| 释义 |
▪ I. snell, n. U.S.|snɛl|
[Of obscure origin.]
A short line of gut or horsehair by which a fish-hook is attached to a longer line.
1846Spirit of Times 9 May 126/2 [The bass] was taken with a jointed rod, with a single gut snell, after half an hour's play. 1859Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 238 Leader, a length of finely twisted hair, gut, or grass, for attaching an angler's hook to the line; a bottom. Called also a Snell. 1883Cent. Mag. July 381/2 Reeling up his line to the snell of the hook. 1894Outing XXIV. 452/2, I..rigged the strongest leader and the heaviest snell and hook in my box.
▪ II. snell, a. and adv. In later use Sc. and north.|snɛl|
Also 1–5 snel, 3 snæll, 4–5 snelle.
[Common Teut.: OE. snel, snell, = OS. (MLG. and LG., MDu. and Du.), OHG. (MHG.) snel, snell- (G. schnell), swift, quick, active, etc., ON. snjallr (Icel. snjallur, Norw. snjall, snjell, snell; Sw. snäll, Da. snild); the Scand. languages exhibit a great variety of senses.]
A. adj.
1. a. Of persons: Quick in movement or action; prompt, smart, active, strenuous; † good.
In ME. freq. as a general epithet of commendation. In later Sc. use tending towards the sense of ‘sharp, keen’.
Beowulf 2971 Ne meahte se snella sunu Wonredes ealdum ceorle hondslyht ᵹiofan. a1000Bi Monna Cræftum 52 (Gr.), Sum bið ryniᵹ,..sum on londe snel, feþespediᵹ. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 13 Þat man be waker, and liht, and snel,.. and erliche rise. c1250Meid. Maregrete lv, Olibrius heitte þe mai ut of prisun don; Ðe sergaunz were snelle ant broutten hire son. a1300Body & Soul in Map's Poems 334 Ȝwere ben thine cokes snelle, that scholden gon greithe thi mete? 1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 132 Of messengers fulle snelle he sent hider to loke. c1425Seven Sag. (P.) 316 The messangers were ful snelle, Hastilich the way thay nomen. c1450Cov. Myst. xii. (Shaks. Soc.) 121 Byd hym with Mary abyde and dwelle, For it [is] my sone ful snelle That she is with i-wys.
1720Ramsay Edinb.'s Salut. to Ld. Carnarvon vi, That in ilk action, wise and snell, You may shaw manly fire. 1721― Elegy Patie Birnie ix, Jove's nimble son and leckie snell Made the first fiddle of a shell. 1768Ross Helenore 9 Fu' o' good nature, sharp an' snell with a'. 1817[R. D. C. Brown] Lintoun Green 91 The Smith, black, bardy, wee, and snell, Served round the nappy ale. 1859J. Brown Rab & Fr. (1891) 10/2 That horny-handed, snell, peremptory little man. 1889J. Robertson Early Relig. Israel (1892) iii. 57 Amos is a lithe, keen, snell man.
absol.a1000Judith 199 (Gr.), Þa wearð snelra werod snude ᵹeᵹearewod. a1250Owl & Night. 526 Þanne erest hit is isene Hwar is þe snelle, hwar þe kene.
b. Similarly of animals (or things). ? Obs.
a1000Phœnix 123 (Gr.), Se haswa fuᵹel..fareð feþrum snell flyhte on lyfte. a1000Andreas 505 On brim snoweð snel under seᵹle. a1250Owl & Night. 918 Þu farest so doþ on yde[l] wel Þat springeþ bi burne þat is snel. 13..Guy Warw. (A.) 4668 Mi stede þai han, þat is so snelle. a1450Le Morte Arth. 2234 Stedys that were bolde and snelle. 1481Caxton Reynard xxxix. (Arb.) 106 So subtyl and snelle was the foxe, that many tymes whan the wulf wende wel to be sure of hym, he sterte thenne bytwene his legges. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 25 Thay [sc. solan geese] ar sa snell and suift of flicht.
†c. Const. to (with n. or inf.). Obs.
c1150Canterb. Ps. xiii. 3 [6] Hiræ fet hræþe vel snelle to æᵹiotænæ vel to scedende blod. c1275Sinners Beware 41 in O.E. Misc. 73 Ne may no tunge telle..of þare pyne of helle; Þar-to we beoþ to snelle. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 437 Hie boldus to bulde be we not snelle. 13..Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. (1901) 558 To fleo folye be snelle. c1400Rowland & O. 403 To arme hym wele þay were full snelle.
2. Keen-witted, clever, sharp, acute, smart.
c1425Seven Sages (P.) 53 The mayster was wys and snel. c1440York Myst. xli. 111 Melachiell, that proffett snell, Hais tolde vs of that babb so bright. a1450Myrc 121 Teche hem alle to be war and snel, That they conne sey þe wordes wel. 1719Ramsay First Answ. Hamilton x, Europe had nane mair snack and snell At verse or prose. 1861J. Brown Horæ Subs. II. 273 He had no want..of quick, snell remark, often witty and full of spirit.
