| 释义 |
▪ I. staggering, vbl. n.|ˈstægərɪŋ|
[-ing1.]
1. In intransitive senses of stagger v.
a. Reeling, tottering, etc.
1530Palsgr. 275/1 Stageryng or leanyng of an house, bransle. 1580Blundevil Horsemanship, Horses Dis. xxi. 10 b, Dimnesse of sight the reeling and staggering of the Horse. 1598Shakes. Merry W. iii. iii. 12 Without any pause or staggering take the basket on your shoulders. 1628Dudley Ld. Carleton in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 256 In his staggering he turn'd about, uttering onely this word ‘Villaine’! 1732Arbuthnot Rules of Diet iii. (1736) 370 The immediate Forerunners of an Apoplexy are commonly a Vertigo, Staggering, Loss of Memory [etc.]. 1867Ruskin Sesame ix. §47 The howlings and staggerings of men..in intoxication.
†b. Stammering, faltering in speech. Obs. rare.
1565Cooper Thesaurus, Volubilitas linguæ, round or quicke speakyng, without impediment or staggerynge. 1575R. B. Apius & Virginia C iv, And angerly to me (quoth he) wher hast thou ben walking. Without any staggeryng, I had ready my lye. 1598R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. (1603) 99 Tiberius..cunningly premeditating his words, and with staggering and stammering delivering his minde.
c. fig. Wavering, vacillating; † a state of wavering or uncertainty.
c1555Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (Camden) 235 Mr. Rowland.., being in a great dump and staggering, came to the King. 1565Jewel Repl. Harding (1611) 279, I thinke it best..they be abolished, and put away without scruple or staggering. 1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts 96 If the mists of raine or sand, do neuer so much obscure the way from the rider, yet doeth shee remember the same without all staggering. 1681J. Flavel Meth. Grace vii. 140, I have many staggerings and doubtings about the certainty and reality of these things. 1756Burke Subl. & B. Wks. I. 195 In this staggering and hurry of the mind. 1874T. Taylor Leic. Square ii. 35 [He] complains of the staggering and irresolution of his nature.
2. In transitive senses.
a. Causing to totter or waver; unsettling.
a1661Fuller Worthies i. xvii. (1662) 51 The same Name hath been so often disguised unto the Staggering of many, who have mistook them for different. 1675J. Owen Indwelling Sin xvi. (1732) 223 The Power that the Holy Ghost puts forth by the Word, in the staggering and conviction of Sinners. 1686F. Spencer tr. Varilla's Ho. Medicis 26 The only persons from whom he need fear a second staggering of his fortune.
b. See stagger v. 9 a. Comb. staggering-tool.
1905J. Horner Tools Engineers 73 The staggering of teeth is variously done. 1905Athenæum 26 Aug. 280/1 His [sc. J. Horner's] section on chisels..leads us..to the Fox⁓trimmer,..and other shearing and staggering tools.
c. See stagger v. 9 b.
1955Times 19 May 7/3 Difficulties had arisen by all the pool mail being received in the same week and as a result ‘staggering arrangements’ were made to spread the traffic. 1959Ann. Reg. 1958 507 He undertook to consider whether the staggering of hours should be made compulsory. 1971Timber Trades Jrnl. 14 Aug. 53/1 The reduction in productivity..due to the staggering of holidays. 1979Daily Tel. 15 Dec. 2/3 The inquest had been told that the staggering procedure under which the 32 [parachute] troops left opposite doors of their Hercules had gone out of synchronisation.
▪ II. ˈstaggering, ppl. a.
[-ing2.]
1. That staggers, in intransitive senses of the verb.
a. lit. Reeling, tottering, etc.
