mother, by such a prank the matter will be worse. 1600Holland Livy xxxiii. xxix. 841 At length they played these prancks [facinora fecerunt]..of malice unto them. 1602Shakes. Ham. iii. iv. 2. 1654 Trapp Comm. Ezra iv. 6 Infamous..for many lewd pranks (as that he killed his brother, and then his owne sister). 1727De Foe Syst. Magic i. iii. (1840) 89 This was not the first of his pranks which he [the Devil] played upon mankind after the flood. 1737Whiston Josephus, Hist. iv. iii. §5 They grew the more insolent upon this bold prank.
†b. A trick of magic, conjuring, or the like; in early times to deceive, later to surprise or amuse.
1555J. Harpsfield in Bonner Homilies 49 Those prankes played by Simon Magus. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 433 Either iuggling or Magicall prankes practised by the Samoed-Coniurours or Priests. 1650Milton Tenure Kings 60 Like those priests of Bel, whose pranks Daniel found out. 1756C. Lucas Ess. Waters III. 329 He had the honor of playing his pranks before the whole court. 1840Hood Kilmansegg, Pedigree viii, Golden bees, by alchemical prank, Gather'd gold instead of honey.
c. A trick of a frolicsome nature, or one intended to make sport; a mad frolic; a practical joke.
1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 282 Who in all his purposes and practises, playeth pranckes of puerilitie and childishnesse. 1602Rowlands Tis Merrie when Gossips meete 18 But Lord the prankes that we mad-wenches playde. 1643J. Burroughes Exp. Hosea xvi. (1652) 412 Tell tales of the pranckes of your younger dayes. a1713T. Ellwood Autobiog. (1765) 5 Often playing one waggish Prank or other among my fellow scholars. 1844Emerson Misc. Papers, Tantalus Wks. (Bohn) III. 319 See the child..with his thousand pretty pranks, commanded by every sight and sound. 1884Lady Verney in Contemp. Rev. Oct. 550 The pranks are not those of healthy schoolboys.
d. Said of capricious or frolicsome actions or movements of animals, and fig. of erratic actions of machines.
1692Bentley Boyle Lect. 138 We appeal to observation, whether..all the various machins and utensils would now and then play odd pranks and capricio's quite contrary to their proper structures and the designs of the artificers. 1711Addison Spect. No. 117 ⁋5 The Cat is reported..to have played several Pranks above the Capacity of an ordinary Cat. 1784Cowper Task v. 52 [The dog] Then..barks for joy. Heedless of all his pranks, the sturdy churl Moves right toward the mark.
▪ III. prank, n.3 rare.
[f. prank v.3]
Prancing, capering.
1844Mrs. Browning To Flush iv, Full of prank and curveting.
▪ IV. † prank, a. Obs.
[Related to prank v.4 and MLG. prank n., pomp, display.]
Smartly, showily, or gaily dressed.
1575R. B. Appius & Virginia B ij, Ah pretie pranck parnel, the Coushen and Booke, Whereon he shoulde reade and kneele, are present here looke. 1589R. Robinson Gold. Mirr. (Chetham Soc.) 58 Their children as I sayd, so pranck in pride. 1607Lingua iv. vii. I iv b, If I doe not seeme pranker nowe, then I did in those dayes, Ile be hang'd. 1615R. Brathwait Strappado (1878) 209 The 5. so pranke, he scarce can stand on ground, Asking who'le sing with him Mal Dixons round?
▪ V. † prank, v.1 Obs.
[Goes with prank n.1, both appearing c 1440. Origin unascertained. There is nothing similar in form and sense in the Teutonic or the Romanic langs.]
trans. To fold, plait, pleat, arrange in pleats.
c1440Promp. Parv. 411/2 Prankynge, plicacio. a1529Skelton El. Rummyng 69 Stytched and pranked with pletes. 1530Palsgr. 664/1, I pranke ones gowne, I set the plyghtes in order, je mets les plies dune robe a poynt. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. iv. 14 Some prancke their ruffes; and others trimly dight Their gay attyre.
b. fig. To arrange in proper order, put into order.
1676W. Row Contn. Blair's Autobiog. ix. (1848) 151 Matters being in great confusion, and no appearance of pranking of them.
Hence † pranked ppl. a., folded, pleated, adorned with pleats; † ˈpranking vbl. n.
c1440Promp. Parv. 411/2 Prankyd, as clothys, plicatus. Ibid., Prankynge, plicacio. c1460Towneley Myst. xxx. 288 Of prankyd gownes & shulders vp set, mos & flokkys sewyd wyth in. 1676Pranking [see b above].
▪ VI. prank, v.2 Obs. or dial.
[app. f. prank n.2; the n. and vb. appear together c 1525.]
intr. To play pranks or tricks, formerly sometimes wicked or mischievous, now usually in frolic; to sport.
1530Palsgr. 664/1, I prank with one, I use craftye and subtyll maner towardes hym, je me subtille. c1700Patch-Work i. 22 Did not Somaisius and Melancton; Nay, Luther, though the Pope he prank'd on, Own him Head of the Church, ne'erless, And his Supremacy confess? 1826Hogg Love's Jubilee 33 The little rays of sin That prank with the damask vein of the cheek. 1887Willock Rosetty Ends xii. 88 It formed a halesome lesson to him no' to prank wi' blue or red fire for a while again. 1897Outing (U.S.) XXX. 456/2 A little wind, born in the gorge below, was pranking with the quaking asp leaves.
▪ VII. prank, v.3 Obs. or dial.
