| 释义 |
▪ I. picnic, n.|ˈpɪknɪk|
Also 8–9 pique-nique, pick-nick, pic-nic, pic nic.
[Occurs (in reference to foreign countries) from 1748, but app. not before c 1800 as an English institution; ad. F. pique-nique, stated by Ménage Dict. Etymol. (1692) to be of recent introduction; in Dict. Acad. 1740. In use in Germany a 1748, in Sweden a 1788 (Widegren's Dict.). See Note below.]
1. a. Originally, A fashionable social entertainment in which each person present contributed a share of the provisions; now, A pleasure party including an excursion to some spot in the country where all partake of a repast out of doors: the participants may bring with them individually the viands and means of entertainment, or the whole may be provided by some one who ‘gives the picnic’.
The intermediate stage is seen in quot. 1868. The essential feature was formerly the individual contribution; now, it is the al fresco form of the repast.
1748Chesterfield Let. to Son (in Germany, app. Berlin) 29 Oct., I like the description of your Pic-nic; where, I take it for granted, that your cards are only to break the formality of a circle. 1763Lady M. Coke Lett., to Lady Strafford 23 Sept. (1889) I. 7, I was last night at a Subscription Ball which is called here [Hanover] Picquenic. c1800E. C. Knight Autobiog. I. 45 We stayed here [at Toulon] till the 17th [Feb. 1777] and on the previous day went to a ‘pique-nique’ at a little country house not far from the town. 1802Ann. Reg. 169 The rich have their sports, their balls, their parties of pleasure, and their pic nics. 1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) xv. Introd., She's so full of Fête and Pic-nic and Opera. 1826[J. R. Best] Four Yrs. France 289 Parties..establish a pic-nic, and pass the day together. 1826Disraeli Viv. Grey iii. iv, Nature had intended the spot for pic-nics. 1866M. E. Braddon Lady's Mile iii. 35 They held impromptu pic-nics on breezy heights above the level of the sea. 1868Latham Johnson's Dict., Picnic, open air party, in which a meal, to which each guest contributes a portion of the viands, is the essential characteristic. 1873Hobgoblins 39 After the picnic had been eaten, a dance was improvised. 1886J. H. Ewing Mary's Meadow 21 We had a most delightful picnic there.
†b. by picnic: by contributions from each member. Obs. [Cf. F. ‘l'ancienne tournure adverbiale à pique-nique’ (Genin in Scheler).]
1832Examiner 324/2 A sort of pasticcio, made up apparently by picnic from the portmanteaus of the performers.
c. transf. and fig. Now usu. something straightforward or agreeable; a lively time; a treat; no picnic, not a picnic, not an easy task; a formidable undertaking.
1818Keats Let. Dec. (1958) II. 13 Perhaps as you were fond of giving me sketches of character you may like a little pic nic of scandal. 1825H. Wilson Mem. II. 248, I sate down to consider the plan of a book, in the style of the Spectator, a kind of pic nic, where every wiseacre might contribute his mite of knowledge. 1886Lantern (New Orleans) 27 Oct. 6/1 Hanley sparred with a smile on his face much as to say, ‘What a picnic I've got with this kid.’ 1887L. J. Beauchamp in Voice (N.Y.) 28 Apr. 3/2 For that length of time the dogs had a picnic. 1888Kipling Wee Willie Winkie 84 'Taint no bloomin' picnic in those parts I can tell you. 1890― Life's Handicap (1891) 125 A knot of furious brother officers demanding the court-martial of Tommy Dodd for ‘spoiling the picnic’. 1900Daily News 20 Oct. 5/7 We go about and keep the Boers on the run..I think everything points to the end of this picnic. 1901W. Churchill Crisis ii. iii. 136 This isn't any picnic. 1909‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xxii. 315 It was a picnic for the census takers. They just counted the marshal's posse that it took to subdue us, and there was your population. 1914A. Bennett Price of Love xii. 248 ‘But doesn't it hurt?’ ‘Depends what you call hurt. It ain't a picnic.’ 1916[see embusqué]. 1919Mr. Punch's Hist. Gt. War 114 It is not a picnic for the men in our front line. 1926Galsworthy Escape ii. iv. 50 If you want to get thin. It's a top-hole cure for adipose. An escape's no picnic. 1947Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch 4 May 26/5 The war memorial..was rejected as ‘morbid’: those who object to the ban on this work argue that the war was no picnic. 1961B. Fergusson Watery Maze xvi. 394 It was going to be no picnic co-ordinating land, sea and air forces from so many different points of departure at so many different speeds. 1965Listener 3 June 835/3 It can have been no picnic to be a poet in the age of Eliot. 1971S. Hill Strange Meeting i. 10 Think yourself lucky you got off a bit early. It's no picnic now. 1974J. Stubbs Painted Face xxiii. 286 What do you know of prison? This here's a picnic compared to what it will be.
