unwatchableadj.

Brit.

/(ˌ)ʌnˈwɒtʃəbl/, U.S.

/ˌənˈwɑtʃəbəl/,

/ˌənˈwɔtʃəbəl/

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: un- prefix¹, watchable adj.

Etymology: < un- prefix¹ + watchable adj.

†1. Of an area of land, boundary, etc.: impossible to monitor or guard, esp. because of its vastness or extensiveness. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1863 Economist 3 Jan. 2/2 We pass over the probability of escape, which the visits of whalers in both cases, and the surrounding and unwatchable territory in the case of the Northern settlement, would offer to the convicts at large.

1886 American (Philadelphia) 3 July 164/2 The peculiar character of railroad property, as spread over an unmanageable and unwatchable area, makes it especially incapable of defence when the corporation comes into collision with its work-people.

1890 Spectator 20 Sept. 362/2 It is..quite another matter to prevent them [sc. the Chinese] oozing across the unsurveyed and unwatchable boundary-line of Russia's south-eastern possessions.

a. Esp. of a film, television programme, etc.: too poor, tedious, or disturbing to be watched; not worth watching.Now the main sense.

ΚΠ

1959 Monthly Film Bull. Jan. 5/1 Largely routine, but by no means an unwatchable supporting Western.

1965 Listener 2 Dec. 908/3 The first programme of the series was made almost unwatchable by the process of miming.

1988 A. Gould Great Wiped out North 70 Author of the very readable Deptford Trilogy, in addition to very unwatchable theatre pieces.

1991 W. Sheed Baseball & Lesser Sports 226 Without the forward pass, American football would be virtually unwatchable.

2004 J. Fellowes Snobs (2005) i. 20 I was cast in one of those unwatchable American mini-series.

b. Of a television set, channel, etc.: producing an image of such poor quality that it is unfit to watch. Later also of a copy of a film, television programme, etc.: unfit for watching as a result of poor image, audio, or broadcast quality.

ΚΠ

1960 Washington Post 25 Dec. Color television is virtually unwatchable during a storm.

1962 Furrow 13 107 On my screen dim figures and cavernous sets were the order of the day and snowstorms an occurrence of painful frequency. But since 31 December BBC and UTV have been unwatched and unwatchable.

1984 Sci. Digest Mar. 34/1 The Federal Communications Commission..estimates that nearly 1 million homes are affected by squawking stereos and unwatchable TVs.

1994 Which? May 31/2 All [the videos] were poor quality and one was unwatchable, despite costing £6.

2003 M. Simkins What's my Motivation? iii. 285 My agent eventually tracked down a film editor in Hamburg who'd managed to get hold of a bootlegged copy—it's the only one in the country, and the quality is so grainy as to render it virtually unwatchable.

Derivatives

In sense 2.

unwatchaˈbility n.

ΚΠ

1969 Guardian 2 Aug. 8/4 Sir Neville Cardus's onslaught on the unwatchability of current Test cricket was brilliantly amusing.

1975 Cineaste 5 56 Somehow, somewhere, Godard has lost his credibility, his right to make such pronouncements given the utter unwatchability and unpleasant political didacticism of his recent films.

2003 Pop. Sci. 1 Dec. 58 Simply shrinking the depth of a typical rear-projection TV would distort the picture to the point of unwatchability.

unˈwatchably adv.

ΚΠ

1968 Guardian 18 Sept. 6/4 Other ITV regions..are going to put Frost on at an unwatchably late hour or drop him altogether.

1977 Observer 16 Jan. 20/4 An overblown tribute to the famous astronomer, unwatchably eked out by dramatised episodes from his novels.

1994 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 6 Feb. (Business on Sunday section) 20 I switched the cable TV in my room to the local NBC station. The reception was unwatchably fuzzy.

