Unbridled [ʌnˈbraɪd(ə)ld] 嘴上没有把门的, 口无遮拦的, 没有底线的(bridle: leather bands that go over a horse's head and hold the bit in its mouth) If you describe behaviour or feelings as unbridled, you mean that they are not controlled or limited in any way. She spoke with unbridled passion. unbridled greed. ...the unbridled greed of the 1980s. ...a tale of lust and unbridled passion. impassioned [ɪmpæʃənd] An impassioned speech or piece of writing is one in which someone expresses their strong feelings about an issue in a forceful way. [journalism, written] He made an impassioned appeal for peace. He's an impassioned believer. emotive [ɪˈməʊtɪv] 让人动容的, 煽情的, 感人的, 让人感动的 causing strong feelings. concerned with or arousing the emotions or affection. An emotive situation or issue is likely to make people feel strong emotions. Embryo research is an emotive issue 情感相关的, . It is a lost child who inspires some of the greatest search and rescue efforts. The reunion with their parents is even more emotive. a highly emotive issue. emotive 煽情的 VS emotional 情绪激动的, 爱动情的 (affective 跟情绪和情感相关的, 情感那一方面的): "emotive" cause emotion, "emotional" has emotion. Be tactful 有技巧点, 小心点 and don't upset her; she's a very emotional person. The advertisers cleverly chose an emotive 煽情的 caption for their posters. This music is very emotive; I feel emotional when I hear it. affective 情绪相关的, 情感方面的 adj relating to the emotions or to someone's moods. connected with the emotions. relating to the emotions or to someone's moods. an affective disorder. the relationship between the cognitive and affective aspects of learning. He has no affective ties to 情感纽带 his family. affective filter a psychological factor that can help or hinder language learning. The students have a high affective filter as they are afraid to make mistakes in front of their teachers and peers. seasonal affective disorder 春困秋乏 an illness that affects some people during the time of year when there is very little light from the sun and that makes them feel tired and unhappy. emotional I. relating to the emotions: a child's emotional development. My doctor said the problem was more emotional than physical. Amnesia can be caused by emotional trauma. II. having and expressing strong feelings: He's a very emotional 情绪激动的 man. I felt quite emotional during the wedding ceremony. He became very emotional when I told him I was pregnant. The president has made an emotional plea for the killing to stop. reticent [ˈretɪs(ə)nt] 不爱说话的, 沉默寡言的, 不愿多说的, 讳而不言, 讳莫如深的, 守口如瓶的, 不爱说的, 不愿提及的 not willing to provide information about something, especially about yourself or your feelings. Someone who is reticent does not tell people about things. He's very intelligent, but reticent. She is so reticent about her achievements. As a reticent sort, the England defender was reluctant to hog the limelight. Pearl didn't mind his reticence; in fact she liked it. She remembered how reticent her father had been about his past. However reticent she is to reprise her Spice Girls days, she recently revealed one of her fondest moments is looking back on a film clip in which she was pregnant with Brooklyn. cagey 守口如瓶的, 闭口不言的, 不愿多谈的
If you say that someone is being cagey about something, you mean that
you think they are deliberately not giving you much information or
expressing an opinion about it. He is cagey about what he was paid for the business. Smart reacted cagily when Chelsea were mentioned. coy I. A coy person is shy, or pretends to be shy, about love and sex. She
is modest without being coy. She smiled coyly at Algie as he took her
hand and raised it to his lips. The public may once have liked her, but
her coyness now interferes with her interviews. II. If someone is being coy, they are unwilling to talk about something that they feel guilty or embarrassed about. The hotel are understandably coy about the incident. Mr Alexander is not the slightest bit coy about 不讳言 his ambitions. The administration coyly refused to put a firm figure on the war's costs. ...their coyness about financial aid. be drawn [usually in negatives] to give information in reply to questions about something She refused to be drawn on the subject. [usually passive] to persuade someone to tell you something. I asked her if a decision had been made, but she would not be drawn (=would not tell me). draw someone on something: Journalists tried to draw him on the subject of his wife. reprise [rɪˈpriz] noun. I. an act of repeating something. reprise of: They are planning a reprise of last year's award ceremony. II. music a part of a song or other piece of music that is repeated. verb. to do something again. a. to perform a part or the whole of a work again. If someone reprises a role or a song, they play or sing it again. He then proceeded to play for more than two hours, reprising every one of his hits. In the movie, she successfully reprises the role she played in the stage musical. unbecomingI. formal
