| 词组 | pachyderm, pachydermatous |
| 释义 | pachyderm, pachydermatous A handful of critics complain about these words. Copperud 1964, 1970, 1980 and Flesch 1964 object to newspaper use of pachyderm as a synonym for elephant; Flesch mentions a report that it is hard to find a pachyderm parking space in Bangkok. Flesch has failed to note the appeal of the alliteration in his example. Copperud says that Fowler 1926, 1965 objects to pachydermatous as a synonym for elephantine, but he is a little off-target. Fowler actually mentions pachydermatous as a favorite of what he calls "polysyllabic humorists," who use it to mean "thick-skinned" as they use terminological inexactitude for "lie." He feels, understandably, that such attempts at humor are, well, elephantine and quickly grow tiresome. There is really no problem with these words that a little restraint in using them will not eliminate. The chances are that you will be careful enough to avoid overkill. So go ahead and use pachyderm or pachydermatous if it suits your purpose. As you can see from the following examples, the purpose need not be dead serious. • A mighty creature is the germ, Though smaller than the pachyderm. —Ogden Nash, "The Germ," reprinted in Chains of Light (8th grade textbook), 1982 • Mrs. Hammond rents her adorable pachyderm out to Republican party (naturally) clambakes —Leo Rosten, Saturday Rev., 25 Jan. 1975 • ... the halcyon days of the mat game in Cape Town when fans used to work themselves up into a frenzy over the antics of the cabbage-eared pachyderms — Cape Times (South Africa), 8 Dec. 1945 • ... making one another laugh by sticking pins into venerable pachyderms like the royal family, the army, the Archbishop of Canterbury —Patrick Campbell, Saturday Rev., 11 June 1977 • Let us, then, advise every book-lover to turn to Mr. Clive in preference to best sellers. You will do well to pass up those pachyderms —Owen Dudley Edwards, N. Y. Times Book Rev., 1 Apr. 1973 If you look into your dictionary, you will discover that pachyderm is used of several animals besides the elephant. Among the better known of these are the hippopotamus and the rhinoceros. Considered together with the elephant, who most often parades under the name, these pachyderms suggest a certain bulk and solidity. Hence it is no surprise to see the term extended to professional wrestlers, certain hidebound institutions, and fat best-selling novels. Next, some examples of the adjective from sources that range from the humorous to the entirely sober: • ... when P. G. Wodehouse wrote, on the subject of one of his sabre-toothed and pachydermatous aunts, 'A massive silence prevailed in the corner where the aunt sat' —Howard 1977 • ... galumphs into a vein of pachydermatous verbalizing —G. Legman, Rationale of the Dirty Joke, 2d series, 1975 • ... even in dealing with the most pachydermatous political systems, patient pressure is neither counterproductive nor futile—The Economist, 19 July 1985 One humorist, not especially polysyllabic, has even used the rarer pachydermia • Even ponderous pachydermic objects—like the automobile and refrigerator—were willing to wear out after a mere two or three years so that succeeding generations of automobiles and refrigerators could have their chances to browse in my bank account — Russell Baker, N.Y. Times Mag., 21 Nov. 1976 |
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