| 释义 |
clinging vine
clinging vine n informal US and Canadian a woman who displays excessive emotional dependence on a man cling′ing vine′
n. a person who behaves in a helpless and dependent manner in relationships with others. [1960–65, Amer.] Translationsclinging vine
clinging vineA person, typically a woman, whose relationship with someone or others is characterized by emotional overdependence and/or helplessness. I was at first attracted to her intrepid sense of adventure, but when we began dating, it became obvious she was a bit of a clinging vine emotionally.See also: cling, vineclinging vineAn overly dependent person, as in A clinging vine since her marriage, she's never made a decision on her own. Nearly always applied to a woman (or wife), this metaphor for a climbing plant today criticizes dependency rather than, as in former times, praising the vine's fruitfulness. See also: cling, vineclinging vineAn extremely dependent person. Today this term is mildly pejorative—such a person is not considered particularly admirable—but earlier uses of this figure of speech carry no such criticism. Indeed, the vine in question, nearly always a woman or wife, was also praised for potential or actual fruitfulness (i.e., childbearing ability). “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house,” says the Book of Psalms (128:3). See also: cling, vine |