| 释义 |
▪ I. † cert, adv. Obs.
[a. OF. cert adj. and adv.:—L. cert-us sure, settled, determined, certē surely, certainly. The adj. use does not appear in Eng. (exc. as in 2), and prob. the adverbial use is mixed up with that of certes.]
1. Certainly, certes, of a truth.
c1300K. Alis. 5803 So hy ben delited in that art That wery ne ben hy neuere, cert. c1330Arth. & Merl. 3569 Thir while the knightes cert Were y-went into desert.
2. Phrase. in cert: of a certainty, in truth.
c1440Launfal 297, I dar well say yn sert.
▪ II. cert, n. slang.|sɜːt|
Also cert. (with full stop).
[Abbrev. of certain a., certainty.]
A certainty (esp. in phr. a dead cert); spec. in horse-racing, a horse that is considered certain to win.
1889Man of the World 29 June 3/2 Love-in-Idleness is bound to take the Rous Memorial, and I hear Pioneer is a cert. for the St. James's. 1889G. & W. Grossmith Diary of Nobody in Punch 2 Mar. 97/1 It is not speculation—it's a dead cert. 1899T. M. Ellis 3 Cat's-eye Rings 32 Tatwood, you know—the trainer—he tips me all the certs. 1904E. Nesbit Phoenix & Carpet vii. 128 Aunt Emma would be out to a dead cert. 1906E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands i. 8 This is somethin' er cut above you, for er cert. 1927S. Kaye-Smith in Sunday Express 11 Sept. 9 They had guessed for a cert where he was. 1936Auden & Isherwood Ascent of F6 ii. 73 We'll be able to start tomorrow for a cert. |