| 释义 |
mas', n.3 W. Indies.|mas|
Also without apostrophe.
[Abbrev. of masque n.]
In Trinidad (and subsequently elsewhere), a masquerade, spec. one held as part of an annual carnival parade; more generally, carnival activity. Also quasi-adv., esp. in phr. to play mas'.
1956Caribbean Q. IV. iii/iv. 194 In local pronunciation both [sc. ‘masque’ and ‘mask’] are ‘mas’ but are clearly differentiated concepts in the minds of the masquers. [Note] It is often so spelled. A costume received for the Carnival Exhibition was carefully labelled ‘beas mas’. Ibid. 228 Obscenity commonly distinguished the Old Mas' costume. 1968R. D. Abrahams in W. M. Hudson Tire Shrinker to Dragster 127 A Tobago variation on this type of Carnival activity is ‘Speech Mas'’ or ‘Speech Band.’ (Mas' is West Indian for masquerade.) 1973Express (Trinidad & Tobago) 1 Feb. 6/5 The Queen's Park Cricket Club is having its ole mas' competition and dance at the Oval on Saturday, February 17. 1974Sunday Advocate-News (Barbados) 17 Feb. 1/2 Hundreds of Barbadian children yesterday got their chance to ‘play mas’, when the Trinidad Women's Club of Barbados staged its annual children's carnival at Culloden Farm. 1977Westindian World 3 June 1/1 It is looking increasingly more and more unlikely that there will be mas on the streets of Notting Hill this year. 1982Christian Science Monitor 14 Dec. 16/1 For almost a year Trinidad prepares for two days..when mas, or carnival, takes over this green Caribbean island. 1992Canad. Living Aug. 72/1 (caption) From springtime on, every spare moment is spent at ‘mas camp’ (masquerade camp), as participants call the warehouses where the [Caribana parade] costumes are made. 1995Guardian 26 Aug. 29/4 Think traditional Notting Hill Carnival and you think of extravagant mas floats and costumes, parades, steel bands, reggae, a huge and colourful party on the move. |