| 单词 | line of defence |
| 释义 | > as lemmasline of defence Phrases P1. attack is the best form of defence, the best defence is a good offence, and variants: an aggressive strategy or pre-emptive strike is the best way to avoid attack. ΚΠ 1799 G. Washington Let. 25 June in Papers (1999) Retirement Ser. IV. 158 Offensive operations, often times, is the surest, if not the only (in some cases) means of defence. 1829 Bury & Norwich Post 15 July The suit seemed to have been commenced by the wife from the idea that the best mode of defence was to begin the attack. 1872 Pall Mall Gaz. 10 June 7/2 Attack is recognized as the best defence. 1929 C. F. Gregg Murder on Bus xxxvii. 263 Inspector Higgins fired his revolver at the sound, deeming attack the better part of defence. 1955 L. P. Hartley Perfect Woman 213 Harold knew that attack was the best form of defence, and made quite a good show of seeming the injured party. 1975 Business Week (Nexis) 5 May 37 We're just preparing for the future, and the best defense is a good offense. 2014 New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Nexis) 2 Dec. 35 Attack will be the best form of defence for Vietnam when coach Toshiya Miura's side take on a confident Malaysia. P2. defence in depth: a system of mutually supporting defensive lines or positions intended progressively to absorb or weaken attack, employed by a military force; the arrangement or positioning of such a system. Also in non-military contexts, esp. in sport. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > defence > [noun] > succession of defences defence in depth1917 1917 S. China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 13 Sept. 7/2 Instead of massed resistance, we get a defence in depth aiming as far as possible at concealment and disconnected tactical points. 1933 Manch. Guardian 7 Oct. 17/1 One wonders how the Arsenal, whose success has been so largely founded on defence in depth, will fare. 1964 N.Y. Times 9 Oct. 38/2 Special interests have managed to add to the network of tariffs and quotas that constitute a formidable defense in depth against liberalization. 1987 Guardian 12 Nov. 10/7 Karpov chose the conservative Queens Gambit Declined, and built up a defence in depth. 2014 Indian Express (Nexis) 20 Mar. The military advocated a strategy of ‘defence in depth’. P3. line of defence. a. Fortification. A notional line extending from the outermost point of a bastion, at the same angle as the face of the bastion, to a point on the fortified outer wall, representing the line of fire of the defenders. Now historical. [After French ligne de défense (1604 or earlier in this sense).] ΚΠ 1629 F. Malthus tr. Treat. Artific. Fire-works 186 A line of defence [Fr. ligne de deffense] is the distance from the flanke to the angle flanked. 1645 N. Stone Enchiridion of Fortification 18 That shall cut off the flanke at F, and bring the line of defence in towards the middle of the Curtain. 1706 R. Park Art Sea-fighting v. 203 The Line of Defence is drawn from the Point where the Flank and Curtain meet, to the Point of the Bastion. 1756 R. Rolt New & Accurate Hist. S.-Amer. ii. i. 232 The line of defence is but of forty-five fathoms. 1803 F. W. Blagdon tr. P. S. Pallas Trav. Southern Provinces Russ. Empire II. 7 The reader will find a distinct view of the fortress of Perekop; of the gate and line of defence [Ger. Linie] drawn from the side opposite to the Crimea. 1853 J. H. Stocqueler Mil. Encycl. 82/1 Line of Defence..is either fichant or razant. The first is, when it is drawn from the angle; the last, when it is drawn from a point in the curtain. 1890 Boston Weekly Globe 1 Jan. 2/7 We lay off a perpendicular M P, to the line of defence D P. 1979 C. Duffy Siege Warfare ii. 34/1 The cannon had been crowded into the single line of defence which was formed by the bastions and curtains. 2015 K. F. Kiley Artillery Napoleonic Wars 291 Errard made his flanks perpendicular to the line of defence, or face of the bastion. b. Military. A line or series of fortifications, emplacements, positions, etc., for defending against enemy attack. Cf. defensive line n. (a) at defensive adj. and n. Compounds.Earliest in figurative context. ΚΠ 1643 H. Ferne Camp at Gilgal 27 Here are Fortifications beyond your out-works, the protection of God drawes the outmost lines of defence. 1645 Narr. State of Bristoll in Prince Rupert Declar. 11 Resist the Army under our command, in the attempting to enter the said City, and the Lines of defence, and Forts made about it. 1689 Jrnl. Siege London-Derry (single sheet) 2/1 The Enemy's working without disturbance..drew a Line of Communication betwixt the Two Attacques, which served also for a Line of Defence. 1713 Europe Slave 19 Her Lines of Defence are demolish'd. 1770 Ann. Reg. 1769 13/1 The country was so open, and the line of defence so far extended, that no vigilance was sufficient to guard it. 1821 Examiner 8 Apr. 216/1 Compelled to fall back to Capua, a strong point in the second line of defence. 1874 A. A. Paton H. Beyle xv. 109 Having lost his grand army, the line of defence was everywhere broken down. 1914 Proc. N.Y. State Hist. Assoc. 