| 释义 |
blue sky, blue-sky
[blue a. 1.]
1. attrib. Having the pleasant appearance of a blue sky; by extension, with difficulties ignored, unrealistic; spec. blue-sky book (orig. U.S.): see quot. 1956. Also, fanciful, hypothetical; not practical or profitable in the current state of knowledge or technological development (also blue skies).
1895Daily News 2 Nov. 6/3 Paintings of Venice..which may be described as a blue sky series, so cheerful and gay is the aspect under which this artist generally views the picturesque city. 1920W. Hard Raymond Robins' Own Story iii. 136 Lenin and Trotzky never gave me any blue-sky talk. They never promised unless they had the will and the power to deliver. 1956Observer 15 Jan., Blue Sky Books are those literary works which, without any specific technique or expert knowledge, tell us their authors' views on the nature and purpose and proper conduct of human life. 1957H. Croome Forgotten Place iv. 55 The manuscript in this case is a blue-sky book, about to regenerate family life. 1967Economist 18 Nov. 766/2 ‘The possible development, necessarily long-term, of the vast reserves of oil locked in non-conventional sources such as the Western Hemisphere oilsands and shales.’ This is blue-sky stuff, the real security is now seen to lie in boosting oil stocks. 1977Time 21 Feb. 48/2 The first is to put faith in blue-sky technologies, such as development of solar and geothermal power. 1985Times 19 Apr. 13/4 If..the cutting edge of blue skies research becomes somewhat blunted, [etc.].
2. Used attrib. to denote dealing in doubtful or worthless securities, or legislation relating to this. (The allusion is supposed to be to one ready to sell the ‘blue sky’ to a credulous buyer.)
1906C. R. Wooldridge Grafters of Amer. 48 They were what I would term ‘blue sky and hot air’ securities. 1912N.Y. Even. Post 13 Jan., Financ. Suppl. 3 The ‘Blue Sky’ law of Kansas prohibits the sale..of stock or bonds of any company chartered outside the State, unless [etc.]. 1921Springfield Weekly Republ. 3 Mar. 1 The origin of ‘blue sky law’—legislation providing for State regulation of the sale of corporate securities—is middle western. 1948Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl. II. vii. 149 Carruth..suggested that blue-sky, to indicate a bad investment, might be from the German blauer dunst. |