释义 |
pre-ˈwar, a. and adv. A. adj. [pre- B. 2.] Pertaining to or characteristic of the period before a war, esp. the wars of 1914–18 and of 1939–45.
1908Daily Chron. 24 Apr. 7/3 The Transvaal Government..are thoroughly honest—a great difference from the pre-war days. 1915Political Q. May 90 The relations of the engineers (employers and workmen) were governed by two separate pre⁓war agreements. The earlier..made in 1911,..the second..dated April 1914. 1917[see foggy a. 5 b]. 1926Galsworthy Silver Spoon iii. vii. 277 How stupid and pre-war! Why couldn't he, like her, be free, be supple, take life as it came? 1928Publishers' Weekly 30 June 2617 The government of France has succeeded in stabilizing the franc at 25·52 to the dollar, approximately one-fifth of its pre-war ratio. 1938Encycl. Brit. Bk. of Year 20/1 Tricycle undercarriages familiar in pre-war days, have been re-introduced in modernized form for greater safety in high-speed landings. 1942E. Paul Narrow St. xxix. 260 What dealt our pre-war world its mortal blow was the supine cowardice and hypocrisy of so-called democrats. 1946R.A.F. Jrnl. May 172 All the women were free..to resume their pre-war occupation... Already they have resumed their pre-war studies. 1958Listener 6 Nov. 719/1 He [sc. Lord Montgomery] has severe and deserved strictures on the pre-war governments for their failure to bring the army up to date. 1975New Yorker 28 Apr. 112/2 The Thai Nguyen steelworks now produces only pig iron, but planners hope that in two or three years it will regain its prewar capacity of a hundred and seventy thousand metric tons of steel annually. 1977Times 22 Apr. 2/8 The pre-war, Spanish-style house has..indoor swimming pool. B. adv. [pre- B. 2 c.] Before a war, esp. the wars of 1914–18 and of 1939–45.
1920Econ. Conditions Central Europe i. 12 Four million tons of coal were imported annually pre-war, mainly to Petrograd and Baltic ports. 1923Westm. Gaz. 25 Aug. 4/5 The new tourist hails from districts and from classes which, pre-war, never dreamed of leaving England. 1928Daily Tel. 4 Sept. 9/6 Some time pre-war there was a large contract out for tender from a foreign Government for water tanks. 1959Times Lit. Suppl. 24 Apr. 288/4 The turnover of land is low, indicating a considerable decrease in distress sales as compared with pre-war. 1974Daily Tel. 17 July 18 Pre-war, the 1933 Wimbledon final..bears a similarity to this last championship. |