| 词组 | want in, want out |
| 释义 | want in, want out The use of want in the elliptical sense "to desire to come, go, or be" (as in "the cat wants in") is generally regarded by usage commentators as a colloquialism to be avoided in writing. The OED indicated in 1921 that such usage was then chiefly a characteristic of Scottish, Northern Irish, and American speech. It was first attested in 1844, and it has been repeatedly discouraged in American usage books at least since MacCracken & Sandison 1917. Its popularity in the U.S. seems to have formerly been somewhat localized, being confined primarily to the Midwest and to the Appalachians, but it has grown increasingly widespread over the years and is no longer strongly associated with any particular region. The elliptical want is especially common in the phrases want in and want out, both of which now occur frequently not only in speech but also in writing. Written use tends to be figurative: • Mr. Davis, who now wants in again, has been advised that he has a good prospect of becoming naturalized in 1952 — New Yorker, 14 Oct. 1950 • Some others prefer not to join; some want in, but have not yet been admitted —Joe Alex Morris, Saturday Evening Post, 15 May 1954 • ... it is recognized that the President wants out and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Senator Knowland want in —Richard H. Rovere, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 1955 • Cypriots ... want out of the Commonwealth — Time, 11 July 1955 • ... some students are astonished at Aviation's rules and regulations, and want out —Peter Janssen, TV. Y. Times Mag., 7 Dec. 1975 • But he wanted out, and we agreed to take care of him —Daniel P. Moynihan, N.Y. Times Book Rev., 17 Feb. 1985 The informal quality of want in and want out is evident, but that informality can be useful in expressing a sense of urgency or determination that may not be communicated as well by a more formal alternative. The same holds true for other uses of want in its elliptical sense: • ... airline pilots all wanted back in the Air Force — Newsweek, 20 Dec. 1948 • ... will want off at the second floor —Bill Harrison, Saturday Evening Post, 11 Dec. 1954 • ESPN badly wants into the NFL —William Taaffe, Sports Illustrated, 29 Sept. 1986 |
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