| 释义 |
hair shirt
hair shirtn. A coarse haircloth garment worn next to the skin as an act of religious asceticism or penance.hair shirt n 1. (Clothing & Fashion) a shirt made of haircloth worn next to the skin as a penance 2. a secret trouble or affliction hair′ shirt′
n. a garment of coarse haircloth, worn next to the skin as a penance. [1350–1400] Thesaurus| Noun | 1. | hair shirt - an uncomfortable shirt made of coarse animal hair; worn next to the skin as a penanceshirt - a garment worn on the upper half of the body |
hair shirt
hair shirt1. An uncomfortable garment made of coarse hair or other material worn against the skin. Used in some religious rituals as punishment or penance. In ancient times, men would wear a hair shirt as a sign of repentance to their deity for wrongs they had done.2. By extension, something a person does to intentionally make an aspect of their life uncomfortable or unpleasant, often as a form of penance. I understand that you are sorry for your actions, but there is no need to wear a hair shirt because of it. All is forgiven. A: "Why aren't you eating dessert?" B: "Oh, it's my punishment—my hair shirt, if you will—for blowing off my schoolwork this week."See also: hair, shirthair shirtA self-imposed punishment or penance, as in I apologized a dozen times-do you want me to wear a hair shirt forever? This term, mentioned from the 13th century on, alludes to wearing a coarse, scratchy hair shirt, the practice of religious ascetics. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s. See also: hair, shirta hair shirt If someone is wearing a hair shirt, they are deliberately making their life unpleasant or uncomfortable, especially because they feel guilty about something. No one is asking you to wear a hair shirt and give up all your luxuries. Note: Hair-shirt can also be used before a noun. Why adopt such a hair-shirt response to economic difficulty when there are so much more appropriate and comfortable alternatives? Note: In the past, hair shirts were very rough, uncomfortable shirts made from horsehair. People sometimes wore them for religious reasons, to show that they were truly sorry for their sins. See also: hair, shirthair shirtA self-imposed punishment or penance. The term comes from the medieval practice of doing penance by wearing a shirt made of coarse haircloth (made from horsehair and wool), mentioned from the thirteenth century on in numerous sources, including Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (The Second Nun’s Tale). It also appears in a couplet by Alexander Pope (1737), “No prelate’s lawns with hair-shirt lin’d is half so incoherent as my mind.” See also sackcloth and ashes.See also: hair, shirthair shirtA self-imposed act of atonement. The wearing of shirts made of unprocessed animal hair or a rough cloth next to the skin dates back to biblical days. The purpose of such an uncomfortable garment was as an expression of faith, a constant reminder that the wearer's sinful flesh was inconsequential compared to a commitment to God. Some members of the nobility wore hair shirts to compensate for the luxury with which they surrounded themselves. Although such mortification of the flesh is rare these days, “hair shirt” survives as a metaphor for self-imposed penitence. A basketball player who takes cold showers for the next month as penance after missing what would have been a game-winning shot has chosen to wear, as it were, a liquid hair shirt.See also: hair, shirtHair Shirt
Hair ShirtAn informal term for an austerity measure. The term derives from shirts made of animal hair that religious figures have worn as a sign of penance. Austerity measures are adopted to make up for (or even to do penance for) excessive government debt.hair shirt
Words related to hair shirtnoun an uncomfortable shirt made of coarse animal hairRelated Words |