| 释义 |
▪ I. catching, vbl. n.|ˈkætʃɪŋ|
[f. catch v. + -ing1.]
a. The action of the verb catch, in various senses.
1297R. Glouc. (1724) 265 So muche vyss hii ssolde hym brynge, Þat ech man wondry ssal of so gret cacchynge. c1400Destr. Troy 2281 Why couet we combraunse, or cachyng of harme? 1571Golding Calvin on Ps. xxxvii. 7 Craftines and hurtfull catchinges. 1653Walton Angler ii. 48 The catching of a Trout. 1767R. Cotton in F. S. Ashley-Cooper Hambledon Cricket Chron. 1772–96 (1924) 183 Here's guarding, and catching, and throwing, and tossing. 1873Black Pr. Thule xiv. 219 A quick catching of her breath. 1904P. F. Warner Recov. Ashes viii. 160 Rhodes bowled splendidly, as did Hirst, but our catching was wretched.
b. spec. Twitching.
1744Wall in Phil. Trans. XLIII. 218, I found him delirious, with convulsive Catchings in the Tendons. 1758J. S. Le Dran's Observ. Surg. (1771) 302 Catchings and Cramps. 1771Smollett Humph. Cl. (1815) 199 Profound sleep, uninterrupted by any catching or convulsion. 1870Bennett Baby May 13 Catchings up of legs and arms.
c. attrib., as catching-hook, catching-pen, catching-season.
a1877Knight Dict. Mech., Catching-hook, a crochet-hook. A crook or animal-catching hook.
1874Hardy Madding Crowd xxii, In one angle a catching-pen was formed, in which three or four sheep were continously kept ready for the shearers to seize without loss of time. 1894A. Robertson Nuggets 4 He dashed into the catching pen, and seized the smaller of two sheep that remained. 1904H. Buckland in M. Cradock Sport in N.Z. ii. vi. 172 The ‘wool shed’ where all shearing is done has a row of pens (‘catching pens’, they are called) in it..each pen holding some twenty-five to thirty sheep. 1914H. B. Smith Sheep & Wool Ind. Australasia vi. 34 Two shearers generally have one pen to catch their sheep from. They are called catching pens.
1891Scribner's Mag. X. 470 During the planting-time [for oysters] as well as in the catching-season.
▪ II. ˈcatching, ppl. a.
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
1. gen. That catches, in various senses; see the vb.
1413Lydg. Pylgr. Sowle ii. xlv. (1859) 51 Nayles hoked, and catchyng. c1450Merlin 106 Couetouse and cacchynge. 1597J. King Jonas (1618) 473 Busie and catching natures. 1684T. Burnet Th. Earth II. 66 Still more catching and more combustible. 1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life vi. (1826) 35 A charming morsel of the picturesque..delicious catching lights on the principal objects.
2. spec. Of diseases: Liable to be communicated from one person to another, infectious. Also fig.
1590Shakes. Mids. N. i. i. 186 Sicknesse is catching. 1662Fuller Worthies, Warwicksh., Bad Latin was a catching disease in that age. 1713Steele Guardian No. 24 ⁋25 The virtues of men are catching as well as their vices. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. iii. vi. iii. (L.) The assassin mood proves catching. 1885Law Times LXXIX. 161/2 The mare was suffering from no catching disease.
3. In an uncertain or precarious state.
c1611Chapman Iliad xxi, Fields that haue been long time cloide With catching weather. a1670Hacket Abp. Williams i. (1692) 114 Peace between the two kingdoms was but in a doubtful and catching condition. 1768–74Tucker Lt. Nat. (1852) II. 93 When..frequent showers double his charges, his labour, his care..in a catching harvest. 1832Miss Mitford Village Ser. v. (1863) 473 The weather..was, on the contrary, of that description which is termed ‘catching’. 1876Rep. Vermont Board Agric. III. 481 The ‘catching’ rains of harvest time..will always fetch a lugubrious wail from any farmer.
4. fig. Entrapping; deceptive, ‘catchy’.
1603Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 175 What to answer him vnto this his catching question. 1658–9Burton's Diary (1828) III. 334 This is an exceeding catching question. 1880Macalpin Money-lenders 289 Catching bargains with ‘expectant heirs’ are set aside.
5. That catches the eye, the fancy, etc.; attractive, captivating, ‘taking’.
1654Burton's Diary (1828) I. Introd. 26 These words were extremely catching to the generality of the House. 1816Keatinge Trav. II. 126 The objects most catching to the eye of the navigator.
Hence ˈcatchingness, catching quality.
1655Fuller Hist. Camb. 37 Carelesness of coals and candles, catchingness of Papers. 1884Spectator No. 2903. 221 The irresistible catchingness of Gay's ballads. |