| 释义 |
▪ I. tailspin, n.|ˈteɪlspɪn|
Also tail spin, tail-spin.
[Cf. spin n.1]
a. Aeronaut. A downward movement of an aircraft in which the tail describes a spiral.
1917V. W. Page Gloss. Aviation Terms 23 Tail spin. 1919in C. A. Smith New Words Self-Defined 201, I remember when I thought it was time to try a vrille or tail-spin. 1926Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 17 Jan. 2/5 Collison's airplane went into a tail spin when his motor failed to work. 1953C. A. Lindbergh Spirit of St. Louis ii. vi. 263 He'd tried to land out of a tailspin—that was asking for a crash.
b. fig. A state of chaos, panic, or loss of control.
1928R. E. Byrd Let. 24 July in K. W. Rendell Autograph Catal. No. 34 (Kingston Galleries) (1968) 2, I am pretty much in a tail spin which I don't expect to get out of before the main part of the expedition leaves. 1929Times 2 Nov. 12/6 The cyclic tailspin which has occurred in the 11th year of each of the four great previous periods of commercial prosperity. 1935Wodehouse Luck of Bodkins xv. 183 A dashed shame, he considered, that things had gone into a tail spin for him like that. 1954A. Huxley Let. 5 Dec. (1969) 717 A child stoked with fats will find it hard, because of adrenalin, to digest and will probably go into a bad psychological tailspin in consequence. 1967E. S. Gardner Case of Queenly Contestant vii. 84 [He] went into a tailspin. He was afraid of the responsibility. He was afraid his father would find out. a1974R. Crossman Diaries (1977) III. 867 After my denial of the story that appeared in his Manchester lecture, the poor man came along in a terrible tail-spin to see me. 1982Daily Tel. 16 June 19 The Argentine economy was already in a tail-spin before the Falklands invasion.
▪ II. ˈtailspin, v.
Also tail-spin.
[f. the n.]
intr. To perform or go into a tailspin.
1927[see barrel roll s.v. barrel n. 11]. 1936F. Clune Roaming round Darling xvii. 167 We slithered in the mud, barrel-rolled, tail-spinned, sank to our hocks, and became part of the everlasting scenery. 1972M. J. Bosse Incident at Naha iv. 204, I had never seen Virgil so moved or so bitter. It was unlike him to tailspin into such a downer. 1973Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 21 June 1/5 The red and white air craft was about 400 feet in the air a mile from the airport when it suddenly went into a nose dive, then tailspun to the pavement. |