| 释义 |
▪ I. scram, n.1|skræm|
[Var. scran n.]
= scran n. 2.
1831S. Lover Legends & Stories Ireland 96 Bad scram to you, you thick-headed vagabone. Ibid. Gloss. Bad scram, bad food. 1881J. Sargisson Joe Scoap 148 He cot a model eh what he thowt t'shap on't sud be, oot of a lump eh baykin-scram. a1935[see aid n. 1 b]. 1936F. Clune Roaming round Darling xxiv. 246 After unloading flour, spuds, tea, sugar—every kind of scram, we lobbed inside the house.
▪ II. scram, n.2 Nucl. Physics.|skræm|
[f. scram v.3]
The rapid shutting down of a nuclear reactor, usu. in an emergency. Freq. attrib.
Both this word and scram v.3 are possibly derived from scram v.2
1953Nucleonics June 40/2 Momentary-contact types [of push button] used to operate..scram circuits. 1955Ibid. Sept. 53/2 Scram is initiated if preset power level is exceeded by 20%. 1959New Scientist 26 Mar. 696/3 The [Nautilus submarine] Mark I had a constant plague of ‘scrams’ from such slight causes as vibration from a crew member's walking through the reactor compartment. 1968F. Kertesz Lang. Nuclear Sci. (Oak Ridge Nat. Lab. TM 2367) 21 During the experiment that culminated on December 2, 1942 in the accomplishment of the first controlled nuclear chain reaction, a safety rod was held by a rope running through the pile and weighted on the opposite end. The young physicist in charge was told to watch the indicator; if it exceeded a certain value he was to cut the rope and scram. Since then the term scram is used to designate the emergency shutdown of a reactor. Today the urgency is lost and the word scram indicates simply a fast-shutdown operation. 1973D. R. Inglis Nuclear Energy iv. 117 Emergency shutdown or scram equipment must be very sure to function properly.
▪ III. scram, a. s.w. dial.|skræm|
Also skram.
[Cogn. w. scram v.1]
Abnormally small, insignificant-looking, puny. scram hand, a withered hand (Elworthy, West Som. Gloss.); hence Comb. scram-handed adj.
1825J. Jennings Dial. W. Eng. 69 Skram adj., awkward; stiff, as if benumbed. Ibid., Skram-handed adj., having the fingers or joints of the hand in such a state that it can with difficulty be used; an imperfect hand. 1853G. P. R. Pulman Rustic Sk. (1871) Gloss., Scram, small, puny. ‘What a scram cheeld!’ 1872Hardy Under Greenw. Tree v, There's sure to be some poor little scram reason for't. 1891― Tess xxix, I'd ha' knocked him down wi' the rolling-pin—a scram little feller like he!
▪ IV. scram, v.1 s.w. dial.|skræm|
Also 9 scramb, skram.
[var. of shram v.; cf. OE. scrimman (once; ? str. vb.) to shrivel, shrink.]
pass. To be paralysed; to be benumbed (with cold). Also transf. of a wheel. Hence ˈscrammed ppl. a.
[c1400Beryn 2381 A Crepill..with hondis al for-skramyd.] 1697R. Pierce Bath Mem. i. x. 235 He..being..willing to play; but, not having a ready Use of his Lower Parts, could not, but was Scramm'd, drawn up altogether. 1825J. Jennings Dial. W. Eng. 69 To Skram v. a., to benumb with cold. 1847Halliwell, Scrambed, deprived of the use of some limb by a nervous contraction of the muscles. Somerset. 1876Hardy Ethelberta xlii, On a frosty winter night he'll keep me there..till my arms be scrammed for want of motion. 1894B. Whitby Mary Fenwick's Dau. III. iii. 63 When the engine stops, her wheels get clogged up, and scrambed [with snow].
▪ V. scram, v.2 slang (orig. U.S.).|skræm|
[Prob. abbrev. of scramble v.; but cf. G. schramm imp. sing. of schrammen to go, depart, run away.]
intr. To depart quickly. Freq. imp.
1928W. Winchell in N.Y. Evening Graphic 4 Oct. 23 His [sc. Jack Conway's] popular slang creations include..‘scram’, meaning ‘git out!’ 1933Punch 11 Jan. 29/3 Son, beat ut, d'ya get me?—Gwawn—S-C-R-R-A-M! 1937D. L. Sayers Busman's Honeymoon iv. 84 Well, I must scram. 1940N. Mitford Pigeon Pie iv. 75 She gave a sort of shriek..and scrammed. 1947D. M. Davin Gorse blooms Pale 172 You tell her to scram. 1952J. Cannan Body in Beck vii. 146 ‘Perhaps you would be good enough to withdraw.’..Sebastian said, ‘He means scram.’ 1962Wodehouse Service with Smile vii. 97 Go away, boy!’ he boomed. ‘You mean ‘Scram!’, don't you, chum?’ said George, who liked to get these things right. 1973A. Hunter Gently French xi. 96 Kindly hook it... I just want you to scram.
▪ VI. scram, v.3 Nucl. Physics.|skræm|
[Etym. unkn., but see note s.v. scram n.2]
a. trans. To shut down (a nuclear reactor), usu. in an emergency.
1950Amer. Speech XXV. 27 The point of neutron intensity at which the reactor is ‘scrammed’—shut down, automatically or otherwise. 1953Nucleonics Jan. 40/2 The operator is provided with a control console from which he can change the position of rods, switch into automatic control, and scram the reactor. 1959New Scientist 26 Mar. 695/3 A highly sensitive system of eighty different control circuits was designed to anticipate any dangerous instability of the reactor and within a fraction of a second initiate an emergency shutdown, or in the jargon of the nuclear engineer, ‘scram’ the reactor. 1973D. R. Inglis Nuclear Energy iv. 95 The current can also be used, when it gets too strong, to trigger the emergency control rods and ‘scram’ or shut down the reactor. 1975Nature 16 Oct. 526/1 At 1251, the operator decided to shut the reactor down by inserting the control rods into the core, thereby cutting off the chain reaction (in operator's parlance, he manually ‘scrammed’ the reactor).
b. intr. Of a nuclear reactor: to shut down, usu. in an emergency.
1957Nucleonics Feb. 56/3 After a reactor scrams, the question immediately arises: What circuit caused the scram and what happened during shutdown? 1979New Scientist 19 Apr. 174/1 At 2350 lb/sq. in, the reactor automatically ‘scrammed’ and seconds later the pressure began to drop.
Hence ˈscramming vbl. n.
1958Nucleonics May 64 The entire basis for scramming..may well need to be re-examined for future power reactors. |