| 释义 |
frost
I. \ˈfrȯst also -ä-\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English frost, forst, from Old English; akin to Old Saxon, Old High German, & Old Norse frost; derivatives from the root of English freeze
1.
a. : the process of freezing : congelation of fluids, especially water
b.
(1) : the condition or temperature of the air that causes the freezing of water : freezing weather
(2) : a frozen condition
c.
(1) : a covering of minute ice crystals on a cold surface that is formed by the condensation of atmospheric vapor at temperatures below freezing — called also hoarfrost, white frost; compare black frost
(2) : the cause of such crystallization and freezing regarded as a special agency — compare jack frost
2.
a. : coldness of deportment or temperament : an indifferent, reserved, or unfriendly manner
< our friends have … a slight frost or tartness in their speech — F.A.Swinnerton >
b. : something that meets with a cold reception : fiasco, failure
< one small meeting can be a frost and another a crashing success — R.H.Rovere >
< the trip proved to be a frost — R.L.Taylor >
< the play was … a most dreadful frost — Arnold Bennett >
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
transitive verb
1. : to roughen or sharpen (as the nailheads or calks of horseshoes) so as to prevent slipping on ice
2.
a. : to cover with or as if with frost or a surface resembling frost; especially : to put icing on (cake)
< white pleated panels frost a pastel dress — McCall's Needlework >
< a face mask … tends to produce fogging of the goggles … and to frost them over below-10° F — H.G.Armstrong >
b. : to produce on (as metal or glass) a fine-grained sparkling slightly roughened surface with a distinctive pattern
c. : to pit or etch (a rock) by wind action
3.
a. : to injure by frost : freeze
< froze to death 2000 of their birds and frosted the remaining 1000 … badly — John Bird >
b. : to freeze so as to kill (as plants) or cause to drop (as buds)
intransitive verb
1. : to become frosted : freeze
< I've had tumblers frosting all day — Eugene Walter >
< the fur parka … began to frost up — Robert Murphy >
< I have on various evenings hugged the open fire … to keep my bones from frosting — W.A.Krauss >
— often used with over
< all of the cabin windows will frost over — H.G.Armstrong >
2. : to dry with the appearance of a frosty window — used especially of varnish and oil films
III. transitive verb
: to make angry or irritated
< doesn't that just frost you when they do that? — Kent Ward > |