| 词源 |
above one’s bend. Meaning “beyond one’s ability, limit, or capacity.” This expression probably has its origins in a phrase Shakespeare used in Hamlet: “To the top of one’s bent.” The “bent,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, refers to the extent to which a bow may be bent or a spring wound up, thus the degree of tension; hence degree of endurance, capacity for taking in or receiving . . .” |