| 释义 |
roadster|ˈrəʊdstə(r)|
[f. road n. 1 and 4.]
1. Naut. A vessel lying, or able to lie, at anchor in a roadstead. See also quot. 1867.
1744London Mag. 557 They were stiff Ships,..good Sailors, and good Roadsters. 1815Burney Falconer's Dict. Mar. s.v. Roader, Roadsters should attentively observe to anchor at a competent distance from each other. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Roadster, applied chiefly to those vessels which work by tides, and seek some known road to await turn of tide or chance of wind.
2. a. A horse for riding (or driving) on the road.
1818Scott Rob Roy iii, Your horse..has too little bone to be a good roadster. 1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 216 A roadster is required to carry him over the farm when it is of large extent. 1882Mrs. J. H. Riddell Prince of Wales's Garden-Party 275 Almost every man..came either in his own gig, or riding his own stout roadster.
attrib.1890Atlantic Monthly Apr. 518/1 A lively, sensible horse, one who has the true roadster disposition. 1974Greenville (S. Carolina) News 23 Apr. 11/2 Thursday's performances have two Roadster pony classes.
b. A cycle for use on the road. Also attrib.
1883Knowledge 18 May 290/2 The weight of a roadster bicycle. 1896Daily Tel. 10 Feb. 5/4 Hunt picked out a smart pneumatic-tyred roadster. 1922[see basket-car s.v. basket n. B. 1 b].
c. U.S. A light carriage.
1892Hist. Rev. Industr. & Commerc. Growth York County 68 The former [repository and office] carries a fine line of..everything in light and heavy work from the most substantial farm truck to the lightest finished roadster. 1901Dialect Notes II. 146, I went to a farmer near and hired a young horse and a roadster.
d. orig. U.S. A type of motor car, esp. an open two-seater. Also attrib.
1908Sci. Amer. 8 Feb. 104 Cadillac... Model G—Roadster, $2000. 1922H. Titus Timber xxix. 255 Rowe stood..a long interval,..watching her roadster disappear into the jack pines. 1928F. N. Hart Bellamy Trial ii. 30 We drove out from New York in my roadster. 1938G. Greene Brighton Rock vi. ii. 249 Where did you bring a swell blonde to if not the Cosmopolitan,..driving over the down in a scarlet roadster. 1948W. Sansom South 122 Round the narrow corner of old grey walls nosed the chromium grill, the long bonnet, and then all the pale gleaming length of a torpedo-shaped roadster. 1962Punch 17 Oct. 560/2 Drag entries come in a profusion of classes: dragsters, modified roadsters, roadsters, [etc.]. 1973D. Lees Rape of Quiet Town ii. 33 It was lucky I left my purse in your roadster. 1977Custom Car Nov. 5/4 As for handicap racing in the Roadster and Production classes, the spectators seem to enjoy watching it.
3. a. One who is accustomed to the road; a coach-driver or traveller.
1841S. C. Hall Ireland I. 72 Old roadsters, in long heavy grey or blue frieze coats. 1849Kimball St. Leger i. vii, I..entered into conversation with Walter, the ‘whip’, a veteran roadster. 1866Daily Tel. 8 June 5/3 Old roadsters eat and drink whenever and wherever they can.
b. orig. U.S. One who has no fixed abode.
1890N. P. Langford Vigilante Days II. vi. 92 Henry Plummer was chief of the band;..Cyrus Skinner, fence, spy, and roadster. 1896Pop. Sci. Jrnl. L. 255 The roadster proper is distinguished from the tramp by having..a visible means of support. 1901Scribner's Mag. XXIX. 427/1 He..was already a confirmed roadster, with an inordinate love for tobacco. 1925G. H. Mullin Adventures Scholar Tramp iv. 56 The roadsters, or hobos who travel, are seldom without smoking or chewing tobacco. 1970Oxf. Mail 27 Apr. 1/3 When we first saw the man we thought nothing about it. Roadsters are a common sight in these parts. 1974‘J. Ross’ Burning of Billy Toober iv. 35 The body was probably that of a roadster using the shed to sleep in.
4. Hunting. One who keeps to the road.
1858Surtees Ask Mamma lxv, Taking a run he presently landed in the next field, amidst the cheers of the roadsters. 1898Wollocombe From Morn till Eve i. 6 Henry and I on looking back find..a long train of roadsters behind us. |