| 释义 |
Merry Widow
a. The English name of Franz Lehár's operetta Die Lustige Witwe (first produced (in German) in Vienna, 1905, and (in English) in London, 1907) used allusively, freq. joc., of an amorous or designing widow.
1907Times 10 June 4/3 The fame of Die Lustige Witwe must have preceded the coming of the opera, for the appearance of the composer was greeted with thunders of applause... The Merry Widow..is a genuine light opera... Perhaps, in the original, Sonia..is a ‘merry’ widow. 1922Joyce Ulysses 209 Woos and wins her, a whoreson merry widow. 1942H. C. Bailey Dead Man's Shoes xxvii. 105 Randolph also found the marriage in the paper that morning... He burst out laughing..‘Queen Caroline! The merry widow!’ 1961Studies in Eng. Lit. (Houston, Texas) I. iv. 23 (heading) Lady Susan: Jane Austen's character of the Merry Widow. 1965J. M. Cain Magician's Wife (1966) iv. 31 She'll be a Merry Widow, that we know for sure, but not with your help.
b. Used attrib. and absol. to designate a type of ornate, wide-brimmed hat.
1908Daily Chron. 9 July 1/4 The women in the galleries took off their ‘Merry Widow’ hats, and waved them frantically. 1909Ibid. 21 Jan. 7/3 A huge Merry Widow of the approved Occidental pattern from China. 1922Joyce Ulysses 554 Under the umbrella appears Mrs. Cunningham in Merry Widow hat and kimono gown. 1956C. H. B. Kitchin Secret River i. 61 Mrs. Ashworth in a Merry Widow hat, in which she thought she had looked ravishing. 1966Times 15 June 15/5 When The Merry Widow music echoed across Europe, Lily Elsie wore the hat every night at Daly's. It caught on. From the opening night, June 8, 1907, everybody wore the Merry Widow hat. |