| 释义 |
tar-brush|ˈtɑːbrʌʃ|
a. A brush used for smearing anything with tar. knight of the tar-brush, allusively applied to a sailor: cf. tar n.1 3.
1711W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 135 Tarr Brushes—2. 1865Kingsley Herew. vi, Do any of you knights of the tar brush know whether we are going to be drowned in Christian waters?
b. fig., esp. in such derog. phrases as a dash or touch of the tar-brush, applied to someone of mixed Black (or Indian, etc.) and white origin, as shown in the colour of the skin. (In first quot. applied to a Negro.)
In quot. 1895 touched with the same tar-brush = ‘tarred with the same brush’: see tar v.1 c.
1796Grose Dict. Vulgar Tongue (ed. 3), Blue-skin,..any one having a cross of the black breed, or, as it is termed, a lick of the tar brush. 1835–40Haliburton Clockm. (1862) 179, I great opinion of you, Pompey; I make a man of you, you dam old tar brush. 1859Lang Wand. India 50 The mother must have been very fair, if she were a native, the boy is so very slightly touched with the tar-brush. 1864Trevelyan Compet. Wallah (1866) 198 Brunette! I should rather think she is! There's a strong touch of the tar-brush in that quarter. 1895Month Aug. 547 On this occasion all alike were touched with the same tar-brush. 1899C. J. C. Hyne Further Adv. Capt. Kettle viii. 189 Those snuff-and-butter coloured ladies..ignore their own lick of the tar-brush. 1928J. Buchan Runagates Club i. 18 The Du Preez family had lived..close up to the Kaffir borders, and somewhere had got a dash of the tar-brush. 1970D. M. Davin Not Here, Not Now vii. iii. 340 If he hadn't been an Irishman you'd think he had a touch of the tar-brush himself. 1975‘S. Marlowe’ Cawthorn Jrnls. (1976) xix. 163 She was beautiful... High yellow. Some places they would have said she had just a touch of the tar-brush.
So ˈtar-brusher, one who uses a tar-brush; fig. one who ‘blackens’ a reputation, a defamer.
1884Pall Mall G. 5 June 5/1 Mr. Brewer was neither a whitewasher nor a tar-brusher: he had very few fads. |