shelf
n
(pl shelves )
1 flat rectangular piece of wood, metal, glass or other material fastened horizontally to a wall or in a cupboard, bookcase, etc for things to be placed on (柜櫥、 書架等的)擱架, 擱板: put up a shelf 搭擱板
a shelf full of crockery 擺滿了陶器的架子
a `bookshelf 書架. =>illus at App 1 見附錄1插圖, page xvi.
2 thing resembling a shelf, esp a piece of rock projecting from a cliff, etc or from the edge of a mass of land under the sea 擱板狀物; (尤指)懸崖等上突出的巖石, 大陸架
the continental shelf 大陸架.
3 (idm 習語) on the `shelf (infml 口)
(a) (of a person) put aside as if no longer useful (指人)被閑置(似已無用)
A retired person should not be made to feel he's on the shelf. 不應該讓退休的人感到自己是個閑人.
(b) (often sexist 常含性別偏見) (of an unmarried woman) regarded as being too old to be likely to be asked to marry sb (指未婚女子)被認為年齡較大因而不太可能有人向她求婚
Women used to think they were on the shelf at 30. 過去女人一到30歲就認為是過了結婚年齡.