| 释义 |
▪ I. upstage, adv., a. (and n.)
[up prep.2 6.]
A. adv. (Stressed upˈstage.) At or in the direction of the back of the stage; on that part of the stage furthest from the audience. Also fig.
1870O. Logan Before Footlights & Behind Scenes xxxv. 500 And in one minute..has been convulsed with laughter at a side-speech given ‘up stage’ and as a sort of sequel to the sentiment delivered to the audience. 1923J. Agate At Half-Past Eight 209 You remember how Marcus and Mercia..with the lions roaring up-stage, kept a steadfast face to their admirers. 1938C. Mackenzie Windsor Tapestry xx. 418 At this point the dapper figure of Mr Anthony Eden crosses upstage. 1946A. Clarke Second Kiss 11 Columbine enters, right, upstage, hesitant, and as if in fear. 1967T. Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead i. 23 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern occupy the two downstage corners looking upstage. 1976Listener 1 Apr. 404/2 The Wallace family felt able to emerge from its bailiff-proof bolt-hole in SE4, and move upstage a bit to Clarence Gate Gardens, by Baker Street.
B. adj. (Stressed ˈupstage.)
1. Superior or aloof in manner; ‘stuck-up’. Chiefly of persons.
1918F. Hunt Blown in by Draft 287 As doggy as the military police, as upstage as the Engineers..the Field Signal Battalion has the additional point of being of strangest birth. 1927Sunday Express 8 May 10 Although Costello..had definite ideas..in connection with his art, as he took pictures seriously, he was never in the least bit ‘up stage’ with us youngsters. 1938Sun (Baltimore) 3 Oct. 8/3 Even without ‘Cotton Ed's’ upstage behavior, this plea would have been unimpressive. 1947N. Marsh Final Curtain xii. 188 All upstage and county! 1966‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 84 He was a little patronizing to me, upstage in his bearing.
2. That is situated or occurs at or towards the rear of the stage. Also as n., the back of the stage, furthest from the audience.
1933P. Godfrey Back-Stage i. 14 The up-stage O.P. flood. 1959[see dither v. 1]. 1974F. Warner Meeting Ends i. viii. 30 Hanging on upstage side of pump..are a brightly coloured towel and a black shawl.
▪ II. upˈstage, v.
[f. the adv.]
1. trans. Theatr. To move upstage of (another actor), forcing him to face away from the audience; to divert attention from (a fellow performer) to oneself, to ‘steal the scene’ from.
1933[implied in upstager, upstaging vbl. n.]. 1958B. Nichols Sweet & Twenties 200 Miss Tempest always ‘upstaged’ her—..she slowly pushed her chair to the rear so that..Miss X was obliged to turn away from the audience. 1958New Statesman 6 Sept. 302/2 So if Strether's ‘tragedy’ seems..rather trivial, that is partly because the hero has been upstaged by the backdrop. 1972Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 18 June 6/3 While Gracie was singing her famous aspidistra song, a stray dog wandered onto the stage and upstaged her. 1976Early Music Oct. 400/1, I would hesitate before telling an Aeneas that he is being literally upstaged during his climactic high F.
2. fig. To put (a person, etc.) at a disadvantage; to outshine. Also, to treat in a haughty or snobbish manner. colloq.
1921H. C. Witwer Leather Pushers x. 268 Nada Nice has upstaged the Kid..at your orders. 1946‘Brahms’ & ‘Simon’ Trottie True v. 103 The Duchess stood there exerting her personality to its most ducal extent... ‘Blast,’ said Trottie under her breath. ‘Upstaged.’ 1967Daily Tel. 10 Apr. 10/6 My sister..didn't get on with the other debs—she was more beatnik. They were rude and kept up-staging her. 1974‘R. Tate’ Birds of Bloodied Feather iii. 57 It was the only occasion in Edward's life that he had been upstaged by his younger brother.
So upˈstager; upˈstaging vbl. n. and ppl. a.
1933P. Godfrey Back-stage iii. 40 With the chronic up-stager the only remedy for the other actors is to withhold their speech until they have deliberately taken up a position favourable to themselves. Ibid., ‘Crowding’ and ‘up-staging’ are tricks of the selfish actor... ‘Up-staging’ is to take up a position nearer to the back of the scene than the other players. This forces them to turn three-quarter-back to the audience when speaking to the up⁓stage actor. 1968M. Woodhouse Rock Baby v. 46 I'd been running a bright, upstaging little war with Driver and McKellar and patting myself on the back. 1982P. Lovesey False Inspector Dew ii. iii. 29 With her dramatic training, she knew all about up-staging. |