| 词组 | leastways, leastwise |
| 释义 | leastways, leastwise These two synonymous adverbs are both more at home in speech than in writing, although both have some sort of literary pedigree: • "... or, leastwise, people'll think you've been defiled ..." —Joseph Conrad & Ford Madox Ford, The Inheritors, 1900 • He was own brother to a brimstone magpie—leastways Mrs. Small weed —Charles Dickens, Bleak House, 1852 (OED) Both words originated from phrases: at the least way, which dates back to the 14th century, and at the least wise, which was first recorded in 1534. The equivalent phrase now established in general use, of course, is simply at least. The single word leastways was labeled "dial. and vulgar" by the OED in 1902, and its use has continued to be chiefly dialectal: • "It might a-done the bashing, though," said Kirk, "leastways, the underneath part, or this here rounded end " —Dorothy L. Sayers, Busman's Honeymoon, 1937 • "Reckon so," Dade admitted. "Leastways I'm the only one workin' there regular." —Harold Sinclair, Music Out of Dixie, 1952 The OED labeled leastwise "somewhat rare," and somewhat rare it has remained. It does have some use in straightforward, albeit informal, writing: • ... leastwise ever since Bill Crews, years ago, took his team out to play some little town across the hills —Newlin B. Wildes, Yankee, May 1967 But to other writers it clearly has much the same dialectal quality as leastways: • There ain't no sech massage. Leastwise, I haven't met it —Chicago Daily Tribune, 6 Nov. 1926 |
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