| 释义 |
head-end, n.
Brit. |ˈhɛdˌɛnd|, U.S. |ˈhɛdˌɛnd|
Forms: see head n.1 and end n.
[‹ head n.1 + end n.]
1. The end (of an animal, object, etc.) at which the head or top is situated.
1545R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 14v, The head ende woulde euer be downwardes, and neuer flye strayght. 1612S. Rowlands Knave of Harts sig. Bv, He holds an Arrow, like a Clowne, The head-end vpward, and the feathers downe. 1653I. Walton Compl. Angler v, Note, that, at the entering of your hook, it must not be at the head-end of the worm, but at the tail-end of him. 1770P. Luckombe Conc. Hist. Printing 404 He grasps his left hand about the Foot end of the Page in the same posture that his right hand grasps the Head end. 1808C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon v. 118 A bridle..should be fixed on the beam by a nut and screw, and passed down the spill with a lip, to grasp the head end of the sole. 1874E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Eye-headed Bolt, a form of bolt having an eye at the head end. 1953H. Mellanby Animal Life in Fresh Water (ed. 5) v. 45 The larva which hatches from the egg has a boring apparatus at the head end. 1994Canad. Workshop July 40/1 Nail spinner. This inexpensive metal device fits into the chuck of an electric drill and grips the head end of a finishing nail.
2. The front end of a train, usually the end at which the engine is situated. Freq. attrib.
1899Cent. Mag. Mar. 654/2 Flying around a curve.., he suddenly realized that the head end of the train was running faster than his part, and experienced faculties soon told him that a pin had bounced out. 1939Fortune Nov. 52/2 There are two rear brakemen, in addition of course to the head-end brakeman, who rides the engine cab. 1960Industr. & Labor Relations Rev. 13 553/1 A crew in charge of a freight train generally consisted of five men: an engineer, a fireman, a conductor, a head-end trainman, and a rear-end trainman. 1992A. A. Jackson Railway Dict. 172/1 White head end markers denote an extra train, green head end markers indicate that the train has been split and a second section is following.
3. Telecomm., Computing, and Broadcasting. A point in a network at which incoming information is collected or processed for distribution to users.
1966IEEE Trans. Broadcasting 12 28/1 Basically a CATV system consists of a ‘head-end’ and a ‘distribution network’. The head-end is that part of the system that picks up the off-air signals, amplifies them, and sometimes converts them to another channel. 1984Listener 25 Oct. 17/1 Broadcasting satellites, whether they pump signals direct into the home or through the head-ends of cable services, will become an increasingly important delivery system. 1995Computer May 26/2 In cable TV, a head end is where incoming programming is received by the cable company's satellite dish and TV antennas. In telephone networks, the head end might be a switching office; for on-line services, it's the service provider's databases. 2001National Post (Toronto) 9 Apr. c2/4 Many small cable operators..claim that..they can't afford to install digital head ends, transcoders, and other expensive hardware to compete with Bell ExpressVu and Star Choice. |