单词 | the devil of a |
释义 | > as lemmasthe devil of a —— g. a devil of a —— (also the devil of a ——): a diabolical example or specimen of a ——; a —— of a diabolical, detestable, or intensely irritating kind. Also (esp. in later use) simply as an intensifier, emphasizing size or degree: a considerable, difficult, or remarkable ——. Cf. senses 4a, 7. [Compare Middle French, French diable de — (a1400).] ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [noun] > quality or fact of being extreme > something exceedingly great in degree the utter1584 swinger1599 a devil of a ——1604 thumper1660 whisker1668 a (also the, one) hell of a ——c1680 swapperc1700 spanker1751 whopper1785 whacker1825 whanger1825 utmost1856 howler1872 hell1931 1604 T. Middleton Blacke Bk. sig. C2v A Diuell of a very good conscience. 1675 J. Crowne Countrey Wit iv. 63 What a Devil of a Face is this? 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. xii. vii. 240 You don't know what a Devil of a Fellow he is. View more context for this quotation 1767 ‘Coriat Junior’ Another Traveller! I. 345 Running downhill at the devil of a rate. 1794 W. Scott Let. 5 Sept. (1932) I. 35 Both within & without doors it was a devil of a day. 1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto II xi. 124 A devil of a sea rolls in that Bay. 1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxvii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 92 What an outlandish, toosey-headed, wee sunbrunt deevil o' a lassie that. 1852 R. S. Surtees Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour x. liv. 313 We had a devil of a run—I don't know how many miles. 1869 A. Trollope He knew he was Right II. liv. 34 Lead him the very devil of a life. 1890 W. Besant Demoniac v. 53 There will be a devil of a fight when the time comes. 1943 H. Pearson Conan Doyle iii. 52 Devil of a temper you've got, Doyle! 2004 A. Levy Small Island ix. 117 We'll have a devil of a time getting rid of them now. < as lemmas |
随便看 |
英语词典包含1132095条英英释义在线翻译词条,基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。