| 释义 |
squareness|ˈskwɛənɪs|
[f. square a.]
1. The quality of being square in form.
c1400Mandeville (1839) xiv. 159 The Dyamand, be vertu of God, takethe squarenesse. 1474Caxton Chesse iv. i. (1883) 158 The seconde is wherfore the bordeur aboute is hyher than the squarenes of the poyntes. 1530Palsgr. 201/1 Brede or squarenesse, croisure. 1590J. Stockwood Rules Constr. 48 The depth, length, thicknes, squarenes, roundnes of a thing. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 433 They made a thing being foure square, and in height and squarenesse of a chaire. 1690Locke Hum. Und. ii. xxi. §14 Liberty being as little applicable to the will, as swiftness of motion is to sleep, or squareness to vertue. 1768–74Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) I. 278 When the wax is new moulded, the squareness it had is totally lost. 1818Art Bookbinding 14 The beauty and squareness of the book greatly depend on having it well backed. 1855Poultry Chron. II. 410 We should like to see amateurs..address great attention to compact squareness of form and shortness of leg. 1897Chr. Herald (N. York) 15 Dec. 970/2 The shoulders had the awful squareness of a skeleton.
transf.1873H. C. Banister Music 175 Such devices serve to avert squareness, or tameness, especially in the development of musical ideas. 1885Mag. Art Sept. 467 The determined character and consistent squareness of the touch.
2. Conformity to good principles.
1642Quarles Observ. Princes & St. lxiv, Let Princes be very carefull in the Choyce of their Counsellors, choosing..by the Squarenesse of their actions. 1780Burke Corr. (1844) II. 356, I hope you will..bring the squareness, the manliness, and the decision of a judicial place into the house of parliament. 1817Keats Lett. Wks. 1889 III. 69, I am sure you are confident of my responsibility, and in the sense of squareness that is always in me.
3. a. Rectangular position in relation to some line or object.
1796Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 11 On this squareness of man and horse both dressing and movement must essentially depend. 1802James Milit. Dict. s.v. March, Regularity of step, squareness of body, and precision of movement. 1847Infantry Man. (1854) 3 The equal squareness of the shoulders and body to the front is the first..principle of the position of a soldier. 1875Carpentry & Join. 44 Plane this level, and then test its squareness to the first.
b. Assoc. Football, etc. Of a defence: the condition of being square. (square a. 6 d) and lacking in depth.
1978Guardian Weekly 19 Nov. 23/5 Taking full advantage of Manchester United's inadequacy in the air and punishing the squareness of their defence on the ground.
4. Conventionality, dullness. Cf. square a. 9 d.
1961John o' London's 16 Nov. 548/2 Where Squareness is the ultimate low, anything can get by if it proclaims itself Hip loudly enough. 1972M. J. Bosse Incident at Naha ii. 119, I was beginning to care about our Bostonian, even though he was capable of, like, ultimate squareness. 1977P. Ustinov Dear Me xiii. 173 It is out of fear of what is known as squareness that we rarely say what we really think or feel. |