| 释义 |
splay foot, splay-foot
[f. splay v.1]
1. a. A flat, spread out, clumsy foot, esp. one which turns outwards.
1548Elyot, Plancus, he that hath a splaie foote. 1586Sidney Arcadia i. iii. (1912) 21 Only her face and her splayfoote have made her accused for a witch. 1611Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girl iv. ii, Have not many handsome legs in silk stockings villanous splay feet? 1816Scott Old Mort. vi, Splay feet of unusual size, long thin hands [etc.]. 1862Merivale Rom. Emp. lxiv. (1865) VIII. 81 The splay foot of the mountain peasant girl. 1877A. B. Edwards Up Nile x. 283 The camels planted their splay feet obstinately in the sand.
fig.1838Lytton Alice vii. iii, To have his gentle tenor crushed..by the heavy splay foot of Mr. Tiddy's manly bars..was insufferable.
b. Used as a term of abuse.
1612Shelton Quix. i. iv. vi. 45 Good man Splay-foot, unmannerly Clown.
2. attrib. = splay-footed a. Obs. or rare.
1631Dekker Match Mee ii. 25 Th'art a damn'd Bawd: A soaking, sodden, splay-foot, ill-fac'd Bawd. 1690D'Urfey Collin's Walk thro' Lond. 53 Thou Splay-foot blind phanatick Rogue. 1719― Pills (1872) I. 144 He sent a splayfoot Taylor. 1922Joyce Ulysses 690 A slender splayfoot chair of glossy cane curves.
fig.1622Massinger & Dekker Virg. Martyr iv. ii, I would not give up the cloak of your service to meet the splayfoot estate of any left-eyed Knight. 1663Butler Hud. i. iii. 192 In small Poets splay-foot Rhimes. 1766[Anstey] Bath Guide Epil. 244 Oft have I read the..Splay⁓foot Measures of thy Simkin's Lays.
3. As adv. In a splay-footed manner.
1626Middleton Women Beware Women ii. ii, She must be neither slut nor drab, Nor go too splay-foot with her shoes.
Hence splayfooting vbl. n. (In quot. fig.)
1675Woolley Gentlew. Comp. 31 Fops will venture the spraining of their tongues, and splayfooting their own mouths if they can. |