| 释义 |
▪ I. nifty, a. U.S. slang.|ˈnɪftɪ|
[Of uncertain origin: see first quot.]
Smart, fine, splendid. Also, clever, nimble, adroit.
1868B. Harte Poems 93 Smart, you bet your life 'twas that! Nifty! Short for magnificat. 1882‘Mark Twain’ Innoc. at Home ii, He was always nifty himself, and so you bet his funeral ain't going to be no slouch. 1907C. E. Mulford Bar-20 ix. 107 I've heard of Smith of Topeka, an' he's mighty nifty with his hands. 1916H. L. Wilson Somewhere in Red Gap v. 213 Hetty..looking so fresh and nifty and feminine. 1921Wodehouse Indiscretions of Archie xiii. 141 Don't you think it's a nifty scheme? 1923― Inimitable Jeeves iii. 32 Roville..is a fairly nifty spot where a chappie without encumbrances in the shape of aunts might spend a somewhat genial week or so. 1930Chesterton Four Faultless Felons iii. 196 He's awfully nifty with his fingers. 1933G. Ade Let. 6 Apr. (1973) 166 You..tell a nifty little story at the finish. 1938D. Smith Dear Octopus ii. i. 52 I'm very nifty on a step-ladder. 1949N. Marsh Swing, Brother, Swing iv. 57 Now that's quite a nifty little idea. 1958J. Cannan And be a Villain i. 19, I..got the niftiest white overalls. 1968Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 Feb. 35/4 Bruce Kelly scored a tying goal..on a nifty pass from John DeDiana. 1973R. Hayes Hungarian Game xxxi. 184 ‘Try that coffee now. Tell me if you like it.’.. It was good. ‘It's nifty,’ I said. 1975Observer 19 Jan. 22/4 Duncan was nifty on occasions, indeed scored an immaculate goal, but was at other times rather daintily ineffective.
▪ II. nifty, n. slang.|ˈnɪftɪ|
[f. the adj.]
A joke, a witty remark or story.
1925Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves vi. 145 Every time I started to pull a nifty, Sir Roderick swung round on me with such a piercing stare that it stopped me in my tracks. 1929D. G. Mackail How Amusing! 237 He..released no less than six of the wisecracks or nifties which he had been carefully hoarding for his next story. 1957O. Nash You can't get there from Here 65 Had he sought his answers just below where Broadway bisects the lower Fifties, He would have come up with some nifties. |