不得体的, 不合适的. 不妥的. behavior that is unbecoming is inappropriate for a
particular type of person. If you describe a person's behaviour or
remarks as unbecoming, you mean that they are shocking and unsuitable
for that person. His conduct was
totally unbecoming to an officer in the British armed services. Those
involved had performed acts unbecoming of university students. Rockwood was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer. II. old-fashioned not attractive in style or color. If you describe things such as clothes as unbecoming, you mean that they look unattractive. ...the unbecoming dress hurriedly stitched from cheap cloth. wayward [ˈweɪwəd] 桀骜不驯的, 难以管束的. 不听管教的 adj difficult to control or predict because of wilful or perverse behaviour. "a wayward adolescent". If you describe a person or their behaviour as wayward, you mean that they behave in a selfish, bad, or unpredictable way, and are difficult to control. ...wayward children with a history of severe emotional problems. ...the curiosity, caprice and waywardness of children. untoward [ʌntəˈwɔːd] 不对劲的, 非法的, 不合法的. 非同寻常的, 不寻常的, 不合适的, 不道德的, 不正常的 adj unexpected and inappropriate or inconvenient. "both tried to behave as if nothing untoward had happened". If you say that something untoward happens, you mean that something happens that is unexpected and causes difficulties. The surveyor's report didn't highlight anything untoward. Tampering with a single enzyme can lead to untoward effects elsewhere. nothing untoward: It's important that nothing untoward should happen during his visit. anything untoward: There was no evidence in the house of anything untoward. untoward incident An NHS (UK) term for any event, incident, occurrence or accident, which could have or did lead to unintended harm, loss or damage to a patient, visitor or member of staff or hospital Trust property. vocabulary: The adjective untoward describes something offensive or inappropriate, like the rumors of untoward behavior that can shatter a Hollywood icon's reputation. Untoward also describes things that are not good for you, such as untoward advice 鬼点子, 馊主意 from someone your parents always said was a bad influence. Think about what you do when you move toward something: you get closer to it. Suppose you're moving toward a goal. You are, as they say, "on the right path." But when you add the prefix un- you reverse that, and you're no longer on the path to that goal — you're untoward. toward I. If you move, look, or point toward something or someone, you move, look, or point in their direction. They were all moving toward him down the stairs. When he looked toward me, I smiled and waved. II. If things develop toward a particular situation, that situation becomes nearer in time or more likely to happen. The agreement is a major step toward peace. III. If you have a particular attitude toward something or someone, you have that attitude when you think about them or deal with them. My attitude toward religion has been shaped by this man. IV. If something happens toward a particular time, it happens just before that time. There was a forecast of cooler weather toward the end of the week. V. If something is toward part of a place or thing, it is near that part. Gulls are nesting on a small island toward the eastern shore. Caroline's name appeared toward the bottom of the list. Toward the edge of the forest there were patches of yellow primroses. VI. If you give money toward something, you give it to help pay for that thing. I would be happy to contribute a little toward the cost of the gas. Taxes only get part of the way toward a $50 billion deficit. towards I. used for saying in which direction someone or something is going, facing, or looking. a
stream of traffic speeding towards West London. I saw Joanna hurrying
towards me along the drive. Victor was standing with his back towards
me. She directed a brief glance towards Peter. a path leading towards
the river. II. used when saying how you feel about someone or something or how you treat them. He's
not feeling very friendly towards you at the moment. the Church's
attitude towards divorce. international policy towards Iraq. III. used for showing how a process is developing in a way that will produce a particular result. progress towards European unity. Not much has been done towards improving safety. IV. near a time or place. a. a little before a particular time. I'll phone you some time towards the end of the week. It was towards midnight when finally she sent the children off to bed. b. not far from a particular place or position. Caroline's name appeared towards the bottom of the list. Towards the edge of the wood there were patches of yellow primroses. V. 临近, 接近 in order to help to pay for something. For the purpose of attaining (an aim). I'm saving money toward retirement. I would be happy to contribute towards the cost of the petrol. Usage notes:
