| 释义 |
long-bow|ˈlɒŋbəʊ|
[See bow n.1 4.]
1. The name given to the bow drawn by hand and discharging a long feathered arrow (and so distinguished from cross-bow), the national arm of England from the 14th c. till the introduction of firearms. † occas. A soldier armed with a long-bow.
1500Robin Hood (Ritson) ii. xx. 75 With a long bow they shot a fat doe. c15111st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.) Introd. 34/2, .xv. M. longe bowes and .xl. M. othere men. 1530Palsgr. 240/2 Long bowe, arc. 1590Sir J. Smyth Disc. Conc. Weapons 38 The excellencie of our Long-bowes and Archers. 1598Hakluyt Voy. I. 63 They..must..discharge at the enemie with long bowes and cros-bowes. 1630R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. ii. 186 The long Bow (the ancient glory of our English service). 1801Strutt Sports & Past. ii. i. 46 The long-bow, so called, to distinguish it from the arbalist, or cross-bow. 1820Scott Abbot iv, Shooting with hand-gun, cross-bow, or long-bow. 1868C. M. Yonge Cameos I. xxxix. 334 The fatal power of the English long-bow was..well known to the Scots.
2. Phr. to draw or pull the (or a) long-bow, occas. to draw with the long-bow: to make exaggerated statements (colloq.).
1668R. L'Estrange Vis. Quev. (ed. 3) 8 There came to us several Tradesmen; the first of them a Poor Rogue that made profession of drawing the long Bow. 1809Malkin Gil Blas i. v. ⁋4 My grandfather set me the example of drawing the long bow. 1823Byron Juan viii. cxxxviii, I have drawn much less with a long bow Than my forerunners. 1824Ibid. xvi. i, At speaking truth perhaps they are less clever, But draw the long bow better now than ever. 1860Thackeray Lovel ii, I dare say I drew a number of long bows about her. 1888Inglis Tent Life Tigerland 97 Critics, who have twitted me with ‘drawing the long bow’.
3. attrib.: † long-bow man (see sense 2).
1678Ray Prov. (ed. 2) 89 A Lier..He's a long-bow-man. 1694Motteux Rabelais v. xxx. 153 Tho' 'twere ælian that Long-Bow-man that told you so, never believe him. |