| 释义 |
ˈsealing-wax
[f. sealing vbl. n.1]
a. In early use, beeswax or a composition containing this, in later use a composition consisting of shellac, rosin, and turpentine, prepared for the purpose of receiving the impression of seals. Also attrib.
The modern ‘sealing-wax’ resembles wax in its fusibility and its plasticity when softened by heat, but its superior hardness when solidified renders it more capable of receiving a sharp and durable impression. It is usually coloured scarlet with vermilion, but black sealing wax is used for mourning, and green, blue, etc. for reasons of ornament.
13..Test. Christi 143 in Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 647 Þe selyng-wax was deore abouȝt,..And tempred al wiþ vermiloun Of my rede blod þat ran doun. 1580–1Act 23 Eliz. c. 8 §3 Wares wrought with Waxe, as..Staff-Torches, Red Waxe or Sealing Waxe. 1694Phil. Trans. XVIII. 194, I covered the Cork with Sealing-wax. 1712tr. Pomet's Hist. Drugs I. 204 Black sealing Wax is..colour'd with Smoak Black. 1849Noad Electricity (ed. 3) 28 Mr. Woodward strongly recommends the covering the glass pillars..with sealing-wax varnish. 1894S. R. Bottone Electr. Instr. 191 The top of the cork must also be well coated with sealing wax.
b. Used attrib., esp. as sealing-wax red, to designate a bright red colour, vermilion.
1907Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 156/2 These Colours Kept in Stock..Sealing wax red..Sky..Stone. 1912Mrs. P. Campbell Let. Aug. in B. Shaw & Mrs. Campbell (1952) 35 The scullery maids..with their bloody nails and sealing-wax lips make my hair stand on end. 1930[see post-office red s.v. post office 3]. 1930A. P. Herbert Water Gipsies xxv. 380 Her lips were the hot sealing-wax lips which she knew he hated. 1939Burlington Mag. Oct. 162/2 About 1550 the famous ‘sealing-wax red’ first appears on Turkish pottery. 1957[see Isnik]. |