| 释义 |
▪ I. tom-tom, n.|ˈtɒmˌtɒm|
Also 8–9 tam-tam, 9 tum-tum, tong-tong.
[a. Hindūstānī or other E. Indian vernacular tam-tam: cf. Sinhalese tamaṭṭama, Malay tong-tong; all imitations of the sound of the instrument.]
1. a. A native East Indian drum; extended also to the hand-beaten drums of Asia and Africa generally.
1693in Wheeler Madras (1861) I. 268 That to-morrow morning the Choultry Justices do cause the Tom Tom to be beat through all the streets of the Black Town. 1764in J. Long Select. Rec. Govt. (Fort William) (1869) 391 (Y.) You will give strict orders to Zemindars to furnish Oil and Musshauls, and Tom Toms and Pikemen, &c., according to custom. 1782W. F. Martyn Geog. Mag. I. 249 The music is composed of small drums called tamtams. 1804Wellington in Gurw. Desp. (1837) IV. 186 Let the cause of their punishment be published in the Bazaar by beat of tom tom. c1813Mrs. Sherwood Stories Ch. Catech. iv. 20 They were almost deafened by the sound of their tum-tums and trumpets. Ibid. (Explan. Ind. words), Tum⁓tums, small drums. 1860Tristram Gt. Sahara xi. 184 The chief characteristic of the affair was the noise of drums and tomtoms. 1864Engel Mus. Anc. Nat. 63 The other class of Oriental small drums consists of those which are of a barrel-form, covered at each end with skin, carried obliquely, and beaten with one hand at each end. Such drums are best known by the name tom-tom.
b. transf. Anything beaten like a drum so as to make a loud noise. Chiefly fig.
1885Pall Mall G. 7 Apr. 1/1 Those preparations about which the journalistic tom-tom is being beaten so vigorously. 1891Scott. Leader 2 July 5 Mr. Parnell was greeted with such a vigorous beating of tom-toms that he gave up the attempt to speak.
c. A low-toned drum (without snares), used in Western music.
1934E. Little Mod. Rhythmic Drumming (rev. ed.) 26 No outfit is complete without at least one tomtom. 1977Rolling Stone 30 June 97/2 Ringo slams away on his tom⁓toms.
2. The beating of a drum; an imitation of the sound of this.
1898Alderson Mounted Infantry Mashonaland v. 90 Then ‘Tom-tom, tom-tom, tom, tom-a-tom, tom’, go the war drums; out go the fires. 1912Eng. Rev. Mar. 615 The tom-tom of the watchman could be heard.
3. attrib. and Comb.
1857Wilkinson Egypt Time of Pharaohs 28 The trumpet was chiefly confined to the military band; to which also belonged, though not exclusively, the tomtom drum, the clappers, and a few others. 1884J. Colborne Hicks Pasha 59 The band consisted of three fiddlers and a tam-tam beater. 1908Sir H. Johnston Grenfell & Congo II. xxv. 719 A drum of the tom-tom form is used.
▪ II. ˈtom-tom, v.
[Partly f. prec. n., partly directly echoic.]
a. intr. To beat a tom-tom or drum; to drum.
b. trans. To give notice of or call attention to by beating a tom-tom.
c. To perform on a tom-tom or drum; transf. to play in a monotonous way, to ‘drum’, ‘strum’. Hence ˈtom-tomming vbl. n., ˈtom-tommer.
1857S. Hislop in G. Smith Life v. (1888) 166 It had been tom-tomed in the city that all who are too poor to lay in a supply of provisions should leave. 1859R. F. Burton in Jrnl. Geog. Soc. XXIX. 414 A man tom-toming lustily upon a kettle-drum shaped like an European hourglass. 1860Tristram Gt. Sahara ix. 146 While preparing for the night we heard a loud tomtomming without. 1872‘Aliph Cheem’ Lays of Ind (1876) 6 The dancer..Keeping time to the piper's and tom-tommer's strains. 1884J. Colborne Hicks Pasha 118 My friends..trumpet, bugle, and ‘tam-tam’ all day long. 1898Barker Comic Side School Life 29 Able to tom-tom easy accompaniments on the piano.
▸ trans. fig.To force or coerce out of or into something as if by drumming. Cf. drum v. 7 8. rare.
1902Chillicothe (Missouri) Constit. 16 Dec. 6/1 The Democracy..must win back the host of small business men tom-tommed out of the party during the..panic of 1896. 1941Port Arthur (Texas) News 6 Jan. 4/5 The public has been war-danced and tom-tommed by equivocal propaganda into..considering such a bill.
▸ trans. fig. To announce or broadcast. Also: to boast or speak enthusiastically about. Also intr. with about. Now chiefly Indian English.
1932Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 19 July 4/3 Many loud-mouths of the spotlight tom-tommed only havoc to the world. 1962A. Sillitoe Key to Door xiv. 189 Mr. Jones didn't turn up to school and word was tom-tommed around that he was ill. 1996India Today 30 June 168/1 Nutritionists tom-tomming the nutritional value of corn and wheat flakes at sponsored family melas. 2004Stardust (Internat. ed.) June 118/3 She's a very grounded star and never tom toms about her success..when she has every reason to do so. |