ships that pass in the night

短语

发音

AU

词形变化

only 复数

别名

ships in the night ships passing in the night ships that passed in the night

释义与例句

n.
  1. 1.

    Two or more people who encounter one another in a transitory, incidental manner and whose relationship is without lasting significance; two or more people who almost encounter one another, but do not do so.

    仅复数

    At one point, Gerry McIlroy had two jobs, putting in a 100-hour week as a cleaner and barman, while his mother Rosie worked a night shift in a factory. . . . Rosie and Gerry were like ships that passed in the night.

  2. 2.

    Things which have no significant connection or commonality.

    仅复数 引申义

    As a connoisseur of enigmatic titles . . . the Gouldian title that gives me most pleasure is a joint paper, "Clams and brachiopods: Ships that pass in the night," in a learned journal.

词源

From a poetic metaphor by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882).

来源：wiktionary