| 释义 |
ˈblack-letter, black letter, ˈblackletter
1. A name (which came into use about 1600) for the form of type used by the early printers, as distinguished from the ‘Roman’ type, which subsequently prevailed. A form of it is still in regular use in Germany, and in occasional use (under the name of ‘Gothic’ or ‘Old English’) for fancy printing in England.
1640–4Charge agst. Abp. Canterb. in Rushworth Hist. Coll. iii. (1692) I. 115 His diligence to send for the Printer, and directing him to prepare a Black Letter, and to send it to his Servants at Edenburgh, for Printing this Book. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull ii. vii. (1727) 60 The Seven champions in the black-letter. 1871Earle Philol. Eng. Tong. §99 The form which is known to us as ‘Black Letter,’ and which was hardly less rectilinear than the old Runes themselves.
2. That which is printed in this type.
1811Byron Hints fr. Hor. 101 note, This is the millennium of black letter. 1860Hawthorne Marb. Faun I. xxiv. 263 Like a page of black letter, taken from the history of the Italian republics.
3. attrib. (Usually with hyphen, or as one word.)
1791Maxwell in Boswell Johnson an. 1770, He loved..the old black-letter books. 1800Ritson Rob. Hood ii. iv, From an old black-letter copy. 1808W. Irving Salmag. xviii. (1860) 410 There was a certain black-letter dignity in the name. 1820― Sketch Bk. II. 90 He was a complete black-letter hunter. 1845Ld. Campbell Chancellors (1857) IV. lxxiv. 6 Not much of a lawyer compared with the black⁓letter men of these days. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 31 He scornfully thrust aside..all that blackletter learning. 1862Burton Bk. Hunter i. 18 He was not a black-letter man, or a tall-copyist, or an uncut man. 1864Reader 23 July 105/1 The collection of black-letter ballads.
4. black letter day: an inauspicious day; as distinguished from a red letter (or auspicious) day: the reference being to the old custom of marking the saints'-days in the calendar with red letters.
1757Smollett Reprisal i. ii. (1777) 135 O! the month of November, She'll have cause to remember, As a black letter day all the days of her life.
Hence ˈblack-ˌlettered ppl. a.
1820Scott Abbot xxxii, Endeavouring..to fix her..attention on the black-lettered Bible which lay before her. |