d. Austral. and N.Z. Used ironically of an awkward situation or a difficult or unpleasant experience.
1896in Morris Austral Eng. (1898) 351/1 If a man's horse is awkward and gives him trouble, he will say, ‘I had a picnic with that horse,’ and so of any misadventure or disagreeable experience in travelling. 1939N. Marsh Overture to Death xiii. 125 I'm sorry to have neglected you like this; but we're in for a picnic, and no mistake, with this case up at Moorton Park. 1941Baker Dict. Austral. Slang 54 Picnic, any unpleasant experience, a disagreeable and complicated task. 1945Coast to Coast 1944 125 What a mess, what a picnic! 1955D. Niland Shiralee 38 All I know is I'm going to have one helluva picnic if she doesn't find it. 1959Baker Drum (1960) 68 We call a wild confusion or a particularly difficult task a picnic.
e. U.S. = picnic ham below.
1910L. D. Hall Market Classes Meat 281 Picnics or calas (formerly termed California hams) are cut 2-½ ribs wide... They..are sold almost entirely as sweet-pickled, smoked and boiled meats. 1949New Harmony (Indiana) Times 5 Aug. 6/2 (Advt.), Smoked Picnics, 3 to 5 lb. average lb. 45c. 1974Columbia (S. Carolina) Record 24 Apr. 21-b (Advt.), Sliced picnic 1.89. 1976Washington Post 19 Apr. a19/1 (Advt.), Smoked picnics.
†2. A member of the Picnic Society: see 3. Obs.
1802Spirit Pub. Jrnls. VI. 197 One famous Pic-Nic indeed..came forward and said, they were ‘a harmless and inoffensive society of persons of fashion’. Ibid. 198 Nor was the public amazement lessened, when they were informed, that Pic-Nics were men who acted plays and wrote plays for their own amusement. 1830H. Angelo Remin. II. 5 General A...was the most prominent pic-nic of our dramatis personae. 1878W. H. Husk in Grove Dict. Mus. I. 82 A fashionable association termed the Pic-nics, who had burlettas, vaudevilles and ballets on a small scale performed there.
3. attrib. Pertaining to, or of the nature or character of, a picnic; in earlier use with reference to contributions made by each member of a party or company, as at a ‘picnic’ in the original sense.
† Picnic Society, name of a society of people of fashion in London about the beginning of the 19th c., for social entertainments, private theatricals, etc., to which each member contibuted his share.
