释义 |
▪ I. drudge, n.|drʌdʒ| Also 6 drugge, drug. [The derivation of this and the associated vb. is obscure: the n. is known c 1500, the vb. about 50 years later. As a rarer form of both, drugge, drug is also found 1550–1650. The forms and sense would both be satisfied by an OE. n. *drycᵹea ‘labourer’, from *dryᵹe:—*drugi-z ‘labour’, from u-grade drug- of dréoᵹan to work, etc. (dree v.), (cf. lyre, scyte, from léosan, scéotan, etc.); or by an OE. vb. *drycᵹean, W.Ger. *druggjan:—*drugjan, from same vb.; but of these no actual trace has been found either in OE. or ME.] One employed in mean, servile, or distasteful work; a slave, a hack; a hard toiler.
1494Fabyan Chron. vii. 497 Many they held as drudges and captyues. 1530Palsgr. 215/2 Drudge, a woman servaunt, druge, meschine. 1579–80North Plutarch (1676) 791 Getting their living as drudges and slaves, to do most vile Service. 1691Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 705 He was the common drudge of the University..to make, correct, or review the Latine Sermons..before they were to be delivered. 1755Johnson, Lexicographer, a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words. 1771Smollett Humph. Cl. (1815) 51, I was not born to be the household drudge. 1859Holland Gold F. xxvi. 326 The Pastor..is required to be the hardest drudge in his parish. β1552Huloet, Drudge, or drugge, or vile seruant in a house, whych doth all the vyle seruice. 1592Greene Disput. 31 At these wise words spoken by so base a drug as his mayd. [Cf.1607Shakes. Timon iv. iii. 254.] fig.1573Tusser Husb. vi. (1878) 15, I [Husbandry] seeme but a drudge, yet..To such as can vse me, great wealth I do bring. 1632Lithgow Trav. ii. 73 Destiny is no mans drudge. 1871Morley Voltaire (1886) 13 Discrowning sovereign reason to be the serving drudge of superstition. b. attrib. and Comb.
1742Jarvis Quix. i. i. (1885) 41 Rozinante. Note, From Rosin, a common drudge-horse, and ante, before. 1840Mill Diss. & Disc. (1875) I. 465 The..drudge-like aversion to change. Hence (nonce-wds.) ˈdrudgical a., belonging to a drudge; ˈdrudgism, the practice of a drudge.
1831Carlyle Sart. Res. iii. x, Dandiacal Self-worship or Demon-worship, and Poor-Slavish or Drudgical Earth-worship, or whatever that same Drudgism may be. ▪ II. drudge, v.|drʌdʒ| Also 6–7 drugge, drug. [app. f. prec. n. But cf. Norw. drugga to go laboriously, bent over and with bending knees, as under a heavy burden. (Ross.) Both drudge and drug v.1, were in early times spelt drugge: so that there are cases in which it is difficult to be certain which word is meant. It is esp. so with the two ME. instances (a 1240 and c 1386) which are left provisionally under drug v.1, but of which one or both may possibly belong here.] 1. intr. To perform mean or servile tasks; to work hard or slavishly; to toil at laborious and distasteful work.
1548[see drudging ppl. a.]. 1555W. Watreman Fardle Facions App. 343 The labouryng manne that toileth and drudgeth with his body. 1604R. Cawdrey Table Alph. (1613), Drudge, toyle. 1654Whitlock Zootomia 188 The World is but his Slave..to drudge to his Necessity. 1791Boswell Johnson an. 1753 (1831) I. 215 While her husband was drudging in the smoke of London. 1868M. Pattison Academ. Org. v. 234 College-tutors do indeed work; they drudge. 2. trans. To subject to drudgery. rare.
1847Bushnell Chr. Nurt. ii. vi. (1861) 349 He will even drudge himself to serve it. 1847R. W. Hamilton Disq. Sabbath v. (1848) 163 A hardness of heart which cares not how his brother-man is drudged. 3. drudge out, to perform as drudgery; drudge away, drudge over, to pass in drudgery; drudge down, to repress with drudgery.
1645Milton Tetrach. (1851) 254 The end of the commandment is charity..not the drudging out a poore and worthlesse duty forc't from us. 1682Otway Venice Preserved ii. (1735) 37 Rise to our toils and drudge away the day. a1735Granville (J.), What is an age, in dull renown drudg'd o'er? 1862Athenæum 30 Aug. 282 Rouse the independent faculties of the student's mind,—not, as now, mechanically drudge them down. Hence drudged ppl. a., set to laborious or servile tasks; ˈdrudging vbl. n., drudgery; also ˈdrudger, one who drudges; † ˈdrudge-pudding, a kitchen drudge.
1612–15Bp. Hall Contempl., N.T. iv. i, Life..spent in a continual drudging for edification. 1710Brit. Apollo II. No. 105. 3/2 Condemn'd to Drudging. 1737Ozell Rabelais II. 225 A Kitchen-slave, a Drudge-pudding. 1755Johnson, Drudger, a mean labourer. 1851D. Jerrold St. Giles xx. 210 The drudged horse stood meek and passive in the field. 1885Mabel Collins Pre-Hist. Woman ix, A mere drudger for daily bread. ▪ III. drudge, drudger obs. ff. dredge, dredger. |