| 释义 |
hack·ney
I. \ˈhaknē, -ni\ noun
Etymology: Middle English hakeney, hakenai, probably from Hakeneye Hackney, formerly a town, now a metropolitan borough of London, England
1. -s
a. : a horse suitable for ordinary riding or driving : nag
b. : a trotting horse used chiefly for driving
2.
a. usually capitalized : a breed of rather compact usually chestnut, bay, or brown horses with a conspicuously high knee and hock flexion in stepping that originated in and about Norfolk, England as a result of interbreeding local trotting mares with Thoroughbred and Arabian sires
b. -s often capitalized : a horse of this breed
3. -s
a. obsolete : a horse or pony kept for hire
b. obsolete : one that works for hire : drudge, slave
c. obsolete : prostitute
4. -s : a carriage or automobile kept for hire : hack, cab
 [hackney 2a]
II. adjective
1. : kept for public hire
< hackney cab >
< hackney carriage >
2. : hackneyed
3. archaic : done or suitable for doing by a drudge
III. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
1.
a. : to make common or frequent use of (as a horse) : wear out in common service
b. : to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace
2. obsolete : to drive hard : wear out by driving
3. archaic
a. : to make coarse (the sensibilities)
b. : to make sophisticated or jaded (as through worldly experience)
< hackneyed as he was in the ways of life — Tobias Smollett > |