| 释义 |
▪ I. def
obs. f. deaf.
▪ II. def, a. slang (orig. U.S., esp. in African-American usage).
Brit. |dɛf|, U.S. |dɛf|
Forms: 19– def, 19– def', 19– deaf[irreg.]
[Probably alteration of death n., originating in the non-standard Jamaican English pronunciation and spelling def, and the use of the word (in both forms) as a general intensifier (see quot. 1907). Compare death adj.2
The form in quot. 1979 is often interpreted as being a use of An alternative derivation ‹definite adj. or definitive adj. seems less likely, but see the form def' in quot. 1982.]
Excellent, outstanding; fashionable, ‘cool’.
[1907W. Jekyll Jamaican Song & Story lxviii. 171 ‘I never do him one def ting,’ a single thing. ‘Def’ is emphatic, but is not a ‘swear-word’.] [1979G. O'Brien et al. Rapper's Delight (song, perf. ‘Sugarhill Gang’) Someone get a fly girl, gonna get some spank and drive off in a death O.J.] 1981W. Safire in N.Y. Times Mag. 18 Jan. 6/3 Deaf[sic]—a mispronunciation of ‘death’—is the current superlative. (In topsyturvytalk, death is the liveliest and baad-baaader-baaadest is the equivalent of ‘good-better-best’.) 1982in S. Hager Hip Hop (1984) 89 A sureshot party presentation... Thurs. January 21... ‘Aanother def' bet’. 1986Village Voice (N.Y.) 4 Nov. 24/2 ‘It's Yours’—T LA Rock and Jazzy Jay (Partytime, 1984) Here's the first def jam that made the others possible. 1992Buffalo (N.Y.) News 23 Aug. g1/2 No self-respecting teen-ager in Buffalo who wants to be def listens to the bubble-gum music on classic hits radio. 1996V. Walters Rude Girls xiii. 277 Yeah, that's a def idea. 1999Y (S. Afr.) June 75/2 Premier's ‘New York State Of Mind Pt II’ is def, the bombest joint. |