umpteen: [20] Umpteen was derived from an earlier umpty. This began life as a signallers’ slang term for a ‘dash’ in morse code (like its companion iddy for ‘dot’, it was purely fanciful in origin). Its similarity to twenty, thirty, etc led to its being used for an ‘indefinitely large number’, and umpteen simply replaced the -ty suffix with -teen.
umpteen (adj.)
1917, World War I army slang, from umpty + -teen. Related: Umpteenth.
实用例句
1. He has produced umpteen books, plays and television series.
他推出了众多图书、戏剧和电视连续剧作品。
来自柯林斯例句
2. He was interrupted by applause umpteen times.
他无数次被掌声打断。
来自柯林斯例句
3. I've told this story umpteen times.
这个故事我已讲了无数次了。
来自《权威词典》
4. They recounted umpteen tales of unfair treatment.
