| 释义 |
crumbly, a. and n.|ˈkrʌmblɪ|
Forms: 6 cromely, 7 crumly, 8 crumbley, 7– crumbly.
[The 16–17th c. forms crome-ly, crum-ly, imply formation from crumb n. + -ly1; later pronunciation associates it with crumble v. and -y.]
A. adj.
†a. Crumb-like; in crumbs.
b. That crumbles easily; having a tendency to crumble; friable.
1523Fitzherb. Husb. §100 It wyll..waxe whyte, and cromely lyke a pomis. 1616Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 399 If they find not the earth of their new lodging so light and crumly. 1764Hadley in Phil. Trans. LIV. 7 The pitch..was crumbly and soft. 1860Hawthorne Marb. Faun iii, Hewn..out of a dark-red, crumbly stone.
B. n. Also crumblie. An elderly person, older than a wrinkly; loosely, any person considered to be old or senile. slang.
1976Times 31 Aug. 10/8 The girl's great-grandmother, who died recently at 102, was called ‘the crumblie’. 1980Daily Tel. 27 Aug. 11/2 Synonyms and abbreviations require translation if one is not to be left on the conversational sidelines like bewildered pre-senile ‘crumblies’. 1984S. Townsend Growing Pains A. Mole 130 At the end of the party Rick Lemon put ‘White Christmas’ by some old crumblie on the record deck and all the couples danced romantically together. |