| 释义 |
shoestring
I. \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\ noun
Etymology: shoe (I) + string
1. : shoelace
2. [so called from shoestrings' being a typical item sold by itinerant vendors] : a small sum of money : capital inadequate or barely adequate to the needs of a transaction
< many eminently successful men started business on a shoestring — J.R.Sprague >
3.
a. : trumpet creeper
b. : the long slender tough root of a leadplant (Amorpha canescens)
4. also shoestring disease : a plant disease that is characterized by slender growth of leaves; especially : a disease of tomatoes caused by the cucumber mosaic virus
5. : shoestring fungus
II. adjective
1. : narrow and elongated as a shoestring
< shoestring tie >
2.
a. : operating on, accomplished with, or consisting of little or no capital or backing
< efforts of a shoestring producer to raise money for a theatrical venture — Henry Hewes >
< shoestring financing — H.E.Hoagland >
b. : small in conception, operation, or scope : minor, petty
< in amphibious warfare … the first landings are of a shoestring character compared with the power the enemy might assemble — W.V.Pratt > |