| 释义 |
‖ pour encourager les autres, phr.|pur ɑ̃kuraʒe lez otr|
[Fr., ‘in order to encourage the others’, with reference to the execution of Admiral John Byng in 1757: cf. Voltaire Candide xxiii. 212 Il est bon de tuer de tems en tems un Amiral pour encourager les autres.]
‘In order to encourage (or deter) the others’, said of an exemplary punishment or sacrifice. Also transf. and in weakened senses.
1804Wellington Disp. (1844) II. 1032 The destruction of the band is complete, but I wished to hang some of their chiefs, pour encourager les autres. 1825H. Wilson Mem. (ed. 2) II. 194 We talked a great deal. Hertford's subject was death, pour encourager les autres. 1896G. B. Shaw Let. 29 Jan. (1965) I. 589, I am not alluding in any way to the ‘Sign of the Cross’ question, or to you. I have simply flicked the insect off the window pane in passing, pour encourager les autres. 1915A. D. Gillespie Lett. from Flanders (1916) 118 We had another concert last night, and since some officer had to be the victim ‘pour encourager les autres’, I had to..sing them the Skye boat song. 1917T. E. Lawrence in Lett. (1938) 235 This did not fall in with our ideas, since (pour encourager les autres) we wanted the news to get about that the Arabs accepted prisoners. 1963New Society 21 Nov. 20/2 So pour encourager les autres the institute..has just published its conclusions. 1969Y. Carter Mr. Campion's Farthing xviii. 178 A cruel gesture, made, I suppose, pour encourager les autres. He committed suicide? 1973‘M. Underwood’ Reward for Defector viii. 71, I must be punished ‘pour encourager les autres’. 1977Rolling Stone 30 June 69/3 He sent the old man away to prison all the same, pour encourager, as Voltaire bitterly put it in another context, les autres. |