| 释义 |
▪ I. banter, n.|ˈbæntə(r)|
[Of unknown etymology: it is doubtful whether the vb. or n. was the earlier; existing evidence is in favour of the vb. The n. was treated as slang in 1688: Swift, in the Apology to his Tale of a Tub (1710), says that it ‘was first borrowed from the bullies in White Friars, then fell among the footmen, and at last retired to the pedants’; in Tatler No. 230, he classes it with bamboozle, country put, and kidney, as a word ‘invented by some pretty Fellows’ and ‘now struggling for the Vogue.’ But the vb. was then nearly 40 years old.
1690Locke Hum. Und. iii. ix. §7 He that first brought the word..Banter in use, put together as he thought fit, those Ideas he made it stand for. 1710Swift Tatler No. 230 ⁋7, I have done my utmost for some years past to stop the Progress of Mobb and Banter. 1722Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 659 Such plain raillery, that unless I should learn banter and Billingsgate, which I still thought below a historian, there is no answering it.]
1. Wanton nonsense talked in ridicule of a subject or person; hence, humorous ridicule generally; now usually, good-humoured raillery, pleasantry.
1702Eng. Theophrast. 232 The ordinary reasons of War and Peace, are very little better than Banter and Paradox. 1705S. Whately in Perry Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch. I. 172, I know no better way of answering bombast, than by banter. 1710Swift T. Tub (1760) Apol. 11 Peter's Banter (as he calls it in his Alsatia phrase) upon transubstantiation. 1844Dickens Mart. Chuz. (C.D. ed.) 249 She took it for banter, and giggled excessively. 1880L. Stephen Pope v. 113 Gay..had an illimitable flow of good-tempered banter.
2. An instance of such ridicule, a merry jest. arch.
1700Ch. Eng. Loyalty in Somers Tracts II. 562 'Tis such a Jest, such a Banter, to say, we did take up Arms, but we did not kill him: Bless us, kill our King, we wou'd not have hurt a Hair of his Head! 1759Dilworth Pope 80 Satires on the nobility of both sexes, banters upon good authors. 1822W. Irving Braceb. Hall xvii. 147 The general had received all her approaches with a banter.
†3. A matter of ridicule or jest. Obs.
1719D'Urfey Pills (1872) I. 167 Your zeal's a Banter to all men of Sense.
4. (U.S.) A challenge to a race, shooting-match, etc.
1835Longstreet Georgia Scenes 26 No, said Peter, you made the banter, now make your pass. 1848in Bartlett Dict. Amer. a1861Winthrop John Brent (1883) ii. 16 I'm goan to make yer a fair banter. 1872Schele de Vere Americanisms 439 We had a fine banter, but the match was postponed till spring.
▪ II. banter, v.|ˈbæntə(r)|
[See prec.]
1. trans. To make fun of (a person); to hold up to ridicule, ‘roast’; to jest at, rally, ‘chaff.’ Now usually of good-humoured raillery.
1676D'Urfey Mad. Fickle v. i. (1677) 50 Banter him, banter him, Toby. 'Tis a conceited old Scarab, and will yield us excellent sport. 1741Richardson Pamela (1824) I. 112 You delight to banter your poor servant, said I. 1824W. Irving T. Trav. I. 91 Hag-ridden by my own fancy all night, and then bantered on my haggard looks the next day. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. IX. xx. vi. 116 Poor Quintus was bantered about it, all his life after, by this merciless King.
†2. To ridicule, make a jest of (a thing). Obs.
1704W. Perry Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch. I. 180 Turns his Pulpit to a Stage, And banters reformation. 1754Chatham Lett. Nephew iv. 24 If they banter your regularity, order, and love of study, banter in return their neglect of them.
3. To impose upon (a person), originally in jest; to delude, cheat, trick, bamboozle. arch.
a1688Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Confer. (1775) 174 'Tis impossible, that all my senses should be banter'd and cheated. 1710Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 561 There was no bantering the commissioners named in the bill, because they knew them to be men of sense, honour, and courage. 1722De Foe Moll. Fl. (1840) 60 We diverted ourselves with bantering several poor scholars, with hopes of being at least his lordship's chaplain. 1815Scott Guy M. li, Somebody had been bantering him with an imposition.
4. to banter out of: to do out of by banter.
1687T. Brown Saints in Upr. Wks. 1730 I. 74 To banter folks out of their senses. 1721Amherst Terræ Fil. xxxvii. 195 We will not be banter'd out of it by false parallels.
5. absol. or intr. (in prec. senses.)
1688Shadwell Sqr. Alsatia i. i. 15 He shall cut a sham, or banter with the best wit or poet of em all. 1707Farquhar Beaux' Strat. v. iii. 63 He fights, loves, and banters, all in a Breath. 1865Grote Plato I. vii. 291 His..homely vein of illustration seemed to favour the supposition that he was bantering.
6. (U.S.) To challenge, defy, to a race, match, etc.
1810F. Cuming Sk. Tour Western Country 135 Two hunters..bantered each other to go out and kill a deer. 1834W. A. Caruthers Kentuckian in N.Y. I. 183, I was thinking of walking out into the country and bantering somebody for a footrace. 1836D. Crockett Exploits in Texas 83 The black-leg set to work with his thimble again, and bantered me to bet. 1848in Bartlett Dict. Amer. 1860Knickerbocker Aug. LVI. 221 The farmer again bantered him to buy his berries. 1872E. Eggleston End of World xxvi. 177 The cards were put face down, and the company was bantered to bet the wine. 1902Harben Abner Daniel 163 Colonel Barclay has..bantered me for a trade time an' again. |