| 单词 | 可接受 |
| 释义 | 〔straight〕Not deviating from what is considered socially normal, usual, or acceptable; conventional.正统的：不背离社会所认可的正常，普通或可接受的标准的；遵循习俗的〔pass〕To serve as a barely acceptable substitute:充作：勉强地作为可接受的代替品：〔devious〕Departing from the correct or accepted way; erring:犯错误的，步入歧途的：违反正确或可接受的方式；走入岐途的：〔unique〕Over the course of the centuryunique has become the paradigmatic example of the class of terms that do not allow comparison or modification by an adverb of degree such as very, somewhat, or quite. Thus, most grammarians believe that it is incorrect to say that something isvery unique or more unique than something else, though phrases such asnearly unique and almost unique are acceptable. In the most recent survey the sentenceHer designs are quite unique in today's fashion scene was unacceptable to 80 percent of the Usage Panel. · Critical objections to the comparison and degree modification of absolute terms date to the 18th centuryand have been applied to a wide group of adjectives includingequal, fatal, omnipotent, parallel, perfect, and unanimous. According to the standard argument, such words denote properties that a thing either does or does not have but cannot have to a qualifiable degree.Thus ifunique is properly used to mean "without equal or equivalent,” something either is unique or it isn't, and phrases such asvery unique and more unique can only betray a weakening of the sense to mean something like "unusual" or "distinctive.” It is true that comparison and modification ofunique are often associated with the style favored by copywriters, as in the advertisement announcing thatOmaha's most unique restaurant is now even more unique or in the claim that a new automobile is So unique, it's patented. But modification ofunique is also found in the work of reputable writers, where it may lack any connotations of hyperbole.A painting is described asthe most unique of Beckman's self-portraits, and a travel writer states thatChicago is no less unique an American city than New York or San Francisco. The relative acceptability of these usages reflects the semantic subtlety ofunique itself. If we were to useunique only according to the strictest criteria of logic, after all, we might freely apply the term to anything in the worldsince nothing is wholly equivalent to anything else.Clearly, then, when we say that a restaurant or painting is unique,we mean that it is worthy of inclusion in a class by itself according to certain implicit but generally accepted criteria.Thus a legitimately unique painting might be one that realizes an unparalleled aesthetic vision,but not one that is rendered only in pigments whose names begin with the lettero; and a legitimately unique restaurant might be one that serves 18th-century French cuisine according to the original recipes,not one that has been installed in a converted sardine cannery.Given this understanding, it is not inherently impossible to think of uniqueness as a matter of degree,in the sense that one painting or restaurant may be more or less worthy of inclusion in a class by itself than some other. ·What is troubling about the copywriters' use ofunique is not that the word has become a synonym for unusual. Rather, it is the copywriters who are using the word in conformity with strict logic.Uniqueness is claimed for a restaurant in virtue of some trivial