3. Severe, sharp, unsparing.
a1425Cursor M. 16628 (Trin.), Sore þei auȝte him drede: Þe folke þat were so snelle [Cott. fell]. a1560Rolland Crt. Venus iv. 184 [To] caus Ladeis to..be haldin..Baith odious, and snell as ane serpent. 1742R. Forbes Ajax (1755) 17 Fa wi' snell words him sair did snib. 1816Scott Antiq. xxi, He's snell and dure eneugh in casting up their nonsense to them, as if he had nane o' his ain. 1833M. Scott Tom Cringle xii, Conscience is a rough lad,..and I am keen and snell also.
4. Of weather; Keen, bitter, severe.
a1300Cursor M. 6018 Þe seuend on-sand þat siþen fell, Was a weder ful selcut snell [Gött. fell]. 1375Barbour Bruce iii. 377 Sa hard anoy thaim then assayit, Off hungir, cauld, with schowris snell. 1513Douglas æneid vii. Prol. 139 Chiverand for cauld, the sessoun was so snell. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 342 The snaw so snell ay dryvand with sic drift. 1677Nicolson in Trans. R. Soc. Lit. (1870) IX. 319 Snell, sharp, bitter. 1785Burns To a Mouse iv, Bleak December's winds ensuin, Baith snell an' keen! 1822Blackw. Mag. XI. 119 The wintry air is snell and keen. 1881R. Buchanan God & the Man III. 209 We..passed the snell season without the loss of a single soul aboard.
5. a. Grievous, heavy, stinging; rigorous; painful.
a1300Cursor M. 7759 O þis batail þat was sa snell, Þe force a-pon þe king it fell. 13..Ibid. 16638 (Gött), Þai gaue him buffetes snell. 14..Sir Beues (E) 4312 + 147 In hys hand a mase ful snel, Þat was maad off good steel. 1755Ramsay To J. Clerk 88 [He] gave the scarlet whore a box Mair snell than all the pelts of Knox. 1790A. Wilson 2nd Ep. to Kennedy Poet. Wks. (c 1846) 117 This is the last, the snellest lick, That I'll e'er get frae Fortune's stick. 1824Scott Redgauntlet ch. xi, That was a snell law. 1879J. White Jottings 154 (E.D.D.), Bear life's rebuffs, Tho' they're aft unco snell.
b. Sharp-tasted; pungent.
1835Carrick Laird Logan 172 (E.D.D.), That's just the mustard I mean, an gay snell mustard he is whiles.
6. Shrill, clear-sounding.
c1730Robin Hood & Bp. of Hereford vii. in Child Ballads III. 198/2 He put his horn in to his mouth, And a snell blast he did blow. c1820Beattie Arnha' (1826) 58 Douff like drum, and snell like cymble.
B. adv.
1. Quickly, promptly, swiftly.
a1300Cursor M. 14946 Wat yee breþer qui..I weind again sua snell? 13..Guy Warw. (A.) 801 His ost him answerd snelle, ‘Of þat turnament y schal ȝou telle’. c1420Chron. Vilod. 556 Hom aȝeyn he come fulle snelle. 1895Crockett Men of Moss Hags xlvii, We held fast and snell to the eastward.
2. Vigorously, strongly, keenly, etc.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 1322 (Kölbing), Þe messangers bad him þo telle, Whi it was he louȝ so snelle. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxix. (Placidas) 519 Ȝet wes lewit hym a schele to schrape his scabbis rycht snel. a1400–50Alexander 3995 Sire Porrus..him on þe pan strikis So snelle at he snatirs with. c1470Henry Wallace ii. 250 He saw, As to hys sycht, dede had him swappyt snell. 1728Ramsay Robt., Richy, & Sandy (1877) II. 5 Ae rough night the blatt'ring winds blew snell. 1773Fergusson Auld Reekie 35 Poems 1789 II. 93 Antrin fock may ken how snell Auld Reikie will at morning smell. 1884R. Buchanan The Lights of Leith i. i, While the wintry gale..Blew snell thro' sail and shroud.
Hence ˈsnellness, sharpness, keenness.
1915J. Buchan Salute to Adventurers i. 15 That bold girl singing a martial ballad to the storm and taking pleasure in the snellness of the air.
▪ III. snell, v. U.S.
[f. snell n.]
trans. To tie or fasten (a hook) to a line. Hence snelled ppl. a.
1891in Cent. Dict. 1893Outing XXII. 123/2 Well-made, securely wrapped, double-snelled Aberdeen..are very satisfactory hooks. 1960Washington Post 29 Apr. d9 The somewhat cumbersome assembly of one or more spinner blades ahead of a snelled or long-shanked hook. 1976Billings (Montana) Gaz. 28 June 2-d (Advt), Packages of 6 snelled hooks. |