1802Pic-nic Society [see picnickian]. 1802Spirit Pub. Jrnls. VI. 200 Fat capons, prize-beef, ham and chickens,..Ye Gods, what pretty Pic-Nic pickings! 1807Director I. 267 A pic-nic conversation, where each contributes in his turn from his stores of reading and observation. 1815F. Burney Diary (1876) IV. lxiv. 305 We boarded and lodged by pic-nic contract with the Princesse. 1818Bentham Ch. Eng., Catech. Exam. 81 [The history] of the pic-nic formation of this Creed by its putative fathers the Apostles, may be found in their proper places. 1828Sporting Mag. XXII. 225 A pack of hounds..got together..in a sort of pick-nick manner by a few gentlemen in London. 1851W. W. Collins Rambles beyond Railw. ix. (1852) 183 The girls and young men of the pic-nic party are dancing merrily.
b. picnic basket, picnic hamper, picnic pie, picnic shelter, picnic site, picnic spot, picnic stove, picnic tea; picnic area, a piece of ground designated as suitable for picnics; picnic chair, a (usu. collapsible) chair for use on a picnic; picnic ground = picnic area; picnic ham U.S., a small cut of shoulder bacon in the form of a ham; picnic lunch, a packed lunch, spec. one provided by a hotel in place of a regular meal; picnic meal, a meal eaten as a picnic; also, a quick meal eaten indoors; picnic plate, a plastic or paper plate suitable for use on a picnic; picnic race meeting, races Austral. and N.Z., a race meeting held in a country area, accompanied by other social events; picnic supper [cf. F. souper à pique-nique (Genin in Scheler)] (see quot. 1802); picnic table, a table suitable for use on a picnic; a small hinged table in a car.
1959Picnic area [see piped ppl. a.1 3 c]. 1968Guardian 5 July 3/2 The NCB will restore the landscape and provide access roads, car parks, picnic areas, a hard standing and slipway for boats. 1968[see camp-ground s.v. camp n.2 VII. b]. 1973V. Canning Flight of Grey Goose i. 9 A large picnic area on the edge of a wood.
1885List of Subscribers, Classified (United Telephone Co.) (ed. 6) 125 (heading) Luncheon and picnic basket manufacturers. 1931N. & Q. 11 Apr. 258/2 The car was packed with bathing things, camp-stools and picnic basket. 1955A. Huxley Let. 4 Apr. (1969) 739 Yes, by all means let us take a picnic basket so that we can be independent of restaurants. 1972D. E. Westlake Cops & Robbers (1973) xvi. 239 Macy's has a wicker picnic basket. It costs around eighteen bucks, with the tax. 1975‘A. Hall’ Mandarin Cypher xvii. 233 One narrow bunk..cheap cardtable and picnic chair. 1977M. Jancath Seatag i. vii. 41 Emrich was surprised to see a wooden picnic table and chairs.
1926Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 2 July 5/3 The streets were almost deserted save for those hastening toward some of these attractive picnic grounds. 1947E. S. Gardner in Amer. Mag. Aug. 148/3 You can see the camp and the picnic grounds from here. 1969H. MacInnes Salzburg Connection ii. 33 He began walking down towards the picnic ground. 1974Country Life 3 Oct. 930/3 A 14-acre picnic ground has been cleared.
1897Sears, Roebuck Catal. 13/3 Meats... Picnic Hams. 1944Chicago Daily News 13 July 21/2 A picnic ham may be boned, rolled and tied before roasting to make carving easier. 1973Black Panther 25 Aug. 3/3 Picnic ham at 97 cents or salt pork at 99 cents a pound?
1862W. Collins No Name I. 332 We have a picnic hamper with us..and away we drive on a pleasure trip. 1896E. Turner Little Larrikin xviii. 208 Several picnic hampers and a case of champagne. 1966B. Cooper Drown him Deep vi. 52 He went to the back of the car, and began to pull out the picnic hamper. 1972R. Hill Fairly Dangerous Thing ii. vi. 179 We..took our picnic-hamper with us into a wood.
1917D. Canfield Understood Betsy (1922) x. 189 They were to meet the Wendells in the shadow of Industrial Hall and eat their picnic lunch together. 1933E. O'Neill Ah, Wilderness! (1934) i. 18 We're going to have a picnic lunch on Strawberry Island. 1971J. Tyndall Death in Lebanon vii. 105 Let's ask the hotel for a picnic lunch and get off as soon as we can. 1972Guardian 22 July 7/3, I continued along the D94..but soon stopped for a picnic lunch.