properties of its decor or menu,or for a resort hotel that simply happens to have a singularly picturesque view of the bay.Though it may be true that such properties render these thingslogically unique, they do not constitute legitimate grounds for putting the things into a class by themselves according to the criteria ordinarily invoked when things are sorted into classes.In fact, the abuse ofunique can be cloying even when no modification or comparison is involved; when we read an advertisement for a line of sportswear that featuresa unique selection of colors, we may suspect that the distinctive properties of the color selection are not so remarkable as the advertiser would have us believe. But it is not surprising that these uses ofunique should lend themselves to promiscuous modification and comparison; for once it is granted that uniqueness can be claimed for any product or service that is somehow distinctive from all its competitors,it is inevitable that an increase in uniqueness will be seen in every minor innovation.See Usage Note at equal ,infinite ,parallel ,perfect 在本世纪整个过程中unique 已成为不能由程度副词，例 very、somewhat 或 quite， 比较或修饰的一类术语的例证。 因此，多数语法学家认为说某事是very unique 或 more unique than 是不正确的， 虽然短语例如nearly unique 和 almost unique 是可接受的。 在最近的调查中，句子Her designs are quite unique in today's fashion scene （她的设计在现今流行样式的场面中是很独特的） 对用法专题使用小组的百分之八十成员是不可接受的。 对纯粹术语的比较和程度修饰的主要异议可追述到18世纪，并已广泛用到许多形容词中，包括equal, fatal, omnipotent, parallel, perfect 和 unanimous。 根据标准论据，这些单词表示一事有或没有但不能有可修饰的程度的性质。于是如果unique 适当地用于表示“没有相等或相当的”，则某事是唯一的或不是唯一的， 而短语像very unique 和 more unique 仅能表露出说明某事像“不寻常的”或“独特的”的意义的减弱。 的确，unique 的比较和修饰常与撰稿人喜欢的文体相联系， 如在广告中称Omaha's most unique restaurant is now even more unique（奥马哈城的最独特的餐馆现在甚至是更加独特） 或声称新汽车是 So unique, it's patented（如此独特，它取得了专利权）。 但是unique 的修饰也在著名作家的作品中发现， 那里可能缺乏夸张法的任何涵义。描述一张油画为the most unique of Beckman's self-portraits（最独特的贝克曼的自画像）， 一位旅游作家叙述Chicago is no less unique an American city than New York or San Francisco（芝加哥比纽约或旧金山是不逊独特的美国城市）。 这些用法的相对可接受性反映unique 自身语义的巧妙。 如果我们仅按照逻辑的严格标准使用unique ， 则我们终于会自由地把此术语使用于世界上的任何事，因为没有完全等同于另一事的事。于是，显然当我们说餐馆或油画是独特的时，我们意味着根据某种隐含的但可普遍接受的判据它是值得包含在一个等级内的。于是合理独特的油画可能是实现空前未有的审美型的，而不是仅给予名字以字母O开始的颜料； 合理独特的餐馆可能根据原来的食谱提供18世纪法国菜肴的餐馆，而不是配备转换的沙丁鱼罐头食品的餐馆。按这样了解，将独特性视为程度问题不是本来就不可能的，在这个意义上一张油画或一个餐馆或多或少可能是极好的有价值的内涵物而不是其他。关于撰稿人使用unique 的困惑不是此单词已成为 unusual 的同义词。 相反地，正是撰稿人使用此单词与严密的逻辑相一致。对餐馆声称独特性是由于它的布置或菜单的某些不重要的性质，或者对于人们常去的旅馆仅因为有海湾的独一无二地别致的景象。虽然这样的性质使得这些事logically 独特的可能是真实的， 但是当事情进行了分类，根据平常实行的判据把这些事情自身放到一类，他们不组成正常的基础。事实上unique 的滥用会使人发腻，即使在没有涉及修饰或比较的时候； 当我们读运动服装的unique selection of colors（颜色的独特选择） 的一行广告时， 我们会怀疑颜色选择的独特性质并非广告商希望我们所认为的那么明显。但不必惊讶于unique 的这些用法应当适用于杂乱的修饰和比较； 就这一次可以承认，独特性能用来指任何产品或服务，它们与所有的竞争者相比较有某种程度的特色，在每一小的创新中可以看到独特性的增加是必然会发生的 参见 equal,infinite,parallel,perfect〔prioritize〕It can be argued thatprioritize serves a useful function in providing a single word to mean "arrange according to priority,” but like many other recent formations with-ize, it is widely regarded as corporate or bureaucratic jargon.In an earlier survey,prioritize was unacceptable to the great majority of the Usage Panel. See Usage Note at -ize 人们当然可以争论prioritize 在提供一个单字以表示“按优先次序排列”上的有用功能， 但是象许多其他新近形成的以-ize 结尾的词一样， 它被广泛地认为是公司或官僚主义的行话。在较早的一次调查中发现，用法专题使用小组中绝大多数认为prioritize 不可接受 参见 -ize〔processor〕A program that translates another program into a form acceptable by the computer being used.