| 释义 |
let
verb
▶ let down easily; let down gently
to disappoint someone in as non-hurtful a manner as possible UK, 1834- You’re the right person, but it’s the wrong time. Are they just trying to let you down gently, or could they really have a point? — The Guardian, 10 November 2001
▶ let fly
to hit out, to attack physically or verbally UK, 1859- Grumpy investors let fly at directors[.] — Sydney Morning Herald, 19 April 2003
▷ let it all hang out
to behave in an uninhibited manner; to be free of convention; to hide nothing US, 1970
Originally black musicians’ usage; adopted into the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, then absorbed into the psychobabble of “alternative” and “new age” therapies, where it remains current.- [S]uch terms as “sock it to me” and “let it all hang out” portrayed the spontaneous times [late 1960s] with precision. — Sean Hutchinson, Crying Out Loud, p. 176, 1988
▶ let off; let one off; let go; let one go; let one loose
to fart UK, 1970- I’m the kind of sneaky bugger, who lets off and doesn’t let on, / I let them go in lifts[.] — Ivor Biggun, I’ve Parted (Misprint), 1978
▶ let on
to reveal a secret UK, 1725- We were told: “The attendance was quite good for mid-week.” If they did as well as they were trying to let on, why did they slash the price two days before the concert? — Irish Examiner, 6 July 2002
- [N]ever let on how much you have to spend when doing your research. — The Guardian, 11 June 2002
▶ let one go; let one loose
to fart US, 1970- And then Dino lets one go, and she [the teacher] goes “Wot’s your name?” — Kylie Mole (Maryanne Fahey), My Diary, p. 107, 1988
- [He] could be relied upon to “let one loose” every night just as she was nodding off to sleep. — Gretel Killeen, Hot Buns and Ophelia get a Bloke, p. 36, 2000
▶ let rip
to let go with considerable, or maximum, force; to shout; to accelerate, UK, 1843- Scowling and barely able to control his rage, Mr Campbell mixed up his syntax as he let rip. — The Guardian, 28 June 2003
▶ let the eel swim upstream
to have sex US- Another way to say “intercourse” [...] Letting the eel swim upstream[.] — Erica Orloff and JoAnn Baker, Dirty Little Secrets, p. 88, 2001
▶ let you have it
to attack someone, to give someone a beating or a severe reprimand UK, 1848
The ambiguous nature of the phrase “Let him have it, Chris” is key to understanding the 1952 murder of a policeman by teenager Chris Craig: did the instruction given by 19-year-old Derek Bentley mean hand over the gun to the police officer, or shoot him? Bentley was executed and posthumously pardoned. The 1991 film of the crime is entitled Let Him Have It. |