[Appears early in 16th c.: origin obscure: see Note below.]
intr. = prance v. (in various senses, esp. with suggestion of display or arrogance); to caper; to dance. Also to prank it.
1519Interl. Four Elements E vj b, And I can fote it by and by etc., And I can pranke it properly. a1529Skelton Caudatos Anglos 57 That dronke asse..That prates and prankes. c1560Jack Juggler in Hazl. Dodsley II. 117 And a maid we have at home, Alison Trip-and-go..She simpereth, she pranketh, and jetteth without fail. 1567Golding Ovid's Met. vi. (1593) 136 Who..With haughtie looke and stately gate went pranking vp and downe. 1570Levins Manip. 24/25 To Pranke, exultare, gestire. 1587Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1983/1 About a mile from the English campe were the Scots horsemen verie busie, pranking vp and downe. 1842Halliwell Nursery Rhymes (Percy Soc.) 76 His nag did kick and prank. 1870Daily News 12 July, Placid infants,..who looked anything but fit for pranking it according to Offenbach.
Hence ˈpranking vbl. n. and ppl. a.
a1529Skelton Poems agst. Garnesche i. 19 For alle your proude prankyng, Your pride may apayere. 1904M. Hewlett Queen's Quair i. xii. 188 So the wilful lass has got her master! And a pranking rider for a bitter jade! [Note. Prank has the appearance of a by-form of the earlier vb. prance, with which, to a great extent, it coincides in sense. But its form makes the relationship difficult, prance and pranke being app. possible as parallel forms only in words from French. On the other hand, it may possibly be related to Du. pronken in the sense ‘strut, parade’, and so have the same ultimate origin as prank v.4, although the two appear to be quite distinct words in English.] ▪ VIII. prank, v.4|præŋk|
[Goes with prank a., both being radically cognate with Du. pronk show, ostentation, finery, ornament, Ger. prunk pomp, parade, ostentation, MLG. prank pomp, display. (There is no corresp. n. in Eng.) The vb. in Du. is pronken to show off, shine, strut, parade, in Ger. prunken to make a show or display, to ‘show off’. Cf. also prink v.]
1. trans. To dress, or deck in a gay, bright, or showy manner; to decorate; refl. to deck oneself out, dress oneself up.
1546Bale Eng. Votaries i. (1560) 22 Pranked vp with Tabernacles and lightes. 1553― Vocacyon Pref. 4 b, Not pranked vp in pompe and pleasures. 1580Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 433 As willing..as you are to prancke your selues in a lookinge Glasse. 1592Nashe P. Penilesse (ed. 2) 10 b, She..spends halfe a day in pranking her selfe if she be inuited to any strange place. 1652–62Heylin Cosmogr. i. (1682) 60 She..will be so pranked up on the Sundays..that one..might easily mistake her for some noble Lady. 1809W. Irving Knickerb. vii. ii, All the burghers of New-Amsterdam with their wives and daughters, pranked out in their best attire. 1881Besant & Rice Chapl. of Fleet i. x, Women are fond..of pranking themselves continually in some new finery. 1895Zangwill Master ii. x, The little village was prankt and rejuvenated.
b. fig. To dress up.
1607Shakes. Cor. iii. i. 23 They doe pranke them in Authoritie Against all Noble sufferance. 1634Milton Comus 759 Obtruding false rules pranckt in reasons garb. 1742Collins Odes xi. 15 Science, prank'd in tissu'd vest.
c. transf. To deck, adorn; to brighten or set out with colours; to spangle. In various constructions, e.g. to prank (the field) with flowers, to prank (the garden or field) as a flower.
1591Sylvester Du Bartas i. iv. 446 The least Flowr that pranks Our Garden borders or the Common banks. Ibid. 674 The Gardens prank them with their Flowry buds. 1652Benlowes Theoph. xii. l, When opal-colours prank the orient Tulips head. 1748Thomson Cast. Indol. i. ii, A season atween June and May, Half prankt with spring, with summer half imbrowned. 1820Shelley Sensit. Plant i. 42 The stream whose inconstant bosom Was prankt under boughs of embowering blossom With golden and green light. 1820― Question iv, Broad flag-flowers, purple prankt with white. 1880L. Wallace Ben-Hur 200 The ground was pranked with the brightest blooms.
¶d. pa. pple. ? ‘Set’ (like a gem).
(App. an erroneous use, ‘prankt’ suggesting ideas of bespangled, begemmed.)
1817Shelley Rev. Islam ix. i, Poplars..whose shade did cover The waning stars, prankt in the waters blue. 1821― Hellas 1049 Around mountains and islands inviolably Prankt on the sapphire sea.
2. intr. (for refl.) To show oneself off, make ostentatious show or display. Also to prank it.
1567Golding Ovid's Met. viii. P iv, Yet would I make it [a tree] ere I go To kisse the clowers with her top that pranks with braunches so. 1592Greene Upst. Courtier G j b, Hee shall not want silkes, sattins, veluets, to pranke abroade in his pomp. 1610B. Jonson Alch. iv. vii, That ruffe of pride..is the same With that, which the vncleane birds in seuenty-seuen, Were seene to pranke it with, on diuers coasts. 1649tr. Warn. Jac. Beem xvi. 15 Wherewith I have not hitherto proudly prancked and vaunted. 1844Mrs. Browning Rom. Page ix, Or, speak she fair, or prank she gay, She is no lady of mine. 1867M. Arnold Obermann once more i, White houses prank where once were huts. |