| 释义 |
A-list, n. and a.
Brit. |ˈeɪlɪst|, U.S. |ˈeɪˌlɪst|
[‹ A n. + list n.6 Compare later B-list n., C-list n., D-list n., Z-list n.]
A. n.
1. The first in a series of lists, esp. lists ranked in order of preference or significance.
1890(title) Returns of persons on the general A list [Dublin Metropolitan Police report]. 1928Jrnl. Exper. Psychol. 2 306 Half of the class practised first the A-list or vocalization-list. 1963L. P. Curtis Coercion & Conciliation in Ireland App. 437 The first or ‘A’ list contained the list of the dozen top nationalists who were to be ‘shadowed’ by plain-clothesmen in both countries. 1992Independent 9 May (Mag.) 42/3 To get a record on to..the B-list..means it will be played eight or nine times a week or, better still, the A-list, which ensures about 15 plays a week.
2. orig. U.S. Any (notional) list comprising only the most celebrated, sought-after, or high-ranking individuals, esp. in the entertainment industry or the media; a social, professional, or celebrity elite.
1935S. Walker Mrs. Astor's Horse 10 Miss Cutting has an A and B list of débutantes and stag lines... She will not burden the members of the A list with secondraters. 1976Newsweek 13 Sept. 88/2 You can slip from the A list to the B list and beyond very quickly... One day you're demanding films, the next you're asking could I please have them. 1987R. Shilts And Band played On (1988) ii. iii. 26 On Fire Island, he lived in the house with Enno, Nick, and a few other handsome men who made the A-list of every major island party. 1994Daily Tel. 13 Oct. 13/3 ‘I don't want to go to the Senate to make friends with the Establishment A list,’ he said—an odd claim since..[he] is known as Washington's most rampant social climber. 2000P. Weir in M. Bliss Dreams within Dream App. 194 All scripts need work. The curse of getting on the ‘A’ list in Hollywood is that you're not often sent that kind of difficult material.
B. adj. Of or belonging to an A-list; spec. designating or relating to a (notional) roster of the most celebrated or sought-after individuals, esp. in the entertainment industry or the media; pre-eminent, prestigious, top-ranking. Freq. attrib.
1963T. Morris & P. Morris Pentonville vi. 137 On one occasion a notorious escapee who was permanently under special watch asked if he might have his Christmas dinner with two other ‘A’ list men. 1982N.Y. Times 9 Feb. b12/4 Mr. Wick has what is termed here a ‘B-list’ job. But because of his perceived closeness to the Reagans, he is an ‘A-list’ guest. Besides, he plays the piano. 1984E. Jong Parachutes & Kisses ix. 154 The party was very posh and ‘A’ list. 1990Premiere May 81/1 If an A-list director brings a script to a studio, the coverage is likely to be appropriately deferential. 1994CompuServe Mag. Mar. 11/2 Those are just some of the A-list entries indexed in what's known on the Internet and in programming circles as The Jargon File. 2000Esquire July 54/1 I'm a working actor—I have to take what I'm offered... I'm not that A-list; I wish I was. |