| 释义 |
prelim|prɪˈlɪm, ˈpriːlɪm|
colloq. abbrev. of preliminary n. and a. a. A preliminary practice, examination, contest, inquiry, or report. Also transf., a student in a preliminary class and attrib.
1891C. Dawson Let. 19 Feb. in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. i. v. 228, I was so glad to hear you had successfully passed the ‘Army Prelim’, allow me to congratulate you. 1901Daily News 1 Apr. 5/6 We arrived at Putney, just in time to see Oxford come out for their ‘prelim’. 1902Daily Chron. 19 Dec. 5/2 The English public school boy goes north for months of special tutoring for his ‘prelim.’; thereat, probably, to fail in his English paper. 1904Daily News 28 Dec. 6 While yet in the preliminary class,..she..said, ‘I want a canvas six feet long.’ ‘What does she want with a six-foot canvas?.. She's only a ‘prelim’!’ 1923L. J. Vance Baroque xxvii. 173 A fight that'd make the Dempsey-Carpenteeyay bout look like a cooked prelim. 1928Collier's 18 Aug. 25/2 You're nothin' but a has-been, staggerin' around like some prelim boy. 1958Times 17 Oct. 3/5 The general college rule which stipulates that undergraduates who twice fail ‘prelims’ should be sent down or rusticated. 1965D. Francis Odds Against vi. 86 I'll put one of the boys on to it and let you have a prelim. Is it urgent? 1974N. Freeling Dressing of Diamond 41 I've been waiting to hear from you to set a prelim afoot. 1977P. Cosgrave Cheyney's Law ii. 17 Tommy went to Cambridge... His prelims were only fair.
b. Usu. in pl. The preliminary matter of a book. Cf. preliminary n. c.
1927Observer 18 Dec. 4 He tells..about signatures, prelims, end-papers, uncut and unopened pages, issues and imperfections. 1932Times Lit. Suppl. 7 Jan. 13/2 When, with the ‘prelims’ of ‘The Painted Veil’, he [sc. W. S. Maugham] comes up against a more important bibliographical problem, his description is confused. 1957Ibid. 1 Nov. 664/3 Besides a few corrections in the text there are some notes in pencil among the prelims..and in ink on the back endpaper. 1960[see blad n.2 2 c]. 1976Indexer Oct. 93/2 The index..should be provided by the publisher much as he provides prelims and jacket copy. |