| 释义 |
ugly duckling
ugly ducklingn. One that is considered ugly or unpromising at first but has the potential to become beautiful or admirable in maturity.
[After The Ugly Duckling, , a story by Hans Christian Andersen.]ugly duckling n a person or thing, initially ugly or unpromising, that changes into something beautiful or admirable [an allusion to The Ugly Duckling, a story by Hans Christian Andersen]ug′ly duck′ling
n. an unattractive or unpromising child who becomes a beautiful or much-admired adult. [1880–85; after the bird in the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen] Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  ugly duckling - an ugly or unpromising child who grows into a beautiful or worthy personunusual person, anomaly - a person who is unusual |
Translationsugly duckling
ugly ducklingA person or thing once considered unattractive or unlikely to succeed that becomes beautiful or successful in time. The phrase refers to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of an ugly duckling that grows up to be a beautiful swan. The phrase can apply to physical appearance or to the level of success of something. I thought that fledgling company would dissolve in months. No one foresaw that it was just an ugly duckling and would have great success. Mary went unnoticed in high school but she's gorgeous now—a real ugly duckling!See also: duckling, uglyugly ducklingA homely or unpromising individual who grows into an attractive or talented person, as in She was the family ugly duckling but blossomed in her twenties. This term alludes to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about a cygnet hatched with ducklings that is despised for its clumsiness until it grows up into a beautiful swan. The tale was first translated into English in 1846, and the term was used figuratively by 1871. See also: duckling, uglyan ugly duckling a young person who turns out to be beautiful or talented against all expectations. The Ugly Duckling is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen in which the ‘ugly duckling’, mocked and jeered at by his peers, eventually develops into a beautiful swan.See also: duckling, uglyan ˌugly ˈduckling (informal) a person or thing that at first does not seem attractive or likely to succeed but that later becomes successful or much admired: He’s got the looks of a film star now, but he was a real ugly duckling as a child.This comes from a children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen, in which a young swan is raised with ducklings. They have to stop teasing him about his ugliness when he grows into a beautiful swan.See also: duckling, uglyugly ducklingAn unattractive or unpromising child who turns into a beautiful or much admired adult. The term comes from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale in which a baby cygnet, hatched with a brood of ducklings, is despised by both mother and siblings for its clumsiness until it grows up and becomes a beautifully graceful swan. See also: duckling, uglyUgly Duckling
Ugly Ducklingscorned as unsightly, grows to be graceful swan. [Dan. Fairy Tale: Andersen’s Fairy Tales]See: Beauty
Ugly Ducklingugly outcast until fully grown. [Fairy Tale: Misc.]See: UglinessAcronymsSeeUDugly duckling
Words related to ugly ducklingnoun an ugly or unpromising child who grows into a beautiful or worthy personRelated Words |