| 释义 |
▪ I. ˈhall-mark, n.
[f. hall n.1 6, f. the name of the London assay office at Goldsmith's Hall.]
a. The official mark or stamp used by statutory Hall-marking Authorities in marking the standard of gold and silver articles assayed by them, without which articles of these metals may not legally be sold.
The present U.K. assay offices are in Birmingham, London, Sheffield, and Edinburgh.
1721Lond. Gaz. No. 5974/3 That the same [silver wares] have the Hall-Mark thereon. 1852A. Ryland Assay Gold & S. 4 Every one has observed that all plate bears certain marks;—these are generally five in number and are called the Hall-marks, or assay marks. 1884Britten Watch & Clockm. 150 Birmingham.—Hall mark, an anchor in a square frame for gold, and an anchor in a pointed shield for silver. 1887Academy 1 Jan. 15/3 The hall-mark was a Lombardic capital T, the mark for the year 1496–7.
b. fig. A distinctive mark or token of genuineness, good breeding, or excellence.
1864Daily Tel. 1 Sept., A guardsman, bearing on him the ‘Hall mark’ of Alma. 1887Pall Mall G. 21 Mar. 3/1 The stamping with a hall-mark (called a degree) is not the only, or perhaps even the chief, function of a university. 1894Wolseley Marlborough I. 140 The hall-mark of real military genius.
▪ II. ˈhall-mark, v.
[f. prec. n., after mark v.]
trans. To stamp with a hall-mark. Also fig.
1773Rep. Comm. Assay Offices 25 He bought the Knives and Forks..and believed at that Time they had been Hall marked,..and refused selling them when he found they were not Hall marked. 1852A. Ryland Assay Gold & S. 135 Express instructions..to have the plate Hall-marked. 1892G. S. Layard C. Keene ii. 36 It certainly never occurred to them that Nature had hall-marked him ‘genius’.
Hence ˈhallmarked ppl. a., -marking vbl. n.
1879Blackw. Mag. Aug. 202 Its hall-marking is no guarantee for quality. 1884Britten Watch & Clockm. 116 The hall marking of all watch cases of gold or silver made in Great Britain..is compulsory. 1888Athenæum 22 Dec. 852/1 On the plea that the articles were not hall-marked. Mod. (fig.) Not hall-marked on every link. |