under-coveradj.n.

Brit.

/ˌʌndəˈkʌvə/, U.S.

/ˌəndərˈkəvər/

Forms: Also undercover.

Etymology: under- prefix².

A. adj.

1. That is situated or occurs under cover; sheltered.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [adjective] > indoor

within doors1625

indoor1709

indoors1799

within-door1821

under-cover1854

1854 Poultry Chron. 1 288/2 It is obvious that..an ‘under-cover show’ has..manifest advantages over an exposed one.

1959 News Chron. 14 July 4/4 A good fun-fair and some under-cover amusements.

1971 Engineering Apr. 61/1 The first mentioned can be very useful when under-cover storage is not available.

a. Of a person: operating in secret within a community or organization, esp. as a detective or spy. Frequently as under-cover agent, under-cover man. Also applied to organizations or agencies.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [adjective]

intelligencing1595

under-cover1920

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [adjective] > of an organization

under-cover1920

1920 U. Sinclair 100% 266 [Mrs. Godd] had written in a large, bland, girlish hand her opinion of ‘under cover’ men and those who hired them.

1932 W. Faulkner Light in August ii. 41 Whiskey can be bought from Brown almost on sight, and the town is..waiting for him to..produce from his raincoat and offer to sell it to an under~cover man.

1933 B'nai B'rith Mag. 48 108/1 German steamship lines were ‘in the front ranks of Nazi-ism—active under-cover nests of conspiracy’.

1951 E. Paul Springtime in Paris (U.K. ed.) iii. 67 An undercover worker for the Party.

1958 Spectator 20 June 809/3 The Providence Island Company..which served as undercover organisation for the opposition to Charles I.

1970 Toronto Daily Star 24 Sept. 12/8 The undercover agent is the surest way of handling narcotics problems in factories.

b. Surreptitious, covert. Of an activity: conducted or existing in secret.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > [adjective] > accomplished by stealth

stolenc1400

secret1548

clandestine1566

stealed1577

backdoor1581

underhand1592

surreptitial1602

surreptitious?1615

furtive1628

surreptious1630

by1633

surreptive1633

subreptitious1641

surreptitious1645

postern1648

backstairs1663

smuggled1707

underneath1747

underhanded1806

hidlingsa1810

hole-and-corner1835

side door1862

under-cover1933

under the table1938

crafty1946

1933 Light Nov. 3/1 That undercover atheism which disguises itself under other names... The undercover atheism which so often sneaks by in the clothing of religion itself.

1935 R. McKay ‘Intelligence’ Game 169 Perhaps they were made careless because they had an undercover ‘tip’ about the coming of the Austrian.

1953 M. McCarthy Groves of Academe iii. 50 I have been useful to them from time to time in various little under-cover jobs.

1960 Times 27 Aug. 7/3 The menace of recruitment to under-cover prostitution on a large scale cannot be ignored.

1979 N. Mailer Executioner's Song (1980) i. xvii. 285 Years ago, when a patrolman, Nielsen did some under~cover work in narcotics.

B. n.

An undercover agent. slang.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [noun] > a secret observer, spy > secret agent

intelligencer1540

intelligentiary1577

under-puller1682

agent1804

foreign agent1822

operative1901

spook1942

under-cover1962

Abwehr agent1990

1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed vii. 50 The Horsemen have sneaked plants, undercovers, right inside here.

1972 J. Mills Rep. to Commissioner p. x She was a very good detective. She was a narcotics undercover.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	under-cover
释义	under-coveradj.n. Brit. /ˌʌndəˈkʌvə/, U.S. /ˌəndərˈkəvər/ Forms: Also undercover. Etymology: under- prefix². A. adj. 1. That is situated or occurs under cover; sheltered. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [adjective] > indoor within doors1625 indoor1709 indoors1799 within-door1821 under-cover1854 1854 Poultry Chron. 1 288/2 It is obvious that..an ‘under-cover show’ has..manifest advantages over an exposed one. 1959 News Chron. 14 July 4/4 A good fun-fair and some under-cover amusements. 1971 Engineering Apr. 61/1 The first mentioned can be very useful when under-cover storage is not available. 2. a. Of a person: operating in secret within a community or organization, esp. as a detective or spy. Frequently as under-cover agent, under-cover man. Also applied to organizations or agencies. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [adjective] intelligencing1595 under-cover1920 the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [adjective] > of an organization under-cover1920 1920 U. Sinclair 100% 266 [Mrs. Godd] had written in a large, bland, girlish hand her opinion of ‘under cover’ men and those who hired them. 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August ii. 41 Whiskey can be bought from Brown almost on sight, and the town is..waiting for him to..produce from his raincoat and offer to sell it to an under~cover man. 1933 B'nai B'rith Mag. 48 108/1 German steamship lines were ‘in the front ranks of Nazi-ism—active under-cover nests of conspiracy’. 1951 E. Paul Springtime in Paris (U.K. ed.) iii. 67 An undercover worker for the Party. 1958 Spectator 20 June 809/3 The Providence Island Company..which served as undercover organisation for the opposition to Charles I. 1970 Toronto Daily Star 24 Sept. 12/8 The undercover agent is the surest way of handling narcotics problems in factories. b. Surreptitious, covert. Of an activity: conducted or existing in secret. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > [adjective] > accomplished by stealth stolenc1400 secret1548 clandestine1566 stealed1577 backdoor1581 underhand1592 surreptitial1602 surreptitious?1615 furtive1628 surreptious1630 by1633 surreptive1633 subreptitious1641 surreptitious1645 postern1648 backstairs1663 smuggled1707 underneath1747 underhanded1806 hidlingsa1810 hole-and-corner1835 side door1862 under-cover1933 under the table1938 crafty1946 1933 Light Nov. 3/1 That undercover atheism which disguises itself under other names... The undercover atheism which so often sneaks by in the clothing of religion itself. 1935 R. McKay ‘Intelligence’ Game 169 Perhaps they were made careless because they had an undercover ‘tip’ about the coming of the Austrian. 1953 M. McCarthy Groves of Academe iii. 50 I have been useful to them from time to time in various little under-cover jobs. 1960 Times 27 Aug. 7/3 The menace of recruitment to under-cover prostitution on a large scale cannot be ignored. 1979 N. Mailer Executioner's Song (1980) i. xvii. 285 Years ago, when a patrolman, Nielsen did some under~cover work in narcotics. B. n. An undercover agent. slang. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [noun] > a secret observer, spy > secret agent intelligencer1540 intelligentiary1577 under-puller1682 agent1804 foreign agent1822 operative1901 spook1942 under-cover1962 Abwehr agent1990 1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed vii. 50 The Horsemen have sneaked plants, undercovers, right inside here. 1972 J. Mills Rep. to Commissioner p. x She was a very good detective. She was a narcotics undercover. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2022). > as lemmas under-cover under-cover n. Brit. /ˈʌndəˌkʌvə/ , U.S. /ˈəndərˌkəvər/ ΚΠ 1852 D. M. Mulock Agatha's Husband xx. 281 He took out a paper,..tore it open—tore likewise an under-cover addressed to his wife. extracted from under-prefix¹ < adj.n.1854 as lemmas
随便看	hand-laying hand-letter hand-lettered hand-lifting hand-like hand-line hand-liner hand-lining hand-loomed hand-loose hand-machine hand-mast hand-me-down hand-me-down factory hand-me-down shop hand-milking hand-moulded hand-off hand-operated hand-out hand-over-hander hand-painted hand-paper hand-pick hand-picked

under-coveradj.n.

> as lemmas