Although some have tried to discern a semantic distinction between the
words toward and towards, the difference is merely dialectal. Toward is
more common in American English and towards is more common in British
English. go a way towards something to make progress in achieving something. The law will go a long way towards reducing pollution. go towards something 被用于, 被投入到, 投入于 to be used to help to pay for something. The proceeds from the sale of the grounds will go towards the construction of a new stadium. go towards doing something: The money raised will go towards rebuilding the children's hospital. put towards to add a particular amount of money to an amount that is being collected in order to buy something. We each put £5 towards her leaving present. make towards someone/something 朝...方向走去 to go in the direction of someone or something. I made towards the door, but he called me back. work towards something to do things that help you to make progress towards something that you want to achieve. Both countries are working towards peace in the region. get/have one's wires crossed
to fail to understand each other. to be confused because each person
has a different idea about what is happening or being said We got our wires crossed for a minute there—I thought you were asking me something else. get your wires crossed 有误会, 有误解 When people get their wires crossed, they have a different understanding of the same situation: Somehow we got our wires crossed because I'd written the 23rd in my diary and Jen had the 16th. movie - The National Tree: I
just wanted to confirm that we'll be there at 8:00 a.m. to escort the
tree to the ellipse. That's the plan. Good, 'cause they're going to start setting up the stand at 9:00. Stand? Yeah, then the chainsaw crew arrives at noon. What are you talking about? It's going to be a bear
getting that tree into the stand. I have enough trouble with just a 6
footer at home. But we're planting the tree. Uh, no, ma'am, we're just
erecting it. No, that's not what-- That's not what we're doing. We're
planting the tree. Well, those aren't my instructions, ma'am, not anymore. Look, if we have some crossed wires (misconceive, misconstrue = misinterpret 误会, 误读, misunderstand 理解错了, 没搞明白) here, talk to Aaron Sprague. He authorized this. a bear: something that is very difficult. That algebra exam was a bear! a bear of a (=a difficult or unpleasant) problem/dilemma/winter etc.: We had a bear of an argument last night. a cross (someone has) to bear something unpleasant that someone has to deal with, especially continuously for a long time. We all have our crosses to bear. "Crossed wires"
can describe either of these situations: I. when people who are
supposedly having a conversation with each other are actually talking
about completely different things. Emma: I can't
wait for the weekend. Joe: Freedom at last! Next year I'm going
travelling. Emma: We're throwing a party for our graduation. Joe: I'm
gonna hitchhike around Europe. Emma: Everyone is invited. Hope they all
come. Joe: London Paris and Rome here I come! Emma: You are coming
aren't you? Joe: Wanna come with me? Emma: Crossed wires! II.
when a dialogue gets out of sync because people are not listening to
each other - in a written dialogue this is usually because someone has
posted twice before reading a reply. The expression derives from ye
olden days of analogue telephones. Sometimes when speaking on the phone
in the 60s or 70s it was possible to hear another conversation on the
same line. You might also pick up the phone and find that instead of a
dial tone you could hear a conversation. This situation was called
"crossed wires". Jack:
I'm sick and tired of arguing. Anna: sorry I didn't mean to upset you. I
forgot that you don't like talking about politics. Jack: and I get the
feeling you're trying to upset me! Jack: sorry crossed wires. cross purposes [ˈpɜrpəs] 各怀鬼胎 = at cross purposes 自说自话, 心怀鬼胎, 驴唇不对马嘴, 各说各话
If two or more people are at cross purposes, they do not understand
each other because they are talking about different subjects without
realizing this: I think we've been talking at cross purposes - I meant next year, not this year. If two people or groups are at cross-purposes they do not understand each other because they have different intentions. a purpose usually unintentionally contrary to another purpose of oneself or of someone or something else. the two were always working at cross-purposes. They're talking at cross-purposes without realizing it. I. if two people are at cross purposes, they think that they are talking about the same thing when in fact they are not. Hold on, I think we may be talking at cross purposes.
