| 释义 |
▪ I. brownie1|ˈbraʊnɪ|
Also 8 browny, and with capital initial.
[denominative f. brown, with somewhat of diminutive force: cf. the ON. svartálfar or dark elves of the Edda. A ‘wee brown man’ often appears in Scottish ballads and fairy tales.]
1. A benevolent spirit or goblin, of shaggy appearance, supposed to haunt old houses, esp. farmhouses, in Scotland, and sometimes to perform useful household work while the family were asleep.
1513Douglas æneis vi. Prol. 18 All is bot gaistis and elriche fantasies, Of browneis and of bogillis full this buke. 1781M. Martin Descr. W. Isl. (1716) 391 It is not long since every family of any considerable substance in these Islands [Shetland] was haunted by a Spirit they called Browny, which did several sorts of work. 1802Scott Minstr. Bord. Introd. 41 The Brownie formed a class of beings, distinct in habit and disposition from the freakish and mischievous elves. 1847C. Brontë J. Eyre xxxvii. (D.) You talk of my being a fairy, but I am sure you are more like a brownie.
2. [Named from the colour of their uniform.] A member of the junior section of the organization known as the ‘Girl Guides’. Also attrib.
1916Home Chat 30 Sept. 558 For the younger girls who are not eleven, and therefore not old enough to become Girl Guides, the Brownie movement has been started. 1918Baden-Powell Girl Guiding 23 In the Brownie Pack every Brownie obeys the wishes of the leader. Ibid. 24 When a girl has passed her test as a recruit she is admitted into her Six as a Brownie. 1959I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. viii. 123 Scout's, Cub's, Guide's and Brownie's honour, are the only pledges deliberately sown by adults to have taken root.
3. Special Comb.: Brownie point colloq. (orig. U.S.) [prob. a development from brown-nose s.v. brown a. 7, but popularly associated with sense 2 above and hence freq. spelled with capital initial], a notional credit for an achievement; favour in the eyes of another, esp. gained by sycophantic or servile behaviour.
1963Amer. Speech XXXVIII. 169 To curry favor with a professor: brown nose..brownie..get *brownie points. 1971M. Tak Truck Talk 19 Brownie points, theoretical points gained by a trucker who goes out of his way to do a favor for a dispatcher. 1976N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone vii. 169, I said it was his big chance to make Brownie points with the old man. 1980Daily Tel. 6 Sept. 19/3 Overall, the societies are considered more friendly than the banks though the banks get brownie points for speed in dealing with transactions. 1986Times Educ. Suppl. 9 May 6/3 The clause would not be used to ‘punish’ teachers. Those who took part in extra activities would get a Brownie point, he said, but classroom effectiveness would be the prime test of a teacher's success.
▪ II. brownie2, browny|ˈbraʊnɪ|
[Subst. use of browny a.]
1. A sweet bread made with brown sugar and currants. Austral. and N.Z.
1883J. Edge-Partington Random Rot vii. 312 Each with a huge hunch of ‘browny’ (bread sweetened with brown sugar and currants) in one hand. 1900H. Lawson On Track 129 Pile of ‘brownie’ on the bare black boards at the end of the table. 1908Mrs. A. Gunn We of Never-Never xxiii. 331 Half the Vealer, another huge pudding, several yard of sweet currant ‘brownie’. 1959H. P. Tritton Time means Tucker v. 39/1 He called us over to have a mug of tea and a hunk of brownie.
2. A small square of rich, usu. chocolate, cake containing nuts. U.S.
1897Sears, Roebuck Catal. 17/3 Fancy Crackers, Biscuits, Etc... Brownies, in 1 lb. papers. 1954J. Steinbeck Sweet Thursday xii. 80 Do you like brownies? 1968L. J. Braun Cat who turned on & off (1969) x. 96 On her tray were chocolate brownies..frosted chocolate squares topped with walnut halves.
3. An angler's name for the trout.
1914Chambers's Jrnl. July 432/2, I got him into the net at last, a thick, deep-bodied brownie of pounds weight. 1928Observer 22 July 28/2 It is a difficult matter to creel a brace or so of brownies. The trout are there, but they stir not. |