释义 |
▪ I. fright, n.|fraɪt| Forms: 1 fyrhto, -u (Northumb. fryhto, fyrihto), 3–4 friȝt, 5 fryȝt, frey(h)t(e, -th, 7– fright. [OE. fryhto, a metathetic form (recorded only in Northumb.) of fyrhto, -u = Goth. faurhtei:—OTeut. *furhtîn- wk. fem., noun of state or quality from *furhto-, forhto- adj., afraid (Goth. faurhts, OS. foroht, for(a)ht, OHG. foraht, OE. forht). The other WGer. langs. have a synonymous derivative of the same root; OFris. fruchta, OS. for(a)hta (MDu. vrucht(e, vrocht), OHG. for(a)hta (MHG. vorhte, mod.Ger. furcht):—OTeut. *(furhtâ, -ôn-) forhtâ, -ôn- str. and wk. fem.] 1. †a. In OE.: Fear in general (obs.). b. In ME. and in mod. use: Sudden fear, violent terror, alarm. An instance of this. Phr. to take fright.
c825Vesp. Hymns xii. 13 Ðylæs fiondes ðes efestgan facne fyrhtu stille awecce. c1000Ags. Ps. liv. 20 [lv. 19] Ne him Godes fyrhtu ᵹeorne ondrædað. c1250Gen. & Ex. 1234 His moder wurð neȝ dead for friȝt. c1325Body & Soul in Map's Poems (Camd.) 338 Ne thorte us have friȝt ne fer, that God ne wolde his blisse us sent. c1425Seven Sag. (P.) 948 Tho the knave hadde a fryȝt. c1440Promp. Parv. 177/2 Freyhte, or feer..timor, pavor, terror. 1604Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 232 Least by his clamour..The Towne might fall in fright. 1609Holland Amm. Marcell. xxix. xii. 369 The Mazices..thus beaten down in sundry slaughters, in a foule fright, brake their arraies. 1654Sir E. Nicholas in N. Papers (Camden) II. 96 The greate advance made into this countrye had noe other ende then by giving a generall fright. 1770Junius Lett. xxxviii. 189 note, The minister took fright. 1791Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest iv, In my fright..I forgot to take the roundabout way. 1837W. Irving Capt. Bonneville III. 221 The antelopes, nearly exhausted with fatigue and fright..made no effort to break through the ring of the hunters. 1847Tennyson Princ. vi. 351 An echo started up..and died of fright in far apartments. 2. † Anything that causes terror (obs.). Hence (colloq.) a person or thing of a shocking, grotesque, or ridiculous appearance.
1634W. Tirwhyt tr. Balzac's Lett. i. 8 Hide my selfe here with your good favour..than to beare a shew there with their frights and soure lookes. 1661Boyle Style of Script. (1675) 27 As a skilful fowler..catches..some with frights, as black-birds with a sparrow-hawk or a low-bell. 1751Mrs. Delany Let. to Mrs. Dewes in Life & Corr. 50 A friend..who is working a fright of a carpet! 1809Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) I. 76 The present race of young men are such a set of frights. 1832E. Ind. Sketch Bk. II. 174 To be sure..the women are sad frights, very yellow, and mostly so lean. 1864H. Ainsworth John Law iii. iii, ‘You mustn't marry that ridiculous old fright’, she whispered. ¶3. ? Misused for fret n.
1668in Boyle Hist. Air xv. (1692) 85 The Storm had seven Paroxysms or Exacerbations, which the Seamen call Frights of Weather.
Add:4. Special Comb.: fright wig orig. U.S., a theatrical wig used to express (mock) fright, usu. by means of a string pulled to make the hair stand on end; hence, any wig with the hair arranged standing up or sticking out.
