mirthless, -ese, sometime actress

Woman in Hurd Case Regrets Dismissal

The woman at the center of the ethics scandal that cost Mark Hurd the top job at Hewlett-Packard identified herself as Jodie Fisher, a 50-year-old sometime actress.



a mirthless boy

我問過老美老師這個問題，他的答案是字尾"ese"，是有點輕視的意思(但年輕的一輩已漸漸淡忘)

-ese

suff.

1. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or originating in a specified place: Vietnamese.
2. Native or inhabitant of: Taiwanese.
3. 1. Language or dialect of: Chinese.
   2. Literary style or diction of: journalese.

[Middle English, from Italian, from Latin -ēnsis, originating in.]

mirth (mûrth) 
n.
Gladness and gaiety, especially when expressed by laughter.

[Middle English, from Old English myrgth.]

sometime

adv.

1. At an indefinite or unstated time: I'll meet you sometime this afternoon.
2. At an indefinite time in the future: Let's get together sometime.
3. Obsolete. Sometimes.
4. Archaic. Formerly.

adj.

1. Having been at some prior time; former: a sometime secretary.
2. Usage Problem. Occasional.

USAGE NOTE Sometime as an adjective has been employed to mean "former" since the 15th century. Since the 1930s, people have used it to mean "occasional": the team's sometime star and sometime problem child. This latter use, however, is unacceptable to a majority of the Usage Panel. See Usage Notes at someday.