处理程序：使另一计算机程序变为计算机可接受形式的计算机程序〔marginal〕One that is considered to be at a lower or outer limit, as of social acceptability:边缘人物：那些被认为处在社会可接受标准的下限或外限的：〔over〕So as to be comprehensible, acceptable, or effective; across:可理解地，可接受地，有效地：为了能被理解、接受或有效地；从头至尾：〔fit〕Suited, adapted, or acceptable for a given circumstance or purpose:合适的：对于特定的环境或意图来说是合适的、适应的或可接受的：〔contend〕The defense contended that the evidence was inadmissible.被告方声称证据是不可接受的〔go〕To be valid, acceptable, or adequate.有效，可接受，足够〔suppress〕To deliberately exclude (unacceptable desires or thoughts) from the mind.驱除：有意将（不可接受的愿望或思想）从脑中驱除出去〔dispose〕To put into a willing or receptive frame of mind; incline.See Synonyms at incline 使倾向；使想要：使产生一种意愿或可接受的想法；使倾向 参见 incline〔rarely〕In an earlier surveya large majority of the Usage Panel found this construction unacceptable in formal writing.Butever has been used as an intensive with rarely for several hundred years, and the construction is common in informal contexts.By contrast, the constructionsrarely (or seldom ) if ever and rarely (or seldom ) or never are unexceptionable: 根据以前做的调查，大多数用法专题小组认为这种结构不可接受，尤其在正式文章中。但ever 用在 rarely 之后表示强调已有几百年的历史， 而且这种结构在非正式场合是常用的。相反，rarely （或 seldom ) if ever 和 rarely （或 seldom ) or never 这样的结构却是完全能接受的： 〔understandable〕Expected or accepted under the circumstances:预期的，可接受的：在此情况下期待发生的或可接受的：〔deviation〕Divergence from an accepted political policy or party line.背离：与某种可接受的政治策略或党派的路线背道而驰〔plausible〕Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; credible:看似真实的，看似有道理的：看起来或表面上正确的、可能的或可接受的；可靠的：〔gauntlet〕In the first and second editions ofThe American Heritage Dictionary Usage Notes explained why the spelling gauntlet is acceptable for bothgauntlet 1 and gauntlet 2. Such has not always been the case.The story ofgauntlet 1, as into throw down the gauntlet, is unexciting: it comes from the Old French wordgantelet, a diminutive of gant, "glove.” From the time of its appearance in Middle English (in a work composed in 1449),the word has been spelled with anau as well as an a, still a possible spelling. But the othergauntlet, as into run the gauntlet, is an alteration of the earlier English formgantlope, which came from the Swedish wordgatlopp, a compound ofgata, "lane,” and lopp, "course.” The earliest recorded form of the English word,found in 1646,isgantelope, showing that alteration of the Swedish word had already occurred. The English word was then influenced by the spelling of the wordgauntlet, "glove,” and in 1676 we find the first recorded instance of the spellinggauntlet for this word, althoughgantelope is found as late as 1836. From then on spellings withau and a are both found. Theau seems to have won out, although one could say that thea is preferable because it reflects the Swedish source.In regard to a word that has been so altered in form,this seems a rather fine point.在第一和第二版的美国经典辞书 的用法说明解释了为什么拼写 gauntlet 是可接受的， 既对于gauntlet 1，又对于 gauntlet 2。 情况并不总是这样。gauntlet 1的故事， 如在拒绝挑战 中并不令人激动： 它来自于一法语老词gantelet ， gant 的小词缀“手套”。 自从它在中古英语出现之后（在1449年编的一著作中），这个词同au 的拼写已同 a 一样仍是可能的拼写形式。 但是另一个gauntlet ， 如在接受挑战 中， 是早期英语形式gantlope 的一个变体， 其来自于一瑞典词gatlopp ， gata “巷子”和 lopp “方向”的组合。 最早的这个英语单词的记录，出现于1646年，是gantelope ，表示这个瑞典单词的变体已出现。 这个英语单词然后被单词gauntlet “手套”的拼写所影响， 在1676年，我们发现了gauntlet 第一个有记录的例子， 尽管gantelope 直到1836年才发现。 此后，带有au 和 a 的拼写形式都被发现过。 au 似乎占优势， 尽管一个人可能说a 更好， 因它反映了瑞典语源。