1904Leslie's Monthly Mag. Aug. 424/1 It lifts your scalp like a *fright wig. 1960B. Keaton My Wonderful World of Slapstick i. 12, I got the idea of dressing him up like myself as a stage Irishman with a fright wig, slugger whiskers, fancy vest, and over-size pants. 1989Independent 9 Oct. 19/8 With a gloating relish that neither her baby-doll fright wig nor her impenetrable pancake make-up could conceal, she set about tormenting her immemorial screen rival. ▪ II. fright, v.|fraɪt| Forms: 1 fyrhtan (Northumb. fyrhta, fryhta), 3 friȝten, 5, 9 Sc. fricht, 6 frite, 6– fright. pa. pple. 9 dial. frit. [OE. *fryhtan (Northumb. fryhta), metathetic var. of fyrhtan, corresp. to OFris. fruchta, OS. forhtian (MDu. vruchten), OHG. forhten, furhten (MHG. vürhten, mod.Ger. fürchten), Goth. faurhtjan:—OTeut. *furhtjan to fear, f. *furhto- (forhto-) afraid. (OE. had also forhtian = OS. forhtôn, of the same meaning but differing conjugation). The factitive sense ‘to terrify’ is peculiar to Eng.] †1. intr. To be afraid, to fear. Obs.
c1000Durham Rit. (Surtees) 102/21 Ðu doest ða fyrhta, facis eam tremere. c1250Gen. & Ex. 1861 Oc michil he friȝtede for-ði boðen symeon and leui. Ibid. 3978 Ðhoȝ ðe asse spac, friȝtede he noȝt. 2. trans. To affect with fright; to scare, terrify. Now rare exc. poet. and dial.; in ordinary language its place has been taken by frighten.
c900tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. iii. (1890) 268 Gif..þunorrade eorðan and lyfte bræᵹden and fyrhten. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. clxii, I ne wist quhat to done, so was I fricht. 1580Sidney Ps. ix. xiii, With terrors greate, O Lord, doe thou them fright. 1628Hobbes Thucyd. (1822) 23 The likelihood of the war wherewith the Corcyreans frighting you go about [etc.]. 1700Penn in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. IX. 9 Those that fired upon the Indians, and frighted them. 1773Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. i. i, Frighting the maids, and worrying the kittens. 1821Clare Vill. Ministr. II. 196 The coy hare squats nestling in the corn, Frit at the bow'd ear tott'ring o'er her head. 1850Tennyson In Mem. lxxxii, No lower life that earth's embrace May breed with him, can fright my faith. 1869C. Gibbon R. Gray iv, ‘Ye needna be frichted, mither, he's just got himsel hurt’. 1908D. H. Lawrence Let. 31 Dec. (1962) I. 44 The woman is..a wee bit frit. 1960Oxford Mail 4 Aug. 1/5 When I heard he was dead I got frit. 1970New Society 19 Nov. 897/3, I was frit, cold and bored. absol.1748Johnson Vanity of human Wishes 148 Should no..difficulty fright. b. With complement: To scare away, etc.
1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. v. 11 Heele fright you vp yfaith. 1637B. Jonson Sad Sheph. i. ii, Except Love's fires the vertue have To fright the frost out of the grave. a1643Suckling Acc. Relig. Ep. (1646) 1, I send you that Discourse which frighted the Lady into a cold sweat. 1651Hobbes Leviath. iv. xlvi. 373 Would fright them from Obeying the Laws. 1667Milton P.L. xi. 121 Of a Sword the flame Wide waving, all approach farr off to fright. 1678Wanley Wond. Lit. World v. i. §97. 468/1 Charles the fifth..frighted Solyman the Turk from Vienna. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 167 The God..who frights away, With his Lath Sword, the Thieves and Birds of Prey. 1697Bp. Patrick Comm. Exod. ix. 27 A Man distracted and frighted out of his Wits. 1705Stanhope Paraphr. (1709) IV. 558 A Refractory People might be frighted into good Manners. 1719Watts ‘There is a land of pure delight’, Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, Should fright us from the shore. 1779–81Johnson L.P., Thomson Wks. IV. 170 He accompanied the players by audible recitation, till a friendly hint frighted him to silence. 1821Keats Lamia i. 5 Before King Oberon's bright diadem..Frighted away the Dryads and the Fauns From rushes green. Hence ˈfrighting vbl. n. and ppl. a.
1631Denison Heav. Banq. 188 Frightings and terrors. 1648Gage West Ind. xxi. 188 How did I sometimes look upon Deaths frighting visage? 1650W. Brough Sacr. Princ. (1659) 16 Their triviall and frighting argument. 1663J. Spencer Prodigies (1665) 29 God hath now, in a great measure, left frighting of men to Heaven by visible terrors. 1674J. B[rian] Harv. Home iii. 19 Frighting fearfull terrors. |