| 释义 |
prawn, n.|prɔːn|
Forms: 5 prayne, 5–7 prane, 6 pran, praune, prayn, 6–7 prawne, 7– prawn.
[ME. prayne, prane, of unknown origin. No similar name found in other langs.
A suggested connexion with L. perna, F. perne ham, a ham-shaped shell-fish, a pinna, founded upon a blundered entry in Florio ‘parnocchie, Shrimps or Prawne fishes’, (parnocchia (pl. -ie) being a variant of ‘pernocchia, a Nakre or Nacre [mispr. Narre]-fish’) is opposed at once to the sense and the phonology.]
I.
1. A small long-tailed decapod marine crustacean (Palæmon serratus), larger than a shrimp, common off the coasts of Great Britain, and used as food. Also extended to allied species of the family.
1426Court Rolls Maldon, Bundle 16 m. 2 bk. Item dicunt qd Margareta vxor Robti Seyken forstallauit in foro praynes qu..emit in foro de Iohanne Gyrlfader, &c., ideo in misericordia vj d. c1440Promp. Parv. 411 Prane, fysche, stingus. a1529Skelton Col. Cloute 209 Ye pycke no shrympes nor pranes. 1552Huloet, Prane fyshe, carides, tingus. 1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. i. 104 Telling vs, she had a good dish of Prawnes. 1620Venner Via Recta iv. 79 Pranes and Shrimps are of one and the same nature. 1788Ld. Auckland Corr. (1861) II. 93 Within an ace of being laid low among the prawns, pebbles, and porpoises. 1840Dickens Old C. Shop v, He..devoured gigantic prawns with the heads and tails on.
II. transf. and fig.
2. A figure of a prawn as an ornament.
1578T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 171 Two collers of redde prawnes..and at euery one of them hanged eight shrimpes of gold, of excellent workemanship.
3. Applied to persons.
a. Figuratively, or in a familiar manner.
b. As a term of contempt: a fool, half-wit.
1845Dickens Let. 27 Jan. (1977) IV. 253 By the time he had finished this third dinner, his eyes protruded infinitely beyond the tip of that feature [sc. his nose]. You never saw such a human Prawn as he looked, in your life. 1895W. P. Ridge Minor Dialogues 207 Ah, I expect you're a saucy young prawn, Emma. 1937Partridge Dict. Slang 657/1 Prawn, silly, a pejorative applied to persons. 1965Telegraph (Brisbane) 5 July 8/4 Describing a fellow who was a bit eccentric, or one who was just plain nuts... Anyone would know what he [sc. an Australian] meant if he used the word.. prawn.
c. In phr. to come the raw prawn (over, with, etc.): to attempt to deceive. Austral. slang.
1942Salt 25 May 8 Don't come the raw prawn, don't try to put one over me. c1948S. L. Elliot in E. Hanger Khaki, Bush & Bigotry (1968) 36 The filthy rotten Crab, he'd better not come the raw prawn on us. 1951Cusack & James Come in Spinner 306 Coupla bastards come the raw prawn over me on the last lap up from Melbourne and I done me last bob at Swy. 1959E. Lambert Glory thrown In v. 41 Don't ever come the raw prawn with Doc, mate. He knows all the lurks. 1965M. Shadbolt Among Cinders xxi. 202 Don't you come the raw prawn with me. 1970Private Eye 16 Jan. 16 Don't come the raw prawn with me. Ozzie Barry and me are just good friends.
III. 4. attrib. and Comb. prawn cocktail: see cocktail 4; prawn-fishing = prawning vbl. n. 2; so prawn-fisherman.
1611Florio s.v. Parnocchie, Prawne fishes [1598 praunes]. 1771E. Haywood New Present for Maid 39 Craw-fish, or Prawn Soup. 1836T. Hook G. Gurney I. iii. 85 Egg-eating and prawn-picking are not delicate performances. 1883Fisheries Exhib. Catal. 10 Crab, Lobster, Conger, Eel, and Prawn Pots. 1891Daily News 12 June 3/3 Fine net,..worn over prawn-pink satin. 1896Kirkaldy & Pollard tr. Boas' Text Bk. Zool. 226 The young one passes through a prawn-stage. 1921Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 590/1 Numerous are the adverse comments I've heard on the prawn fisherman and his ways. 1924Blackw. Mag. Apr. 489/2 Neither the Lydons nor anybody else could make me enjoy prawn-fishing on that high walk at Galway. 1978R. Waddington Catching Salmon xi. 128 One cardinal principle..applies to prawn-fishing. If in a stocked pool no fish takes or follows your bait in the first few casts, it is..useless to continue.
Hence prawn v. intr., to fish for prawns (orig. and chiefly in vbl. n. or pres. pple.; see prawning vbl. n.); ˈprawner, a fisher for prawns; ˈprawny a., of or pertaining to a prawn; prawn-like.
1865Daily Tel. 25 Aug., Our shrimps have most prawny proportions. 1886Globe 16 July The hand that prawns must be quick and steady..Every one cannot be a successful prawner. 1905Daily Chron. 30 Aug. 4/5 At the Place we prawn when the tide goes out. |