| 释义 |
iron-man
[f. iron n.1 or a. + man n.]
1. (Properly two words, iron a. and man n.)
a. A man of iron (in fig. sense).
1617A. Newman Pleas. Vis. (1840) 31 They draw, like Loadstones, Iron-men.
b. Name of a coal-cutting machine. local.
1897Star 17 Sept. 2/6 In some of the thin seams of that district [Yorkshire coalfield], the coal-cutting has for some time been done by machine—by the ‘iron man’.
c. U.S. slang. A dollar.
1908H. Green Maison de Shine 45 A feller who shells out his six iron men every week. 1926Flynn's 16 Jan. 639/1 Still I can flash a toad-skin now and then, and have a few iron men planted where th' berries grow. 1932J. Dos Passos 1919 52 He still had more'n fifty iron men. 1945This Week Mag. 21 Apr. 15/2 When I'd given the boys back their dough I had a nice little profit of two hundred iron men. 1970E. R. Johnson God Keepers (1971) vi. 62 An ounce should bring a street pusher about two thousand iron men.
d. slang (orig. Austral.). A pound. Cf. iron n.1 4 g.
1959Baker Drum 119 Iron man, a {pstlg}1 note. 1973J. Leasor Host of Extras i. 16 A nut..to whom I'd sold a Bean Tourer— not the most exciting car..but what did he expect for five hundred iron men? 1974J. Wainwright Evidence I shall Give xxviii. 141 Ten thousand iron men... We're talking bank-notes.
†2. A kind of iron-ore. Obs. local.
1683Pettus Fleta Min. i. (1686) 101 There breaks a small grey spissy Oar..called Iron-man.
3. A workman in ironworks. ? nonce-wd.
1875M. Collins Sweet & Twenty I. i. iv. 59 He drew strong pictures of the ironmaster's unlimited champagne and the ironman's limited beer.
Add:4. Sport. Usu. Iron Man. A powerful athlete, esp. one who excels in endurance events. Freq. attrib. and absol., designating an athletic competition which consists of several demanding stages: spec. (a) Austral., one held at a surfing tournament and typically featuring swimming, water-skiing, surfboarding, and sprint events, and (b) orig. U.S., a form of triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile cycle race and a full marathon.
1952N.Y. Times 27 July v. 3/1 (heading) Olympic fans hail the iron man of sports. 1969Swag (Austral.) No. 1. 31 The Iron Man event was officially introduced into the Australian surfing calendar two years ago. Barry Rodgers has won it both times. 1979Sports Illustr. 14 May 90/2 The Iron Man contest was born when someone wondered what would happen if endurance tests in swimming, bicycling and running were piled on one another in a single event. Ibid. 91/1 Gordon Haller, a 28-year-old retired taxi driver, was delighted to read a short race report in a Honolulu newspaper. Better yet, friends started sending him mail addressed ‘Iron Man’. 1983Running Feb. 41/1 The Iron Man is a very do-it-yourself event. We have to ride our bikes two miles to the start, handing in cycle kit in one bag, running kit in another. 1988Sun (Brisbane) 19 May 6/1 World ironman champion Trevor Hendy provided his newborn daughter with her first taste of the surf today. 1988Bicycle Midsummer 39/2 That was an Ironman—a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run. 1990Kalgoorlie Miner 6 Mar. 2/3 Sunday's fun day was enjoyed by the 1500 people who turned out to participate in or watch the various sporting events, including a turf-to-surf run and iron man contest. |