| 释义 |
Rafferty Austral. and N.Z. slang.|ˈræfətɪ|
[Eng. dial. corruption of refractory (Eng. Dial. Dict.).]
Used attrib. or in the possessive, as Rafferty('s) rules, no rules at all, esp. in boxing.
The customary initial capital suggests that the word is felt by many to be the Irish surname Rafferty.
1928Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Jan. 37/4 M.Q. (and Rafferty) Rules. 1935Sydney Morning Herald 28 Dec. 11 Rafferty rules may suit Mr Keenan and the Communist party, but they are repugnant to the trade union movement. 1941Baker Dict. Austral. Slang 58 Rafferty rules, no rules at all, applied to any system, organisation or contest run in slip⁓shod fashion. 1958A. Wall Queen's English xxxii. 112, I do not know that the Queensberry Rules ever acquired any figurative usage; but the ‘Rafferty Rules’ certainly did. This term means no rules at all; in Australian, and hence New Zealand slang, it means any free and easy way of running things; ‘Rafferty’ here is thought to be an English dialect corruption of ‘refractory’. 1964H. P. Tritton Time means Tucker (ed. 2) 34 The Show adjourned at noon for the races. They seemed to be run on the ‘Rafferty Rules’ principle, but I heard no complaints. 1974Bulletin (Sydney) 18 May 63 Rafferty's rules predominate. 1977Financial Times 17 May 37/8 Because of the nature of the town and its ‘Rafferty's rules’ violence is a way of life and it is a well known haunt for criminals and tribal outcasts. |