13 110 This then became the main line of defence. 1956 Winnipeg Free Press 12 Sept. 23/1 The failure of the Canadian army to press forward gave the Germans time to reorganize their lines of defence. 2013 J. Carr Def. & Fall Greece 1940–1 v. 82 The Italians planned to form a new line of defence between the towns of Tepelene and Kelcyre. c. figurative. A strategy, argument, resource, etc., used to defend someone or something. Frequently in first (also second, last, etc.) line of defence. ΚΠ 1792 J. Bruckner Thoughts on Public Worship 49 Mr. W—'s notions..form his first line of defence, against objections arising from some passages of the Scripture. 1844 Sydney Morning Herald 28 Mar. 2/7 Some line of defence might be adopted which is not known by the ‘duffers’ (cattle stealers) of other districts. 1888 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 85 Here is the last line of defense of the supporters of supernaturalism in the realm of Nature. 1942 Fire Guards Handbk. (Min. of Home Security & Sc. Home Dept.) 7 A stirrup pump..is one of the first lines of defence against incendiary attacks by the enemy. 1981 R. M. Bramson Coping with Difficult People xi. 203 Tomorrow you might well run into the boss's second line of defense, a resounding, ‘Forget it, Charlie!’. 2013 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 16 Mar. a10 (caption) ‘Big gun’ antibiotics that are thought of as a last line of defense. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > necessity > [adverb] > inevitably uneschewablyc1374 without defencec1430 inevitably1447 unscapablyc1449 necessarlya1500 no remedy1531 unavoidably1608 indeclinably1624 unevitably1624 unpreventablya1639 need1641 unfrustrably1654 ineluctably1655 inavoidably1674 unhinderably1678 resistlessly1725 inevadibly1842 infrustrably1861 undivertibly1866 inescapably1881 unescapably1882 deterministically1885 indissuadablya1894 ineludibly1893 c1430 (c1395) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) Prol. l. 182 I hadde be ded, with outyn ony defence ffor dred of louys, wordys & his chere. c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 66 (MED) Glotenie coostiþ, wiþouten diffence, Boþe in diuerse drinkis and meete. 1551 W. Turner Perseruatiue agaynst Poyson of Pelagius To Rdr. sig. A.viv Then wastith lyuyng wyghtis, without defence. P5. North American. to play defence: (a) (of a sportsperson) to play in a defensive position; (b) (of a team) to use tactics mainly intended to prevent the opposition from scoring points in any sporting contest; to engage in defensive play. Also figurative. ΚΠ 1892 N.Y. Times 13 Feb. 3/1 Just before time was called, J. White, who was playing defense, threw the fourth and last goal. 1899 M. M. Dodge St. Nicholas Aug. 828 So they are playing ‘defense’, and trying to score only if they get a chance. 1911 Viatorian Oct. 33 They have set a very remarkable record,..playing defense so well that their goal was not once encroached upon. 1977 Texas Monthly Jan. 130/3 Few Republicans..have been in a position..to embark on major legislative initiatives. Playing defense has perforce been their game. 1993 Canad. Living Nov. 90/3 At five feet seven inches tall and 120 pounds—she plays defence in the hook zone. 2005 Nation 18 Apr. 14/2 Concentrate on issues where you can get traction... Don't play defense. Play offense with new ideas and issues. line of defence a. A trench or rampart; plural (also collective singular), a connected series of field-works. Also, one of the rows of huts or tents in a camp or cantonment (see quots. 1872-6, 1876). line of circumvallation, line of defence, etc.: see the second nouns. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > [noun] > series of fortifications counter-line1598 line1665 trocha1896 society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > encamping > row of tents line1665 1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 613 The Line that incompassed his Camp was 8 Foot high. 1695 M. Prior Eng. Ballad 5 Regain the Lines the shortest way, Villeroy. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 139. ⁋7 He took the French Lines without Bloodshed. 1793 R. Burns in G. Thomson Sel. Coll. Orig. Sc. Airs I. i. 22 I left the lines, and tented field. 1839 T. Keightley Hist. Eng. (new ed.) I. 352 Lines were now run from bastille to bastille, and the town was completely shut in. 1846 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 II. i. 21 To attack the Gorkha positions at the western extremity of their line. 1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 263 Lines are formed for the entrenchment of armies, and are composed of a succession of redans, &c. (joined by curtains). 1872–6 G. E. Voyle Mil. Dict. In India..a cantonment contains barracks for European troops, and native huts termed lines for the Sepoys. 1876 Murray's Handbk. Surrey, Hants., Isle of Wight (ed. 3) 173 In the North Camp [Aldershot] the buildings are principally of wood, arranged in ‘lines’..which are lettered from A to Q. Each line is an oblong block of about 40 huts. < as lemmas |
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