II. if two people, plans, or actions are at cross purposes, they are
trying to achieve different things that do not agree with each other. Police and community leaders found they were working at cross purposes. dual-purpose 一石二鸟的 able to be used for two different purposes. a dual-purpose exercise which develops strength and flexibility. general-purpose I. a general-purpose product or vehicle is appropriate for most situations. a general-purpose 一般用的 cleaning fluid. II. not limited to one use or purpose. Some of the money would come from the general-purpose funds. fit for purpose something that is fit for purpose is good enough to do the job it was designed to do. to little/no purpose without success, or with bad results She called after them to no purpose. for no purpose/for no good purpose for no reason/for no good reason It would upset them both to no purpose. to what end 图什么啊, 图的什么啊 For what purpose We will never know to what ends he was working. To what end are you spending so much time reading the newspaper? They put so much effort into it, but to what end? for the purpose(s) of something when considering one particular thing For the purposes of this study, we ignored the responses of those with fewer than three children. in sb's crosshairs If you are in someone's crosshairs, they intend to catch, arrest, or stop you: He's in the law's crosshairs now. in the crosshairs (瞄准十字星) I. (literally) targeted at the point of intersection of the two
perpendicular lines in a gunsight or scope. II. (idiomatic) subject to
close scrutiny. III. (idiomatic) singled out for blame, harassment, or
other unwanted attention. wired [waɪərd] 精神紧绷的, 紧张的, 弦绷得很紧的 I. If someone is wired, they are tense, nervous, and unable to relax. [mainly US, informal] Tonight he is manic, wired and uptight. 韩国明星自杀: The police consider cyber violence a serious crime and have an active program educating the public how not to fall prey to online attacks, or to become the perpetrator. Charges laid are steadily on the rise with nearly 150,000 cases last year, but they form just a minuscule portion of 只占一小部分 what goes on and there is no good recourse 途径 ( the use of something so that you can get what you want or need in a difficult situation. We hope a settlement can be reached without recourse to legal action. The system allows doctors to have recourse to specialist opinion. ) for the victims in a country once touted as one of the most wired on earth, police say. The Korean pop music world is popular across Asia but has a dark underbelly. Earlier this year, several male K-pop stars and one of the industry's biggest producers were questioned by police in connection with illegal gambling and prostitution. II. A computer, organization, or person that is wired has the equipment that is necessary to use the internet. [informal] Once more people are wired, the potential to change the mainstream media will be huge. III. Wired is used to describe material or clothing that has wires sewn into it in order to keep it stiff. ...a length of wired ribbon. disjointed [dɪsˈdʒɔɪntɪd] 被打散的, 零零散散的, 七零八落的, 不连续的, 断断续续的 adj lacking a coherent sequence or connection. "piecing together disjointed fragments of information". II. Disjointed words, thoughts, or ideas are not presented in a smooth or logical way and are therefore difficult to understand. Sally was used to his disjointed 零碎的 东一下, 西一下的, 没有逻辑的, drunken ramblings. III. Disjointed societies, systems, and activities are ones in which the different parts or elements are not as closely connected as they should be or as they used to be. ...our increasingly fragmented 破碎的, 七零八落的 and disjointed 分崩离析的 society. disinterested [dɪsˈɪntrəstəd] 非利益攸关的, 没有利益关系的 I. not involved in something and therefore able to judge it fairly. a disinterested witness and observer. disinterested advice. having no personal involvement or receiving no personal advantage, and therefore free to act fairly. someone who is disinterested will receive no personal advantage from a situation, so their advice or a decision relating to it will probably be fair: Determination must be made by disinterested trustees or independent legal counsel. a disinterested 非利益相关的, 局外人的, 置身事外的 observer/judgment. a piece of disinterested advice. II. 