说到一个形式已发生了如此变化的单词，这似乎是个好建议〔gloss〕To make attractive or acceptable by deception or superficial treatment:掩盖：用欺骗或虚假的方法使得有吸引力或可接受：〔parent〕The Usage Panel is better disposed to accept the verbparent than in previous surveys, though a majority continues to find it unacceptable.In 1968 it was acceptable to only 19 percent of the Panel;in the most recent survey45 percent accepted it in the sentenceIn looking for foster homes, we give preference first to relatives and second to families with prior experience in parenting. · The use of the verbparent to mean "act as a parent to" is not entirely new:it occurs as early as 1884 in a metaphorical context.But its use in a literal sense with respect to children is a recent development and reflects a modern reconceptualization of family life.The word is not completely synonymous with the traditional expressionraise a child, though the precise nature of the differences may depend on the context.For some speakers,use of the word suggests a self-conscious shift from child to parent as the focus of the parental relationship,and it may be this implication that feeds critical reservations about the verb.But the usage also reflects a widespread practical realizationthat the activities required of a parent extend well beyond the direct interactionwith the child emphasized inchild raising. Thus theparenting classes for young parents offered by schools and state agencies encompass not only the activities traditionally associated with raising a childbut also topics such as personal self-sufficiency, household financial management, and methods of dealing with schools and health care agencies.See Usage Note at father 用法小组比以往更倾向于接受动词parent 了， 虽然还有大部分人觉得不可接受。1968年仅有19％的小组成员认同这种用法；在最近的调查中，有45％的人接受了它,如在：在寻找收养家庭时，我们首先选孩子的亲戚，其次是有过养育孩子经历的家庭 这样的句子中的用法。 Parent 的意为“做…的父（母）”动词用法， 并不完全是个新用法：早在1884年，在一个比喻性的文章中就出现过了。但就孩子这方面而言，它的本义是近期发展的结果并反映了现代家庭生活的观念。这个词并不与习语 raise a child 完全同义， 尽管不同之处确切的性质可能取决于说话背景。但对一些人来说，使用这个词暗含一个把家长的关系作为重点的自觉的从孩子到父母的转换，也许正是这个隐含的用意引起了关于这个动词批评性的保留。然而，这个用法也反映了广泛的现实认识，即要求父母的活动扩展到超出直接与孩子的相互作用，这个相互作用在 child raising 这个短语中有所强调。 因此，由学校和国家专门部门向年轻家长提供的 parenting 课， 不仅包括传统上与抚养孩子有关的事务，而且还包括诸如个人自给自足、家庭财政管理和同学校和保健部门打交道的方法等课题 参见 father〔caring〕Some critics have objected to the use ofcaring as an adjective, perhaps because it appears to treat compassion as a chronic condition.The acceptability of the usage may therefore vary according to the relation between the source and object of the caring.Thus 74 percent of the Usage Panel accepts the sentence A child has a right to certain things: a secure home, a healthful environment, and caring parents. A smaller majority, 58 percent,acceptsWe are looking for a few caring people to help with this program, where the adjective appears to ascribe an undiscriminating disposition to care about whatever object of concern may present itself.Finally, only 29 percent of the Panel accepts 一些评论家反对把caring 当作形容词用， 也许是因为该词看起来把同情作为一种长期的状态来对待。对该词形容词用法的可接受性也许会因此根据同情的缘由和对象的关系而变化。所以有74％的用法专题使用小组成员认为 儿童有权享受一定的事物：安定的家庭，健康的环境以及充满爱心的父母一句可接受。 比例少一些的多数人。即58％的成员，认为我们正在寻找一些有同情心的人帮助实施这项计划 一句可接受。 该句中的形容词似乎把一种不加区别的性情当作关心任何一个可能出现的需要关心注意的对象。最后，只有29％的小组成员接受 〔practically〕Practically is used unexceptionally in its primary sense of "in a way that is practical.” Its use in the sense "for all practical purposes" is perfectly acceptable.Thus, a person whose liabilities exceed his or her assets may be said to bepractically bankrupt, even though that person has not been legally declared insolvent. By a slight extension of this meaning, however,practically is often used to mean "all but" or "nearly": Practically 最平常、根本的含义就是“通过实用的方式。” 