| 释义 |
Martha|ˈmɑːθə|
The name of the sister of Mary and Lazarus in Bethany; hence used with allusion to Luke x. 40, 41 for one much concerned with domestic affairs. In Christian allegory a symbol of the active life, opp. Mary 4.
a1225Ancrene Wisse (1962) f. 112a/8 Husewifschipe is marthe dale. Marie dale is stilnesse & reste of alle worldes noise. 1907[see Mary 4]. 1907M. Hall Woman's Trek from Cape to Cairo ix. 133 My host was equally busy.. while his wife, ‘Martha like’, busied herself in seeing a chicken cooked. 1909Westm. Gaz. 30 July 2/1 The domestic servant problem..could never have become just what it is had this generation of mistresses followed in the steps of that ancestry which accorded the Marthas of the homes a certain amount of appreciation for services rendered. 1910S. R. Crockett Dew of their Youth ii. xviii. 140 You are of the tribe of Marthas, Jen, and you certainly work hard enough for everybody. 1938E. Goudge Towers in Mist x. 277 She belonged to that noble army of Marthas who cook the dinners that the Marys gobble up to keep them going between their visions and their dreams. Grace was the best kind of Martha. 1953G. Greene Living Room i. i. 8 In this household she is obviously the anxious Martha; the weaker character intent on carrying out orders. 1962J. D. Salinger Franny & Zooey 158 For all I know, I may be a little jealous... It may very well be that I hate like hell to play Martha to someone else's Mary. 1962Friend 3 Aug. 951/1 The Marthas and Marys are both essential. There is no division between the Mystical and the Practical. 1967Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 10 Aug. (1970) 553 The ‘Mary’ and the ‘Martha’ in my life have an eternal war.
b. Martha-coloured a., used transf. (see quot. 1936) by the poet Edith Sitwell.
1924E. Sitwell Sleeping Beauty xiv. 50 The Martha-coloured scabious Grew among dust as dry as old Eusebius. 1936― Sel. Poems Pref. 25 ‘The Martha-coloured scabious’..is the result of a personal memory... As a child, I had a nursery maid called Martha, who always wore a..gown..exactly the colour of a scabious. 1937― I live under Black Sun ii. x. 296 The Martha-coloured scabious waved aimlessly.
▸ slang (orig. N.Z.). Contrasted with Arthur as either of two things which are inherently or completely different; usually in phrases implying confusion (cf. not to know whether one is Arthur or Martha at Arthur n. 2). In later use often with reference to gender or sexual orientation; (hence also) a woman, a feminine person, or a homosexual. Cf. Arthur n. 2.
1964M. Williams Stone Age Island viii. 229 Poor Johnny Teosin doesn't know whether he is Arthur or Martha. 1971W. Taylor Plekhov Place 22 We've been here a fair stretch and..they've not cared to find out whether we're Arthur or Martha. 1982R. R. Daly & P. Stiff Selous Scouts (ed. 2) viii. 633 Unsure..if we were Arthur or Martha—..we were also more often unsure if we were Army or Special Branch. 1994Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 7 Jan. 26 The weather isn't quite sure whether it's Arthur or Martha. 2004Sun (Nexis) 17 Feb. There are no such problems if you want to be turned from Arthur into Martha, or have your boobs pepped up a bit. |