| 释义 |
keep
verb
to be in possession of drugs US- Shooting up the Peanut Shit / Of all we need to keep. — Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers, p. 238, 1966
▶ keep Bachelor’s Hall
(of a man) to live alone, even temporarily CANADA
In use in the US as well.- A man whose wife has gone to Newfoundland for a week, leaving him to cook and clean for himself, says "I’m keeping Bachelor’s Hall," an elaborate form of the more familiar North American "batching it." — Lewis Poteet, The South Shore Phrase Book, p. 65, 1999
▶ keep dog
to act as lookout UK- They told me to keep dog. Then they came running out and I ran with them. — Andy McNab, Immediate Action, p. 10, 1995
▶ keep him honest
in poker, to call a player who is suspected of bluffing US- — Irwin Steig, Common Sense in Poker, p. 185, 1963
▶ keep in (some commodity)
to keep satisfactorily supplied with income AUSTRALIA- As for the money for expenses, there is not sufficient cash in Sydney’s underworld to keep Al Capone in petrol for a week. — “Sweeney- ex-crook”, I confess, p. 110, 1936
▶ keep it dark
to say nothing about something; to keep a secret UK, 1857
An imperative.- Government increases secondments from energy, arms and construction industries, but tries to keep it dark[.] — The Guardian, 5 October 2002
▶ keep nix
to keep lookout IRELAND- “Ah, for God’s sake, who’s going to see you at this hour?...You have a slash. I’ll keep nix,” he said. — Hugh Leonard, Out After Dark, p. 94, 1989
▶ keep on keeping on
to persevere in the face of all discouragement or misfortune US- [W]hile the sprinters are taking long breaks she keeps on keeping on. — Washington Post, p. C9, 20 January 1977
- Meanwhile, something of a favourite phrase, he will “keep on keeping on” at the riding. — The Observer, 2 November 2003
▶ keep tabs on; keep a tab on
to keep an account of; to note someone’s movements or activity, to follow and record US, 1889
The original use was of simple accounting: “to keep a (financial) table on”.- I won’t be able to keep tabs on all the other shite. — Kevin Sampson, Clubland, p. 101, 2002
▶ keep the peek
to serve as a lookout during a criminal act US- — John R. Armore and Joseph D. Wolfe, Dictionary of Desperation, p. 37, 1976
▶ keep under your hat
to maintain secrecy about something; especially used as an imperative for discretion UK, 1953- The driver of the stars’ homes tour also pointed out [...] the current homes of Kim Novak, Helena Rubenstein and Madonna–although no one is supposed to know she has moved here, so keep it under your hat. — The Guardian, 25 September 1999
▶ keep your cool
to retain your self-possession US- Scholars may screech as Tony Harrison infiltrates modern lingo ("keep your cool,""buddy," "haute couture") into his rhymed couplets. — Newsweek, p. 69, 24 March 1975
- The man the French call "Crazy" kept his cool. — The Guardian, 17 February 2003
▶ keep your head down
to stay out of trouble UK
Military origins.- Common phrase often used as the end of letters from prisoners. — Angela Devlin, Prison Patter, p. 68, 1996
▶ keep your mouth off something
to stop talking about TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 1971- — Lise Winer, Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago, 2003
▶ keep your nose clean
to stay out of trouble, to behave yourself US, 1887- I didn’t do too bad. I kept me nose clean. I went through the war alright. — Clive Exton, No Fixed Abode [Six Granada Plays], p. 123, 1959
▶ keep yow
to act as lookout while an illegal activity takes place
AUSTRALIA, 1942- “You keep yow,” she said in a muffled voice, “and whistle ‘The Prisoner’s Song’ if anyone comes along.” — Eve Langley, The Pea-Pickers, p. 213, 1958
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