1876Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. I. ii. xiv. 264 The coachful of servants with provisions had to prepare the picnic meal. 1889Henty With Lee in Virginia (1890) 129 The whole party sat down to a picnic meal on the ground. 1911A. Bennett Hilda Lessways ii. iii. 161 They had been very busy in Hilda's house..and had eaten only a picnic meal. 1929S. Ertz Galaxy xiii. 294 They had a picnic meal of bread and cheese and fruit and California wine. 1972‘G. North’ Sgt. Cluff rings True x. 78 Discards from picnic meals defaced verges.
1849H. C. Robinson Diary 22 June (1967) 255 A picnic party had been formed..to take tea on the top of the hill. 1977R. Barnard Blood Brotherhood vi. 61 The thought of some fearsome affray..came upon him with all the welcomeness of a thunderclap on a picnic party.
1865Trollope Can you forgive Her? II. xxx. 234 Cold chickens, picnic-pies, and the flying of champagne corks. 1911G. S. Porter Harvester xvi. 371 Big, fancy brick and frame things..gay as frosted picnic pie. 1926–7Army & Navy Stores Catal. 378b/4 Picnic plates. 1933E. A. Robertson Ordinary Families i. 16 The boats were only old cardboard picnic plates.
1896N. Gould Town & Bush xiv. 225 The owners of the horses running at picnic races are generally men of means. 1911C. E. W. Bean ‘Dreadnought’ of Darling xxxiv. 294 If a town has picnic races or a polo week, it is ‘alive’. 1928‘Brent of Bin Bin’ Up Country xiii. 202 Here took place the first picnic races of the district, which affairs, so informally started among neighbours, in later days command special trains and viceregality. 1955P. White Tree of Man (1956) ii. ix. 132 Always in demand,..and above all at picnic races. 1964D. Horne Lucky Country 52 One of the most rigid institutional manifestations of this difference [between landed family and town] appears at the annual picnic races. 1972Sunday Tel. (Sydney) 15 Oct. 132 Everyone, but everyone, is getting ready for the Bong Bong Picnic Races next Saturday. 1978O. White Silent Reach xvi. 160 He's a pansy and goes for the public school jackeroos at the picnic races. Ibid. xxi. 219 The Fitzroy Crossing picnic race meeting.
1943J. S. Huxley TVA ix. 61 Picnic shelters are included in the parks and campgrounds. 1959Canad. Geogr. Jrnl. Feb. 55/1 Picnic shelters have been constructed for the convenience of picnickers during inclement weather and thirty-two of these are now in use. 1976Billings (Montana) Gaz. 28 June 1-b/1 The state Board of Examiners this week approved expenditure of $398,565 for building of picnic shelters and other recreation facilities, landscaping and construction of restrooms at the park.
1971P. Gresswell Environment 187 Picnic sites need to be considered in relation to planning policy. 1972Country Life 7 Dec. 1581/1 Somerset County Council has decided to spend some money this year on..picnic sites.
1959I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. xii. 253 On Easter Day we usually pack a picnic lunch, including a hard boiled egg. When we reach the picnic spot we sit down and play at games. 1977B. Pym Quartet in Autumn v. 43 When they arrived at the picnic spot, Marjorie produced two folding canvas chairs from the boot of the car.
1963Which? Mar. 89/2 A solid fuel for picnic stoves. 1974Janet Frazer Catal. Spring/Summer 458/2 Camping Gaz International picnic stove... Boils water quickly.
1802Times 16 Mar., A Pic-Nic Supper consists of a variety of dishes. The Subscribers to the entertainment have a bill of fare presented to them, with a number against each dish. The lot which he draws obliges him to furnish the dish marked against it, which he either takes with him in his carriage, or sends by a servant. 1802Ann. Reg. 376 This season has been marked by a new species of entertainment, common to the fashionable world, called a Pic Nic supper. Of the derivation of the word, or who was the inventor, we profess ourselves ignorant, but the nature of it..is [etc.].