1575Gascoigne Posies, Flowers (1907) 43 My stagring steppes eke tell the trueth, that nature fadeth fast. 1614Gorges Lucan ii. 73 Not trusting to his staggering troopes. 1684Bunyan Pilgr. ii. Introd. 118 For Young, for Old, for Stagg'ring, and for Stable. 1797Downing Disord. Horned Cattle 11 This giddiness and swimming in the head..gives a wavering and staggering motion of the body. 1818Shelley Homer's Hymn Castor & P. 16 The staggering ship. 1839Thackeray Fatal Boots vi, We heard a heavy staggering step on the flags. 1895Scully Kafir Stories 118 A disorganised mob of staggering men.
b. transf. and fig. In early use often, † Hesitating, undecided.
1576Gascoigne Kenelworth Castle Wks. 1910 II. 115 To prop up so thy stagring mind, Which in these sorrowes slides. 1597J. Payne Royal Exch. 18 These new Saduces wth there staggeringe disciples. 1614Earl Stirling Doomsday i. lxxxv, A staggering courage, ruine still succeeds. 1627E. F. Hist. Edw. II (1680) 14 Their staggering irresolution. 1654in Nicholas Papers (Camden) II. 128 Our frends are very staggering till remedy in this point confirme them. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. 745 St. Austine himself, is sometimes Staggering in this Point. 1742Richardson Pamela IV. 95 The staggering Doubts and Distress of Hermione, after she had ingaged Orestes in the Murder of Pyrrhus. 1838Lockhart Scott lxxix. VII. 235 Except the staggering penmanship,..there was scarcely any thing to indicate decayed vigour. 1867Smiles Huguenots Eng. v. (1880) 84 The sack of Antwerp..gave the last blow to the staggering industry of that great city.
†c. Characterized by staggering. Obs. rare—1.
1573G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 29 A kind of palsi..or sum the like quivering and staggering diseases.
d. staggering bob dial. (see quots.).
1776Young Tour Irel. (1780) II. 274 Vast numbers of calves are killed at two or three days old for an execrable veal they call staggering bob, I suppose from the animal not being old enough to stand steady on its legs. 1818Wilbraham Chesh. Gloss., Staggering Bob, or Yellow Slippers, names given by butchers to very young calves. 1922Joyce Ulysses 413 Staggering bob in the vile parlance of our lower class licensed victuallers signifies the cookable and eatable flesh of a calf newly dropped from its mother. 1966W. S. Ramson Austral. Eng. iv. 70 Staggering bob, a widespread dialect phrase used either of a very young calf which has not yet found its legs or of the veal from such a calf.
2. In transitive senses: Causing to reel or totter; confounding, perplexing; hence in trivial use: amazing, astounding; enormous.
1565J. Phillips Patient Grissell (Malone Soc.) I. 63 The wandring Bucke by staggring strocke, of launch from blody boe..hath caught the ouer throe. 1769Burke Corr. (1844) I. 176 In this staggering situation, I imagine they [the ministers] would derive great comfort..by finding [etc.]. 1815J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 73 The remark..is rather staggering, and is calculated to throw the veil of doubt over all the rest. 1836E. Howard R. Reefer xli, By noon we had a staggering breeze. 1840Dickens Old C. Shop xiii, He found himself complimented with two staggering blows. 1894J. C. Jeaffreson Recoll. II. 28 This rumour was a painful and staggering surprise. 1900P. C. Simpson Fact of Christ iv. (1901) 115 The idea is utterly staggering and overwhelming. 1934J. B. Priestley Eng. Journey vi. 202 He still controlled this staggering array of properties, extending from remote industrial villages in Yorkshire to Shaftesbury Avenue. 1939[see bally a. and adv.]. 1951Sport 30 Mar.–5 Apr. 9/1 Staggering offers have been made for Twentyman, a half-back of immense promise. 1958P. H. Gibbs Curtains of Yesterday iv. 53 Summoning two of his men he had the lorry filled up with a staggering amount of food—cheese, bread, bully beef, hams, tinned food. 1978Lancashire Life July 55/4 Rich man though he was..the High Sheriff must have faced a staggering bill. |