| 释义 |
▪ I. racer1|ˈreɪsə(r)|
[f. race v.1 + -er1.]
1. One who races or takes part in a race.
1649Lovelace Poems 30 Flye on, flye on swift Racer. 1717Berkeley Tour in Italy 22 Jan. Wks. 1871 IV. 533 Two towers where the racers used to prepare themselves. 1743Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 150 They rode backwards and forwards like Racers. 1818Keats Endym. ii. 932 Some breathless racers, whose hopes poise Upon the last few steps. 1879Browning Pheidippides 94 Henceforth be allowed thee release From the racer's toil.
fig.1742Young Nt. Th. ix. 2388 Leave the racers of the world their own, Their feather, and their froth.
2. a. A race-horse.
1670Evelyn Diary 22 July, The jockeys breathing their fine barbs and racers. 1719D'Urfey Pills IV. 13 On Pads, Hawkers, Hunters, on Higlers and Racers. 1768R. Wall (title) A Dissertation on breeding Horses,..an attempt to promote thereby the Breed of Racers and Horses in general. 1833Marryat P. Simple (1863) 211 As much difference..as there is between a racer and a cart-horse. 1887M. E. Braddon Like & Unlike i, He hasn't a racer's head.
b. Any animal having great speed, or fit for racing; spec. a North American snake belonging to the genera Coluber or Masticophis, esp. a variety of C. constrictor, and as the name of a sand-crab, and of some varieties of American lake-trout.
1699Dorset To Mr. E. Howard 22 All the swift-finn'd Racers of the Flood. 1711Shaftesbury Charac. (1737) II. 303 'Tis thus the aerial racers are able to perform so rapid and strong a motion. 1823E. James Acct. Exploring Exped. Pittsburgh to Rocky Mts. I. 267 Coluber constrictor—Racer. 1864–5Wood Homes without H. 90 Another Land Crab, which..is popularly called the Racer,..is a native of Ceylon. 1866J. C. Gregg Life in Army 18 This species, were called racers on account of their great speed. 1884Goode Nat. Hist. Usef. Aquatic Anim. 488 Two varieties [of lake-trout] are also recognized, one..known as ‘Reef Trout’, or when very large are called ‘Racers’. 1898Westm. Gaz. 25 Oct. 5/1 The ‘carrier’ pigeon has become a show bird; so have the ‘Antwerp’, which succeeded it as a racer, and the ‘homer’. 1900Ann. Rep. Bd. Regents Smithsonian Inst. 1898 794 The Zamenis constrictor is the ‘black snake’ of the East and the ‘blue’ and ‘green racer’ of the West. 1926J. K. Strecker in J. F. Dobie Rainbow in Morning 76 W. S. Blatchley..speaker of many ‘lies’ about the blue racer, or blacksnake. 1946J. Stuart Tales from Plum Grove Hills 85 They slid to the foot of the mountain like racer snakes before a new-ground fire. 1954R. C. Stebbins Amphibians & Reptiles Western N. Amer. 373/2 When foraging, like most racers, the head and neck are held well above the ground. 1969A. Bellairs Life of Reptiles I. iii. 103 Even the fastest snakes such as the North American racers and whip-snakes..cannot exceed more than about four miles an hour.
3. a. Anything used for racing, as a bicycle, yacht, etc.; anything capable of great speed.
1793Cowper A Tale 30 A ship!.. This racer of the sea. 1885Cyclist 19 Aug. 1107/1 Bicycles... Rudge racer, only ridden in ten races. 1895Westm. Gaz. 15 Aug. 3/2 No train..is timed to do the journey quicker than the above racers. 1903Sci. Amer. 8 Aug. 96/1 Barney Oldfield, on the Ford-Cooper racer..has been steadily lowering track records. 1923[see chirpily adv.]. 1935A. J. Cronin Stars look Down iii. viii. 553 They swooped and soared and dived from giddy heights on the Giant Racer until the whole glittering Fun Fair spun around them in one glorious daze. 1974D. Ramsay No Cause to Kill ii. 158, I wanted a bicycle, and she ran right out and bought me an English racer. 1978Dumfries Courier 20 Oct. 11/1 The newcomers range from fairly basic family saloons to the exotic Mazda RX7 and BMW's M1 sports racer.
b. Mech. A part of a machine having an unusually rapid motion.
1875Knight Dict. Mech. 355/2 When the braid is to be laid up flat,..each racer, as the spindle holders are called, makes a single course. 1882Standard 23 Aug. 2/4 The ‘racer’, which is a half circle, and attached to the machinery, came down with terrific force.
4. Gunnery. A rail, forming a horizontal arc, on which the carriage or traversing-platform of a gun is moved.
1861Times 30 May, The carriages work on raised racers—that is, semi-circular lines of metal raised about 1½ inch above the terre-pleine. 1879Man. Artill. Exerc. 255 The racer is secured to the bedding-plate by steel bolts. 1883Nares Constr. Ironclad 9 If a broadside ship, racers and gun ports are fitted.
5. An article of clothing designed in a racing style; spec. (pl.) a pair of swimming trunks (Austral. and N.Z.).
1969New Yorker 20 Sept. 149/2 (Advt.), Baby him with our soft, zip-front creepers... Racer in medium blue. 1971Telegraph (Brisbane) 21 Sept. 18/1 (Advt.), Ash boys racers in bright florals..and plain colours. 1977N.Z. Herald 8 Jan. 2–4/8 (Advt.), Speedo togs in quick-drying Bri-nylon. Racers, boys..$4.75.
▪ II. racer2 rare.|ˈreɪsə(r)|
[f. race v.3]
†1. A scalpel, razor n. Obs. rare—0.
1570Levins Manip. 72 A racer, scalprum.
2. Hort. (See quot.)
1819Rees Cycl. XXIX, Racer, in Gardening, a name applied to a sort of sward-cutter, or cutting implement, used in racing out or cutting through the surface of grass sward. |