| 释义 |
might-have-been
[Cf. may-be, might-be.]
That which might have been; something which might have happened; a person who might have been greater or more eminent. Also attrib.
1848Clough Bothie iii. 158 He to the great might-have-been upsoaring, sublime and ideal. 1886Kipling Departm. Ditties (1888) 19 Boanerges Blitzen, servant of the Queen, Is a dismal failure—is a ‘Might-have-been’. 1931R. Campbell Georgiad iii. 63 That moonlit people of the might-have-been. 1955A. L. Rowse Expansion Eliz. Eng. 90 The might-have-beens of history are not a very profitable subject. 1956[see might-be a.]. 1970Guardian 11 Aug. 11/8 One of history's might-have-been mysteries. 1974R. Thomas Porkchoppers xxvi. 230 The name that symbolized the might-have-been world of Donald Cubbin. 1974A. Goddard Vienna Pursuit iii. 174 Overwhelmed with horror for the might-have-been, she paused. |