其作为“从实际出发地”这一意思的用法也是完全可接受的。因此，如果某人的债务超出了他或她的财产价值的话，即使还没有在法律上宣告他或她破产，就可以说是实际上已破产了 。 然而将这一意思稍作延伸，practically 就经常用来表示“几乎”或“差不多”的意思： 〔sometime〕This latter use, however, is unacceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel.See Usage Note at someday 然而，后一种用法对于词语用法讨论小组的大多数人来说都是不可接受的 参见 someday〔Merton〕American sociologist who proposed that deviant behavior results when a society offers no acceptable means of achieving acceptable goals.默顿，罗伯特·金：(生于 1910) 美国社会学家，他提出当社会不能提供达到可接受目标的可接受手段时，就会有越轨行为发生〔finalize〕Finalize is frequently associated with the language of bureaucracy and so is objected to by many writers.The sentenceWe will finalize plans for a class reunion was unacceptable to 71 percent of the Usage Panel. Althoughfinalize has no single exact synonym, a substitute can always be found from amongcomplete, conclude, make final, and put into final form. See Usage Note at -ize Finalize 经常与官方语言联系在一起， 所以被许多作家拒绝使用。我们将完成班级聚会的计划 这句话在用法专题使用小组中有71%的成员认为不可接受。 虽然finalize 没有特别好的近义词， 但总还是可以从 complete, conclude, make final 以及 put into final form当中找到替代词 参见 -ize〔conscionable〕Acceptable or permissible according to conscience:公正的：凭良心可接受的或允许的：〔unhallowed〕Not conforming to accepted ethical standards; immoral.不道德的，不合法的：不遵照可接受的宗教标准的；不道德的〔play〕To be acceptable to average constituents or consumers:可接受的：可被普通选民或消费者接受的：〔conflicted〕The adjectiveconflicted is associated with the jargon of New Age psychology: 92 percent of the Usage Panel rejected its use in the sentence 这个形容词conflicted 与新时代心理学的术语有关： 百分之九十二的用法专题使用小组成员认为在下面这个句子中的用法是不可接受的： 〔man〕Traditionally,man and words derived from it have been used generically to designate any or all of the human race irrespective of sex.In Old Englishthis was the principal sense ofman, which meant "a human being" regardless of sex;the wordswer and wyf (or w÷pman and wifman ) were used to refer to "a male human being" and "a female human being" respectively. But in Middle Englishman displaced wer as the term for "a male human being,”whilewyfman (which evolved into present-day woman ) was retained for "a female human being.” The result of these changes was an assymetrical arrangement that many criticize as sexist.Many writers have revised some of their practices accordingly.But the precise implications of the usage vary according to the context and the particular use ofman or its derivatives. · Man sometimes appears to have the sense of "person" or "people" when it is used as a count noun, as inA man is known by the company he keeps and Men have long yearned to unlock the secrets of the atom, and in phrases likethe common man and the man in the street. Here the generic interpretation arises indirectly:if a man is known by the company he keeps,then so, by implication, is a woman.For this reasonthe generic interpretation of these uses ofman is not possible where the applicability of the predicate varies according to the sex of the individual. Thus it would be inappropriate to say thatMen are the only animals that can conceive at any time, since the sentence literally asserts that the ability to conceive applies to male human beings.This usage presumes that males can be taken as representatives of the species.In almost all cases,however, the