| 释义 |
▪ I. ‖ presto, a.1, adv.1, n.1 Music.|ˈpresto, ˈprɛstəʊ|
[It. presto quick, quickly (tempo presto quick time):—late L. præst-us, f. earlier præstō adv., at hand, ready, in med.L. prompt, quick: see prest a.]
A. adj. or adv. A direction indicating rapid performance: In quick time; fast. Also transf.
1683Purcell Sonnatas in III Parts Pref., The English Practitioner..will find a few terms of art, perhaps unusual to him, the chief of which are.. Presto. 1724Short Explic. For. Words in Mus. Bks., Presto Presto, or Piu Presto, very Fast or Quick. Ibid., Men Presto, not too Quick; or not quite So Quick. 1752Avison Mus. Expression 107 The words Andante, Presto, Allegro, &c., are differently apply'd in the different kinds of Music. 1876Stainer & Barrett Dict. Mus. T., Presto, fast. 1952A. Christie They do it with Mirrors i. 9 Everyone's life has a tempo. Ruth's was presto whereas Miss Marple's was..adagio. 1976C. Bermant Coming Home ii. vii. 215, I was an andante being in a presto setting.
B. as n. A movement or piece in quick time.
1869Athenæum 20 Nov., The final presto was a miracle of consentaneousness, the rapidity of the movement never interfering with the distribution of light and shade. 1888Mrs. H. Ward R. Elsmere 394 How the presto flew as though all the winds were behind it.
▪ II. presto, adv.2, a.2, n.2|ˈprɛstəʊ|
[a. It. presto adj. and adv., quick, quickly: the same words as prec., but the two uses are unconnected in Eng.]
A. adv. (interj.) Quickly, immediately, at once; used by conjurers and jugglers in various phrases of command, esp. Presto, be gone, Hey presto, pass, etc.; hence, = immediately, forthwith, instanter. Also interjectionally: see quots. 1821, 1892.
1598–9B. Jonson Case is Altered i. i, Presto, Go to, a word to the wise; away, fly, vanish! 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d' Alf. i. 47 Crying out Presto, bee gone,..hee flies away in the ayre. 1656Blount Glossogr., Presto.., a word used by Juglers, in their Hocus Pocus tricks. a1683Oldham Poet. Wks. (1686) 89 Hey Jingo, Sirs! What's this? 'tis Bread you see; Presto be gone! 'tis now a Deity. 1721Swift South Sea Wks. 1755 III. ii. 132 Put in your money fairly told; Presto be gone—'Tis here agen. 1821Byron Vis. Judgm. lxxviii, The moment that you had pronounced him one, Presto! his face changed, and he was another. 1858Lytton What will he do i. iii, Hey, presto,—quick, while we turn in to wash our hands. 1892E. Reeves Homeward Bound 72 You pressed a bell, the boy appeared with his lift, and, presto! you are in the street again.
B. as n. An exclamation of ‘presto!’
1622Fletcher Beggars Bush iii. i. (1647) 83, 1 B. Cloakes? looke about ye boys: mine's gone. 2 B. A ― juggle 'em! [Pox] o' their Prestoes: mine's gone too. a1677Barrow Serm. (1686) III. xvi. 185 Neither..a spirit, that will be conjured down by a charm, or with a Presto driven away.
C. adj. or attrib. At hand, in readiness; active, ready, rapid, quick, instantaneous; of the nature of a magical transformation; juggling.
1644Bulwer Chiron. 100 Upon the hearing of which watchword they were to be presto and at Hand to execute their dumbe commands. 1767S. Paterson Another Trav. I. 80 Instantaneously she betook herself to presto-prayer. 1826H. N. Coleridge West Indies (1832) 285 There is no hocus pocus.., no presto movements. 1877Paperhanger, Painter, Grainer, etc. 107 The presto system [of graining] is very useful where work is required to be done out of hand, as it may be varnished almost immediately.
Hence ˈpresto v. trans., to convey or transfer instantaneously, by or as by magic; to conjure.
1831Examiner 92/2 The man of magic must have ‘prestoed’ the watch into his own pocket. 1853Fraser's Mag. XLVII. 19 The latter, by a process of etymological conjuring..have sought to presto thunnus out of tannim. |