〖题解〗

《牛》者，《牛津英语大词典》（The Oxford English Dictionary）之谓。是书也，现代英语（Modern English）小学之峰极，全二十卷。余向日购盗版十二卷（副本二卷）于西江湾路某唱片店，耗仅百金。去春撰博士学位论文，以其为题，管窥蠡测，略有收获。近得CD-ROM新四版（亦盗版，愧哉愧哉），暇时泛览，偶有所思，辄付诸札记。戏题之曰《〈牛〉读不怕“唬”》，盖治英语者，若勤习是书，则坊间狐禅野道之流不能加害也。

昨夜读Adamless条，释义如下：

In phr. Adamless Eden: designating a situation or way of life from which men are absent or excluded and which is regarded, often iron., as a variety of paradise.

第一则例证如下：

1883 Sat. Rev. 23 June 795/2 It is not every young lady even in China, who desires to live in an Adamless Eden.

因思义山诗句：“神女生涯原是梦，小姑居处本无郎（岂非Adamless乎?!）。”忍俊不禁。

查Eveless，不得。询诸“谷歌”，则an Eveless Eden例俯仰皆是。总纂诸官不亦MCPs（M条下有例：1971 Publishers' Weekly 1 Nov. 22 *MCPs, you should know by now, are Male Chauvinist Pigs, an epithet that has grown so common it is now abbreviated.）乎？

查manless（取其b.1.b Of a woman: lacking the company of men, spec. having no husband or suitor.之义），则“外无旷夫，内有怨女”之意显矣：

1962 K. Orvis Damned & Destroyed xxv. 189 Fear of living out her life as a manless woman（庶几“剩女”乎？）.

1924 Public Opinion 7 Nov. 460/2 We find girls robbed of wholesome excitements‥by the loneliness and manlessness of their lives.