| 释义 |
▪ I. darn, v.1|dɑːn|
Forms 7–8 dern, dearn, 7– darn; 9 Sc. dern.
[Derivation unknown.
The verb appears about 1600, and becomes at once quite common: it may be that this particular way of repairing a hole or rent was then introduced. The form suggests relationship to dern (later darn) secret, hidden, and its verb dern, darn to conceal, put out of sight; but satisfactory connecting links between the two have not yet been found. On the other hand the Celtic derivation suggested by Wedgwood is absolutely inadmissible. Welsh darn ‘piece, fragment’ has no association with darning or mending in any way, and the sense ‘patch’ given by Owen Pughe is correct only in the sense that a ‘piece’ may be used to patch. The Welsh darnio hosan would mean ‘to cut a stocking to pieces’ (with a knife); ‘to darn a stocking’ is creithio hosan. (D. Silvan Evans, and Prof. Rhŷs.)]
1. a. trans. To mend (clothes, etc., esp. stockings) by filling-in a hole or rent with yarn or thread interwoven so as to form a kind of texture. (This is done with a darning-needle.)
c1600Q. Eliz. Househ. Bk. in Househ. Ord. (1790) 294 The Serjant hath for his fee, all the coverpannes, drinking towells, and other linen clothe..that are darned. 1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 783 (R.) For spinning, weaving, derning and drawing up a rent. 1611Cotgr., Rentraire..to draw, dearne, or sow vp a rent in a garment. 1697Lond. Gaz. No. 3303/4 Breeches darned with Worsted at the Knees. 1710Steele Tatler No. 245 ⁋2 Four Pair of Silk-Stockings curiously derned. 1836Mrs. Carlyle Lett. I. 63 The holes in the stair-carpet all darned. 1881Besant & Rice Chapl. of Fleet ii. iii. (1883) 135 His grey stockings were darned with blue worsted.
absol.1720Gay Poems (1745) I. 233, I can sow plain⁓work, I can darn and stitch. 1875Plain Needlework 18 The machine is not yet invented which can patch or darn.
fig.1641Milton Ch. Govt. vi. (1851) 128 To dearn up the rents of schisme by calling a councell.
b. To thread one's way in and out between obstacles.
1890Blackw. Mag. No. 897. 9/1 Lithe bodies..darning themselves out and in of the many-coloured seething crowd.
c. transf. To mend (a hole in a wall, road, etc.) by filling-in.
1801W. Beattie Entertaining & Instruct. Tales (1813) i. 30 He staps wi' strae ilk navus bore, An' ilka crevice darns. 1850‘H. Hieover’ Pract. Horsemanship 146 There is a mode of keeping our present roads in order, that I have heard termed ‘darning’ them: i.e. if a part is seen somewhat lower than the surface, the unbroken pieces of granite are got up to it, and there left to be crushed by the wheels of carriages.
2. To ornament or embroider with darning-stitch.
1882[see s.v. darning vbl. n. 3]. 1900Day & Buckle Art in Needlework 108 The flower stalk is defined by darning the first row in a darker colour. Ibid., The background is darned diaper fashion.
▪ II. darn, v.2
Perversion of damn, in profane use. (Chiefly U.S.)
1781Pennsylvania Jrnl. 20 June, In New England prophane swearing..is so far from polite as to be criminal, and many..use..substitutions such as darn it, for d—n it. 1809A. B. Lindsley Love & Friendship 8 Darn my skin 'f you wouldn't dewe it. 1825J. K. Faulding J. Bull in Amer. iii. 36 If I don't have him before the justice, darn my soul. 1837–40Haliburton Clockm. (1872) 92 Darn it all, it fairly makes my dander rise. 1861H. Kingsley Ravenshoe vi. (D.), My boy..was lost in a typhoon in the China sea; darn they lousy typhoons! 1922S. Lewis Babbitt v. 51 Darn it, I thought you'd quit this darn smoking! Ibid. viii. 119 Every small American town is trying to get population and modern ideals. And darn if a lot of 'em don't put it across! 1968Globe & Mail Mag. (Toronto) 17 Feb. 9/3 ‘Play, darn it!’ he shouted to the open-mouthed pianist.
▪ III. darn, n.1
[f. darn v.1]
The act or result of darning; a hole or rent mended by darning.
1720Lond. Gaz. No. 5868/9, 1..Muslin Apron, with a large Darn in the Bottom. 1851Beck's Florist 40 Then she'd..wash my linen, or put a patch here and a darn there. 1879I. L. Bird Rocky Mount. I. 245 One pair of stockings, such a mass of darns that hardly a trace of the original wool remains.
▪ IV. darn, n.2 slang (orig. U.S.).
[Cf. darn adv. and a.]
by darn, used as a form of asseveration. Also not to care (or give) a darn, not to care at all.
1840C. F. Hoffman Greyslaer II. iv. 206 But, by darn, the capting's cleared out without speaking to one..but ourselves. 1850W. K. Northall Life & Recoll. Yankee Hill 119 You may put down all our family... I don't care a darn. 1854M. J. Holmes Tempest & Sunshine xxiv. 330, I don't care a darn how many Miss Betsy's I git. 1891M. E. Ryan Told in Hills 92, I don't care a darn about the sheep just now. 1920Galsworthy Foundations 1, Anne. Which do you like to be called—John or James? James. I don't give a darn. 1957I. Cross God Boy (1958) i. 8, I would love shooting and kicking out at my enemies, not giving a darn what they try to do to me.
▪ V. darn, adv. and a. slang (orig. U.S.).
[Arbitrary perversion of damn a. and adv.]
A. adv. Extremely, intensely.
1789Webster Diss. Eng. Lang. 385 The word (dern) is in common use in New England and pronounced darn. It has not, however, the sense it had formerly; it is now used as an adverb to qualify an adjective, as darn sweet; denoting a great degree of the quality. 1797D. Mackintosh Rational Ess. Eng. Gram. 82 We say, dea′rn or da′rn, heark′en, heart′, hearth′. 1869Barnum Struggles & Triumphs (1871) 146 Darn glad to see you, by hokey; I came down here to have lots of fun. 1892Century Mag. June 264 It was a darn good churn too. 1922S. Lewis Babbitt ii. 18 You're so darn scared of the car that you drive up-hill with the emergency brake on! Ibid. v. 64 You're pretty darn near talking socialism! 1969New Yorker 12 Apr. 62/3 We want to make darn sure we get there and back.
B. adj. ‘Blessed’, ‘confounded’. Also absol.
1840C. F. Hoffman Greyslaer III. iv. 141 ‘Jim, you've done the darn thing agin us to-night, and no mistake’ said one. 1899S. Hale Lett. (1919) 348 You know they are all here improving their minds, learning some darn thing or other. 1904H. R. Martin Tillie 40 To fill out blanks answerin' to a lot of darn-fool questions 'bout one thing and 'nother. 1924A. J. Small Frozen Gold iii. 87 I'm doing my darnest to drive you out of Cedar Falls. 1929Melody Maker Jan. 15/1, I know a darn' sight more about the makings of a piano than I did a month ago.
▪ VI. darn
var. of dern a. and v. |