| 释义 |
lion's share
li·on L0190400 (lī′ən)n.1. A large carnivorous feline mammal (Panthera leo) of Africa and northwest India, having a short tawny coat, a tufted tail, and, in the male, a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders.2. A mountain lion.3. a. A very brave person.b. A person regarded as fierce or savage.c. A noted person; a celebrity: a literary lion.4. Lion See Leo.Idiom: lion's share The greatest or best part.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin leō, leōn-, from Greek leōn, of Semitic origin; see lbʔ in Semitic roots.]Word History: Old French lion is the source of English lion, and the Old French word comes from Latin leō, leōnis. The Latin word is related somehow to Greek leōn, leontos (earlier *lewōn, *lewontos), which appears in the name of the Spartan king Leonidas, "Lion's son," who perished at Thermopylae. The Greek word is somehow related to Coptic labai, laboi, "lioness." In turn, Coptic labai is borrowed from a Semitic source related to Hebrew lābī' and Akkadian labbu. There is also a native ancient Egyptian word, rw (where r can stand for either r or l and vowels were not indicated), which is surely related as well. Since lions were native to Africa, Asia, and Europe in ancient times (Aristotle tells us there were lions in Macedon in his day), we have no way of ascertaining who borrowed which word from whom. li′on's share`
n. the largest part or share, esp. an unreasonably large portion. lion's share
the lion's shareThe largest part or portion of something. The lion's share of the credit must go to our development team, who have worked tirelessly to bring this product to market before the holiday season. Even though we're all talented, it's always our youngest brother who gets the lion's share of our parents' praise and attention.See also: sharelion's shareThe greater part or most of something, as in Whenever they won a doubles match, Ethel claimed the lion's share of the credit, or As usual, Uncle Bob took the lion's share of the cake. This expression alludes to Aesop's fable about a lion, who got all of a kill because its fellow hunters, an ass, fox, and wolf, were afraid to claim their share. [Late 1700s] See also: sharethe lion's share COMMON If you get the lion's share of something, you get the largest part of it. Their athletes won the lion's share of the medals. While Gladys was given the lion's share of their mother's attention, Mary and her two younger brothers enjoyed their freedom. Note: This refers to Aesop's fable `The Lion and his Fellow Hunters', in which a lion goes hunting with several other animals and takes everything that they catch for himself, instead of sharing it with them. See also: sharethe lion's share the largest part of something. 1998 Times Rich countries generally seize the lion's share of trade. See also: sharethe ˈlion’s share (of something) (British English) the largest part of something that is being shared: The lion’s share of the awards have gone to American stars again.This idiom comes from one of Aesop’s fables. The lion is helped by other animals to kill a stag, but then refuses to share it with them.See also: share lion's share The greatest or best part.See also: sharelion's share, theThe greater part of something. This term comes from one of Aesop’s fables, in which the lion got not just the largest part of the kill acquired in hunting with an ass, fox, and wolf, but all of it, since the others were afraid to claim their share.EncyclopediaSeelion |