wordsperson and people can be substituted for man and men, often with a gain in clarity. · By contrast,man functions more as a generic when it is used without an article in the singular to refer to the human race, as in sentences likeThe capacity for language is unique to man or in phrases like man's inhumanity to man. But this use ofman is also ambiguous, since it can refer exclusively to male members of the human race.In most contexts wordssuch ashumanity or humankind will convey the generic sense of this use of man. · On the whole,the Usage Panel accepts the generic use ofman, the women members significantly less than the men. The sentenceIf early man suffered from a lack of information, modern man is tyrannized by an excess of it was acceptable to 81 percent of the Panel (including 58 percent of the women and 92 percent of the men).The Panel also accepted compound words derived from genericman. The sentenceThe Great Wall is the only man-made structure visible from space was acceptable to 86 percent (including 76 percent of the women and 91 percent of the men).The sentence"The history of language is the history of mankind" (James Bradstreet Greenough and George Lyman Kittredge) was acceptable to 76 percent (including 63 percent of the women and 82 percent of the men). Such compounds were acceptable even when the context required that they be applied chiefly to women.Thus, 66 percent of the Panel (including 57 percent of the women and 71 percent of the men) accepts the wordmanpower in the sentence Countries that do not permit women to participate in the work force are at a disadvantage in competing with those that do avail themselves of that extra source of manpower. · A related set of problems is raised by the use ofman in forming the names of occupational and social rolessuch asbusinessman, chairman, spokesman, layman, and freshman, as well as in analogous formationssuch asunsportsmanlike and showmanship. Some condemn this use categorically;however, these words remained acceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel when they were used to refer to a role or class in the abstractbut were rejected when they were used to refer to a woman.Thus the general use ofchairman was acceptable to 67 percent of the Panel (including 52 percent of the women and 76 percent of the men) in the sentence The chairman will be appointed by the Faculty Senate. But only 48 percent (including 43 percent of the women and 50 percent of the men) accepted the use of the word inEmily Owen, chairman of the Mayor's Task Force, issued a statement assuring residents that their views would be solicited, where it is applied to a woman. · Several strategies have been suggested for replacing the categorical use of compounds formed withman. Parallel terms likebusinesswoman, spokeswoman and chairwoman are increasingly used to refer to women. Also in use are common-gender terms coined withperson, such asbusinessperson, spokesperson, and chairperson. For occupational titles ending inman, new standards of official usage have been established by the U.S. Department of Labor and other government agencies.In official contexts termssuch asfirefighter and police officer are now generally used in place of fireman and policeman. · A majority of the Panelists rejected the verbman when it was used to refer to an activity performed by women. The sentenceMembers of the League of Women Voters will be manning the registration desk was unacceptable to 56 percent of the Panel (including 61 percent of the women and 54 percent of the men). See Usage Note at -ess ,people 传统上，man 以及它的衍生字一般是用来指任何人或整个人类， 不考虑性别。