| 释义 |
Betty, n.|ˈbɛtɪ|
[dim. of Bet, abbreviation of Elizabet, -beth.]
1. A female pet name or familiar name, once fashionable (as in Lady Betty), but now chiefly rustic or homely. Hence,
2. Given in contempt to a man who occupies himself with a woman's household duties. (So molly.)
3. ‘A pear-shaped bottle covered round with straw, in which olive oil is sometimes brought from Italy; called by chemists a Florence flask.’ Webster. (? Only in U.S. The quot. seems to refer to some kind of vessel; cf. bellarmine.)
1725L. Welsted Oikogr. 12 No Bellarmine, my Lord, is here; Elisa none, at hand to reach, A Betty call'd in common speech!
4. Cant name formerly given to a short bar of iron used by burglars as a lever to force open doors: also called a Jenny, and now a Jemmy.
1700Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) IV. 687 One of the persons that broke open the exchequer was taken..he was discovered by the smith who made the betty and saw. 1707E. Ward Hud. Rediv. II. ix. 7 Ruffians, who, with Crows and Betties, Break Houses. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull (J.) Describing the powerful betty or the artful picklock. 1721Bailey, Bettee. 1755Johnson, Betty.
5. Betty lamp (see quots.).
1893A. Earle Customs Old New England iv. 125 Betty lamps..were a shallow receptacle..with a projecting nose an inch or two long..they were filled with tallow or grease, and a wick..was placed so that the lighted end could hang on the nose. 1952J. Gloag Dict. Furn. iii. 141 Betty lamp, a type of lamp used in America during the 18th century... It resembles the Scottish type of hanging lamp known as a cruisie. 1957Encycl. Brit. XIV. 101/2 The Betty lamp of the Pilgrims (1620)..was equipped for hanging from mantelpieces or shelves. |