单词 | showpiece |
释义 | showpiecen.adj. A. n. 1. a. A thing which or person who is displayed or exhibited. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > exposure to public view > an exhibition > [noun] > exhibit show1587 showpiece1802 flower-show1845 rose show1852 exhibit1862 1802 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) II. 883 A great Town in a Confectioner's shop, on Twelfth cake Day, or a huge Show piece at a distance. 1844 tr. ‘C. Sealsfield’ Rambleton iii. v. 166/1 Gold pins, chains, diamonds, and show-pieces of that sort are advantageous where the toilet is doubtful. 1896 Quiver 109/2 I am sure you would not like to make a show-piece of yourself. 1928 W. de la Mare Come Hither (new ed.) 773 The sampler..the show-pieces on canvas or linen of a little girl (aged six or upwards) to prove her skill and diligence with the needle. 1941 E. Blunden Thomas Hardy iv. 84 The poet John Clare..had become a sort of show-piece in a lunatic asylum. 1964 E. R. Wolf Anthropol. iii. 68 A new archaeology, freeing itself from..the collector's madness of obtaining show pieces. 2002 N.Y. Times 11 Aug. ii. 26/1 After years as little more than a showpiece at electronics trade conventions, high-definition television is finally becoming practical. b. The best or most attractive item on display. In extended use: the best or most impressive feature or aspect of something; (also) something regarded as a prime example or specimen of its type. ΚΠ 1823 New Monthly Mag. 8 377 This room also contains the grand show-piece of the place, in the shape of an enormous ebony cabinet. 1849 Monthly Relig. Mag. Nov. 519 The Institution Building..was a show-piece of every thing characteristic in its own style of architecture. 1903 M. F. Mansfield Cathedrals Northern France (1904) vi. x. 332 A Renaissance tomb of the sixteenth century..is locally considered the ‘show-piece’ of the church. 1958 Amer. Motorcyclist Sept. 14/2 A massive field meet with the showpiece of the two-day event—the 50- and 100-mile road races. 1969 F. Zweig Israel (1970) iii. 149 Place first-class men in backward environments, and..they will convert backwardness into a showpiece of progress and achievement. 1994 Vegetarian Times Jan. 55 The showpiece of the brunch menu is the Soufflé Roulade: it's elegant, delicious and pretty as a picture. 2003 Guardian 18 Feb. ii. 14/2 The big new development, and the car's major showpiece, is the remote control sliding rear doors. 2. A piece of music, writing, etc., which provides the opportunity for a display of skill or technique. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [noun] > a performance > other types début1751 vehicle1785 benefit1802 showpiece1810 ticket-night1812 yatra1827 command1839 lollipopa1849 party piece1851 roadshow1874 one-night stand1878 stand1878 one-man show1879 small1886 command performance1897 ticket benefit1898 frivol1903 run-through1905 pre-production1906 riot1909 one-nighter1916 gala performance1932 improv1953 warm-up1958 workshopping1966 impro1979 1810 Edinb. Rev. Jan. 297 The author's anxiety to keep clear of figures of mere ostentation, and to exclude all show-pieces of fine writing. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs xxxi. 120 How much pleasanter than listening to Miss Wirt's show-pieces on the piano. 1885 W. H. White Mark Rutherford's Deliv. i. 17 They evidently considered the prayer merely as an elocutionary show-piece. 1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz vii. 292 Boy meets Horn, a showpiece displaying the novel style and tone he popularized. 1988 M. Charney Hamlet's Fictions iii. viii. 110 It is the greatest showpiece of all the soliloquies in the play. 2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 29 Oct. ii. 27/3 Paganini's concerto..is a virtuoso showpiece filled with ricochet bowing, double-stopped thirds and spiraling runs. B. adj. (attributive). That is a showpiece; characteristic of a showpiece; that is a fine or prime example of its type. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > showing to the sight > exposure to public view > an exhibition > [adjective] > relating to or suitable for show1573 exhibitional1882 showpiece1945 preview1954 1945 Amarillo (Texas) Sunday News-Globe 17 June 11/1 A Showpiece Album SP-1 of the music of Maurice Ravel. 1948 Life 6 Sept. 3/1 (advt.) Sedan, coupe or convertible, there's a showpiece distinction to every new Studebaker. 1978 Times 11 July 11/4 Nureyev's signature dance, the showpiece duet from The Corsair. 1987 C. Duchen tr. F. Collin in French Connections 139 The powers that be create a purely showpiece type of feminism. 1997 Hist. Workshop Jrnl. Autumn 154 The showpiece nature of the development sometimes conflicted with its charitable purpose. 2010 I. Macintosh Everything you ever wanted to know about Football 83 The FA Cup Final is the showpiece event of the football season. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < |
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