| 释义 |
let-out, n.|ˈlɛtaʊt|
[f. vbl. phr. to let out (let v.1 37).]
1. An entertainment on a large or lavish scale. Anglo-Irish.
1836F. Mahoney Rel. Father Prout (1859) 70 As if resolving the mighty project of a ‘let out’.
2. An excuse, a justification, a method of avoiding (a difficulty), a release from (an embarrassing situation). Also attrib.
1935M. Hodge Grief goes Over in Famous Plays 331 That's not the trouble. I am glad she is. It's a let-out. 1942H. C. Bailey Dead Man's Shoes xx. 81 The open verdict let him out, old boy... He may want a good let out over Clavell. 1955J. L. Austin How to do Things with Words (1962) i. 10 Yet he provides Hippolytus with a let-out, the bigamist with an excuse for his ‘I do’ and the welsher with a defence for his ‘I bet’. 1957Economist 5 Oct. 17/1 And there is no easy let-out for the complacent in the notion that landladies are by definition a narrow-minded lot. 1961John o' London's 17 Aug. 195/2 When we have made all possible allowance for apotropaic amulets..and any other let-out you can think up, we are left with a solid residue of crude, unimaginative..obscene paintings. 1971C. Bonington Annapurna South Face xi. 138 ‘It would be best if you could stay at camp tomorrow and dig a platform for the second box before we arrive.’ I was so tired that this sounded an easy let-out, and I agreed. 1971‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Doctor Bird xi. 153 Thanks for the let-out. I was just too bloody nosy. 1973Fremdsprachen XVII. 57/1 It is understood that the proposed agreement would provide for a let-out clause. 1973Listener 13 Sept. 346/3 The really essential problem is the increase of population..of the poor world. This is a very nice let-out for the rich countries.
3. attrib. or as adj. (See quot. 1954.)
1949Amer. Speech XXIV. 92 A peltry is said to be let in if it is cut and resewed in such a manner as to fashion it broader and shorter than the original. Similarly, it is said to be let out if it is rendered longer and narrower than its first shape. 1954Webster Add., Let-out, of furs, subjected to a method of preparation involving cutting the pelt in strips and reassembling them to form a longer, narrower piece in which good features of color and texture are emphasized. 1967Boston Sunday Herald 7 May iii. 3/3 (Advt.), The recent weakness in prices in the fur market enabled us to hand pick choice lush let out natural Mink Jackets. |