在古英语中，这就是man 这个字主要的意思， 即“人” 而不分性别；单词wer 和 wyf （或 woepman 和 wifman )则分别用以指“男人”和“女人”。 但在中古英语时man 取代了 wer 这个词， 也具有“男人”的意义了；而wyfman （这个字发展演变成了今天的 woman 这个字）作为“女人”这个意思被保留了下来。 这些变化的结果是，作为性别歧视者所批评的匀称排列。为此，许多作家相应地修订了他们部分的创作活动。但是这用法的准确含义取决于它的上下文以及man 的具体用途或它的衍生字。 当man 这个字被当作一个可数名词来用时，它有时似乎具有“一个人”或“人们”的意思， 如在被他所在的那个公司熟悉了解的人 和 很久以来，人们都期盼着解开原子的秘密 ， 以及如下短语中普通的人 和 街上的人 。 这里，一般的理解源于间接地推理：如果一个男人是被他所在的公司了解的话，其言下之意是，一个女人也是被他所在的公司熟悉了解的。正是这个原因，使得man 当此一般理解之义用时，其谓语随着个人性别的改变而变化是不可能的。 所以，说人是唯一能在任何时候思考的动物 是不适当的， 因为这句话字面之义是指男人的思考能力。这种用法是假定男人可以作为人类的代表。几乎毫无例外的是，词person 和 people 可以用 man 和 men 来取代，且后两字意思更清楚。 相反，当man 以单数不带冠词出现用以指人类时，它更是指一类、一属， 如在象句子只有人才有语言能力 或象短语 人类对人类的不人道 中。 但man 若以这种形式出现，其意思也会模糊不清， 因为其可只指人类中的男性成员。在大多数的行文中，例如humanity 或 humankind 这样的字也传达了 man 这种用法的一般意义。 总的说来，在用法专题使用小组成员中接受man 这种一般用法的女性比男性明显少得多。 下面这句话如果说古代人受信息不足之苦的话，那么现代人则是受信息过量之虐待了 在小组中有81的成员可接受 （其中女性成员中的接受率为58，男性中则为92)。专题小组会还接受作为一般意义的man 构成的复合词。 长城是太空中的唯一可见的人造物 这句话有86的成员接受 （其中女性成员的接受率为76，而男性中为91)。“语言史就是一部人类史” （詹姆士·布拉斯瑞特·格里诺和乔治·莱曼·基特里奇）这句话的接受率为76（基中在女性成员中有63接受，而男性中为82)。 即使是上下行文所需的字主要指的是女人，这种复合词仍然被接受。因此小组中的66（其中女性委员的57，男性的71)接受了manpower 这个词在下句的用法： 那些不允许女人加入生产力大军的国家和那些允许女人加入生产力大军的国家相比，在处理剩余劳动力这一点上明显处于竞争的劣势 。 由于man 的使用所引起的一系列相关问题产生了， 在构成职业或社会角色类别的名称，如商人、主席、发言人、外行 和 渔夫 ， 以及将这个字用于类似的构词法中，如违反运动精神的 和 善于表演的才能 。 有些人谴责这种类别的用法；然而，当它们抽象地指某种角色或阶层时，这些词仍能得到用法专题使用小组大多数人的接受；但当它们用由于指女性时，这些词就被拒绝了。因此在句子主席由职工委员会指定 中 主席 的这种一般用法就得到了67小组成员的接受（其中在女性成员中为52，而男性中为76)。 但是，在句子艾米莉·欧文，市长任务小组的主席，发表了一个声明，向市长保证将考虑他们的观点 中这个字的用法，由于是指女性，只有48的成员接受（其中在女性成员中的接受率为43，而男性中为50)。 对于如何替换用man 构成的类别复合词，几种构思被提了出来。 与之相对的复合词如女商人、女发言人 和 女主席 越来越多地被用来指女性。 另外，用person 构成的中性词也创造了出来， 如商人、发言人 和 主席 。 对于用man 结尾的职业名称， 美国政府劳工部和其它政府机构已建立起了新的官方运用标准。在官方行文，现在一般用如firefighter 和 police officer 代替 fireman 和 policeman 。 大多数的小组成员反对将动词man 用于指那些女性从事的活动。 句子登记处将配备女性选民联盟的成员 在用法专题使用小组中的反对率是56（其中在女性成员中的反对率是61，而男性中为54) 参见 -ess,people〔scan〕In the 1969 edition ofThe American Heritage Dictionary a dead issue was buried by our Usage Panel, 85 percent of whom thought it was acceptable to usescan in the sense "to look over quickly,” though the note stated that this was less formal usage.The usage issue was raised becausescan in an earlier sense meant "to examine closely.” From a historical perspective it is easy to see how these two opposite senses ofscan developed. The source of our word, Latinscandere, which meant "to climb,” came to mean "to scan a verse of poetry,” because one could beat the rhythm by lifting and putting down one's foot.The Middle English verbscannen, derived from scandere, came into Middle English in this sense (first recorded in a text composed before 1398). In the 16th century this highly specialized sense having to do with the close analysis of verse developed other senses,such as "to criticize, examine minutely, interpret, perceive.” From these senses having to do with examination and perception,it was an easy step to the sense "to look at searchingly" (first recorded in 1798),perhaps harking back still to the careful, detailed work involved in analyzing prosody.But a thorough search can change into a quick one, as it seems to have done in the case of the verbscan. 