释义 |
BASE, n.7 orig. U.S.|beɪs| Also base. [Acronym f. the initial letters of Building, Antenna-tower, Span, Earth (see quot. 1983). The strong formative and semantic influence of base n.1 is reflected in increasing occurrence of the acronym in lower case.] In Comb. as BASE jump, a parachute jump from a fixed point, esp. a high building or promontory, rather than from an aircraft; also as v. intr. So ˈBASE jumper n., ˈBASE jumping vbl. n.
1983Atlantic May 22/3 He came up with the acronym BASE—for Building, Antenna Tower, Span (meaning bridges), and Earth (meaning cliffs). Ibid., To date, the lowest BASE jump probably belongs to Phil Smith—a 190-foot drop from the ceiling of Houston's Astrodome (a publicity stunt). ‘That's about as low as possible,’ says Phil Mayfield, another BASE jumper. 1989USA Today 19 Oct. c10/1 It might not sound safe, but BASE jumpers—4,000 worldwide—say this is the second safest site, behind El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park. 1992Times 22 May 3/8 The British Parachute Association..dissociates itself from base jumping. Ibid., He had done a couple of other base jumps which were successful. 1993Radio Times 26 June 79/1 Both could climb the Tower and Base jump from the top, 20,000 feet above sea level, onto the glacier below. |