2003 Total DVD Dec. 58/4 This film is just unwatchably bad.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	unwatchable
释义	unwatchableadj. Brit. /(ˌ)ʌnˈwɒtʃəbl/, U.S. /ˌənˈwɑtʃəbəl/, /ˌənˈwɔtʃəbəl/ Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: un- prefix¹, watchable adj. Etymology: < un- prefix¹ + watchable adj. †1. Of an area of land, boundary, etc.: impossible to monitor or guard, esp. because of its vastness or extensiveness. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1863 Economist 3 Jan. 2/2 We pass over the probability of escape, which the visits of whalers in both cases, and the surrounding and unwatchable territory in the case of the Northern settlement, would offer to the convicts at large. 1886 American (Philadelphia) 3 July 164/2 The peculiar character of railroad property, as spread over an unmanageable and unwatchable area, makes it especially incapable of defence when the corporation comes into collision with its work-people. 1890 Spectator 20 Sept. 362/2 It is..quite another matter to prevent them [sc. the Chinese] oozing across the unsurveyed and unwatchable boundary-line of Russia's south-eastern possessions. 2. a. Esp. of a film, television programme, etc.: too poor, tedious, or disturbing to be watched; not worth watching.Now the main sense. ΚΠ 1959 Monthly Film Bull. Jan. 5/1 Largely routine, but by no means an unwatchable supporting Western. 1965 Listener 2 Dec. 908/3 The first programme of the series was made almost unwatchable by the process of miming. 1988 A. Gould Great Wiped out North 70 Author of the very readable Deptford Trilogy, in addition to very unwatchable theatre pieces. 1991 W. Sheed Baseball & Lesser Sports 226 Without the forward pass, American football would be virtually unwatchable. 2004 J. Fellowes Snobs (2005) i. 20 I was cast in one of those unwatchable American mini-series. b. Of a television set, channel, etc.: producing an image of such poor quality that it is unfit to watch. Later also of a copy of a film, television programme, etc.: unfit for watching as a result of poor image, audio, or broadcast quality. ΚΠ 1960 Washington Post 25 Dec. Color television is virtually unwatchable during a storm. 1962 Furrow 13 107 On my screen dim figures and cavernous sets were the order of the day and snowstorms an occurrence of painful frequency. But since 31 December BBC and UTV have been unwatched and unwatchable. 1984 Sci. Digest Mar. 34/1 The Federal Communications Commission..estimates that nearly 1 million homes are affected by squawking stereos and unwatchable TVs. 1994 Which? May 31/2 All [the videos] were poor quality and one was unwatchable, despite costing £6. 2003 M. Simkins What's my Motivation? iii. 285 My agent eventually tracked down a film editor in Hamburg who'd managed to get hold of a bootlegged copy—it's the only one in the country, and the quality is so grainy as to render it virtually unwatchable. Derivatives In sense 2. unwatchaˈbility n. ΚΠ 1969 Guardian 2 Aug. 8/4 Sir Neville Cardus's onslaught on the unwatchability of current Test cricket was brilliantly amusing. 1975 Cineaste 5 56 Somehow, somewhere, Godard has lost his credibility, his right to make such pronouncements given the utter unwatchability and unpleasant political didacticism of his recent films. 2003 Pop. Sci. 1 Dec. 58 Simply shrinking the depth of a typical rear-projection TV would distort the picture to the point of unwatchability. unˈwatchably adv. ΚΠ 1968 Guardian 18 Sept. 6/4 Other ITV regions..are going to put Frost on at an unwatchably late hour or drop him altogether. 1977 Observer 16 Jan. 20/4 An overblown tribute to the famous astronomer, unwatchably eked out by dramatised episodes from his novels. 1994 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 6 Feb. (Business on Sunday section) 20 I switched the cable TV in my room to the local NBC station. The reception was unwatchably fuzzy. 2003 Total DVD Dec. 58/4 This film is just unwatchably bad. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.1863
随便看	pulque pulque alcohol pulque brandy pulque drinker pulque shop pulque vat pulqueria pulques puls pulsant pulsar pulsars pulsatance pulsatances pulsate pulsated pulsates pulsatile pulsatility pulsatilla quakeooze quakeprone quakeproof quakeproofed quakeproofing