在1969年版的美国传统词典 中，我们的用法委员会放弃了一个已废弃的争议， 其中85%的人认为scan 意为“快速浏览”是可接受的， 虽然注释上说这是非正式的用法。之所以这么用是因为scan 在较早的意义上表示“仔细检查”。 从历史的角度了解scan 的两个相反意思如何发展是容易的。 这个单词的词源是拉丁语scandere ，意为“攀登”，后又演化为“标出诗之格律”， 因为人们可以通过抬起或放下脚来打拍子。中世纪英语动词scannen 即是在这个意义上从 scandere 转化而来的（首次被记载在一本1398年之前编辑的教科书上）。 在16世纪这个已经高度专门化并且用来表示仔细分析诗歌的词语又发展出了其它的意项，如“批评、细致入微地检查、翻译或理解”。从这些表示检查和察觉的意思，很容易就过渡到“细察”(1798年首次被记载）的意义，也可能返回到仔细分析诗体的细微工作。但就象这个动词scan 一样，彻底地搜查可能变成快速地浏览 〔acceptation〕The usual or accepted meaning, as of a word or expression.See Synonyms at meaning 字义，含义：通常的或可接受的意思，如单词或短语的意义 参见 meaning〔euphotic〕Of, relating to, or being the uppermost layer of a body of water that receives sufficient light for photosynthesis and the growth of green plants.（海）透光层的：属于、关于或组成水体最上层的，该层可接受充足的光线以利于绿色植物的光合作用和生长〔acceptable〕Adequate to satisfy a need, requirement, or standard; satisfactory.可接受的，合意的：足以满足需求、要求或标准的；令人满意的〔decent〕Meeting accepted standards; adequate:象样的，足够的：达到了可接受的标准的；足够的：〔average〕"One and the same thing can at the same time be good, bad, and indifferent, e.g., music is good to the melancholy, bad to those who mourn, and neither good nor bad to the deaf" (Spinoza).Something that istolerable is merely acceptable: “同一件事物在同一时间可以是好的、坏的、一般的，例如，音乐对忧郁者来说是好的，对悲哀者来说是坏的，对耳聋者来说既不好也不坏” （斯宾诺莎）。tolerable 只指可接受的事物： 〔paradox〕An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises.逆说，悖论：一种尽管从可接受的假设中推导出来但其核心是自相矛盾的论断〔comprise〕 While this distinction is still maintained by many writers,comprise is increasingly used, especially in the passive, in place of compose: The Union is comprised of 50 states. In an earlier survey, a majority of the Usage Panel found this use ofcomprise unacceptable. See Usage Note at include 虽然许多作家仍然坚持这个规则，但是comprise 越来越多地取代了 compose：联邦包括50个州。 在早先的调查中，大多数用法专题使用小组成员认为comprise 的这种用法是不可接受的 参见 include〔shakedown〕In 1969 a majority of the members of theAmerican Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel felt that the noun shakedown in the sense "extortion" and the related phrasal verb shake down were acceptable in writing, though both are now labeledslang. It would seem that certain usages take a while to attain respectability because of the company they keep.Shake and the verb phrase shake out of already meant "to steal" in Middle English. This usage ofshake is still found in the 19th and 20th centuries. Bothshake and shake out of in the sense "to steal" are clearly related to shake down, which is first recorded in 1872, shake down being glossed "to extort money from individuals.” This is a slang usage,probably occurring, as had the verbshake, largely in contexts having to do with criminal or corrupt behavior. As our Panel realized,the verb and the later nounshakedown (first recorded in 1902 in the United States) have now moved from the lingo of criminals, loan sharks, and politicians into wider currency. 1969年，大多数美国经典辞书 用法研究小组的成员认为名词 shakedown （意为“敲诈”）及相关的短语动词 shake down 在写作中是可接受的， 虽然现在两者均被标以俚语。 与之有关的意义似乎有些用法需要一些时间来获得社会的承认。在中世纪英语中，Shake 和 shake out of 已经意味着“偷盗” 。 shake 的这种用法仍见于19世纪和20世纪。 Shake 及 shake out of （意为“偷盗”）明显与 shake down （首次记载于1872年）有所联系。 shake down 被解释为“从个人处敲诈金钱”。 这是俚语用法，很可能如动词shake 一样，大量用于与犯罪或腐败行为有关的语境中。 正如我们的用法研究小组所意识到的，该动词及后来的名词shakedown （在美国最早记载于1902年）已从罪犯、高利贷者及政客的语汇发展到更广泛的使用领域 〔maybe〕It's better to receive a fast and honest no than a drawn-out maybe.宁可接受真实痛快的拒绝也不要拖沓不定的答复 |
| 随便看 |
英汉汉英双解词典收录301015条英汉双解翻译词条，可根据汉字查询相应的英文词汇，基本涵盖了全部常用汉字的英文读音、翻译及用法，是英语学习及翻译工作的有利工具。