1926–7Army & Navy Stores Catal. 225/1 The ‘picnic’ table... Folds perfectly flat. 1963‘H. Calvin’ It's Different Abroad ii. 16 Between them was a folding picnic-table. 1970Times 16 Apr. 3/3 (Advt.), We don't forget power assisted steering, adjustable steering column, reclining seats and picnic tables. 1976Norwich Mercury 17 Dec. 9/6 Two picnic tables with bench seats were officially handed over. 1976N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone ix. 219 It was a small park, not much more than a few acres of grass fringed with eucalyptus trees and three or four picnic tables.
1900C. M. Yonge Modern Broods xvi. 153 My mother wants you all to come up to picnic tea to see the foxgloves in the dell. 1907R. Fry Let. 24 Sept. (1972) I. 291 This afternoon we are to drive out to a picnic tea at Blackwell. 1932‘E. M. Delafield’ Thank Heaven Fasting iii. ii. 262 Monica and the vistor set out..taking with them a picnic tea. 1955A. Sinclair in Granta 26 Nov. 10/1 We'll say we want a picnic tea.
†4. as adv. In the way of a picnic; by contributions from each person. Obs.
1803J. Davis Trav. U.S. 176 A sum that may enable him to ask a friend to dine with him pic nic. [Note. The chronology of the word in French and English, with the fact that our earliest instances refer to the Continent, and are sometimes in the French form pique-nique, show that the word came from French (although some French scholars, in ignorance of these facts, have, in view of the obscurity of its derivation, conjectured that the French word was from Eng.). Hatzfeld-Darmesteter merely say ‘Origin unknown: the Eng. picnic appears to be borrowed from French’. Scheler mentions several conjectures, amongst others that of Boniface (18..) ‘repas où chacun pique au plat pour sa nique (nique taken in the sense of ‘small coin’)’. Others think it merely a riming combination formed on one of its elements. In Foote's Nabob (1772) Act 1, one of the characters uses nick-nack for pick-nick; intended perhaps to show that pick-nick was still a little-known word, liable to be confounded or associated with better known native words or combinations, such as knick-knack. But cf. picnickery quot. 1803, ‘pick-nickery and nick-nackery’.] ▪ II. picnic, v.|ˈpɪknɪk|
Inflexions picnicked, picnicking.
[f. prec.
(As to the spelling of the inflexions, and of the following words, see remarks under C and K.)]
1. intr. To hold, or take part in, a picnic.
1842Tennyson Audley Court 2 Let us picnic there At Audley Court. 1861J. H. Bennet Winter Medit. i. viii. (1875) 212 Lay..musing on the beach, or pic-niced among the ruins of the Castle. 1861Thornbury Turner (1862) I. 371 He has drawn people riding and pic-nicking. 1871L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. iv. iii. 238 We picnicked on the grass outside the monastery.
†2. trans. To furnish (provisions) by contributions from each person, as at a picnic. Obs.
1821Moore Mem. (1853) III. 268 The Villamils and I picnicked our provender.
3. To entertain (a person) with picnics.
1884H. Collingwood Under Meteor Flag 77 We were balled, fêted, picniced, and generally made much of.
Hence ˈpicnicking vbl. n. and ppl. a.
1842F. Trollope Visit Italy I. xix. 312 The description of one of the pic-nicing days. 1864Daily Tel. 6 Apr., Yet can green, picnicking Simla ever wrest the crown away from Calcutta? 1883H. P. Spofford in Harper's Mag. Mar. 578/2 Mr. Claxton suggested their picnicking. 1888W. R. Carles Life in Corea iii. 25 The hill is used as a lounge and picnicking place. |