| 词组 | ground zero |
| 释义 | ground zero The term ground zero is a product of the nuclear age; it designates the point on the earth's surface above which, below which, or at which an atomic explosion occurs. Its figurative use in describing the central point of something, such as an area undergoing rapid change, is uncontroversial: • Mahal is located at ground zero of a district "that in five years will be completely Indianized" —Jay Jacobs, Gourmet, July 1981 But recent years have also seen ground zero being used on occasion as a synonym of square one, meaning "the very beginning": • ... then we can start from ground zero again — Rabbi Isaac Swift, quoted in Time, 8 Dec. 1975 • ... you will not have to start from ground zero — Shirley M. Hufstedler, TV. Y. Times Mag., 11 Jan. 1981 • ... you can spend years of effort just trying to return to ground zero —Wallstreet Jour., 3 Feb. 1981 It is not hard to see how this extension of meaning has occurred; after all, zero more strongly suggests a starting point than it does a central point, and to those unfamiliar with its origins, ground zero is probably more suggestive of rocket launches than of nuclear explosions. But, of course, those who are familiar with its origins tend to regard its use to mean "the very beginning" as an error. The usage panel of Harper 1985 turned thumbs down on this sense by a margin of better than nine to one. The contexts in which it occurs are certainly standard, but our evidence does not show that it is common enough yet to be regarded as well established. In light of that situation, we recommend avoiding it. |
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