不感兴趣的 not interested. Many people think that this use of the word is not correct, and prefer to use uninterested. proper I. [ONLY BEFORE NOUN] suitable for the purpose or situation. You have to have the proper tools for the job. That's not the proper way to do it! The problem was they didn't have a proper 合适的 place to rehearse. proper procedures 正常程序: Councillors went against their own officers and ignored proper procedures. II. considered to be morally good. I don't think it would be proper for me to say any more. I'm sure you will all agree that this is the only proper 唯一合适的 course of action. right and proper: It's only right and proper that his family should be present. III. considered to be real or serious. When are you going to get a proper job 正当工作? Start the day with a proper breakfast. He needs proper 正规的, 规范的 medical care. IV. behaving in a manner that most people would consider correct and polite. Young people then were all terribly proper 规规矩矩的, 中规中矩的, 不敢越雷池一步的, 不敢逾矩的. a. behaving in a way that is so polite that other people feel annoyed or uncomfortable. He's always so prim and proper. V. [NEVER BEFORE NOUN] understood in its most exact meaning. Does he live in Swansea proper or in the suburbs? VI. INFORMAL complete in every detail He's only six, but he's already a proper little gentleman. VII. FORMAL belonging to a particular type of thing. proper to: a style of architecture proper to the period 顺应时代. subservient [səbˈsɜː(r)viənt] (dominant 反义词 也可以是 submissive) I. 让干什么就干什么的. 顺从的. 听话的. too willing to obey other people. If you are subservient, you do whatever someone wants you to do. She is expected to be subservient to her uncle. ...an austere regime stressing obedience and subservience to authority. Channing Tatum said he wanted to change the historical narrative of the dominant man and the subservient woman that was present in stripping. II. FORMAL ( subordinate, subsidiary, accessory, auxiliarretiy) considered less important than something else. If you treat one thing as subservient to another, you treat it as less important than the other thing. The woman's needs are seen as subservient to the group interest. submissive [səbˈmɪsɪv] 逆来顺受的 adj willing to do what other people tell you to do without arguing. If you are submissive, you obey someone without arguing. His mother was a meek and submissive woman. Some doctors want their patients to be submissive. The troops submissively laid down their weapons. obedient 守规矩的, 不敢逾矩的, 守法的, 服从命令的 adj doing what a person, law, or rule says that you must do. doing what a person, law, or rule says that you must do. The soldiers stood at attention disciplined, and obedient. A person or animal who is obedient does what they are told to do. He was very respectful at home and obedient to his parents. What a sweet, obedient little girl she was in the sixth grade. ...unquestioning obedience to the law. They command the respect and obedience of the armed forces. He was looking obediently at Keith, waiting for orders. your obedient servant used in the past as a way of ending a formal letter. servile US [ˈsɜrˌvaɪl] UK [ˈsɜrv(ə)l] adj showing disapproval someone who is servile is so willing to serve or obey other people that you have no respect for them. If you say that someone is servile, you disapprove of them because they are too eager to obey someone or do things for them. [formal, disapproval] He was subservient and servile. They said she had a servile attitude to her employer. She's a curious mixture of stubbornness and servility. exuberant [ɪɡˈzjuːbərənt] I. happy, excited, and full of energy. an exuberant crowd. If you are exuberant, you are full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness. ...an exuberant young girl who decided to become a screen actress. They both laughed exuberantly. II. showing happiness, excitement, and energy. exuberant designs by a local artist. If you describe something as exuberant, you like it because it is lively, exciting, and full of energy and life. This is bold and exuberant cooking. ...exuberantly decorated. unequivocal [ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvək(ə)l] If you describe someone's attitude as unequivocal, you mean that it is completely clear and very firm. ...Richardson's unequivocal commitment to fair play. Yesterday, the message to him was unequivocal: 'Get out.' He stated unequivocally that his forces were ready to go to war. Temperature records have unequivocally confirmed the existence of global warming. The Duke of York unequivocally 坚定不移的, 没有任何迟疑的, 毫不迟疑的, 坚定的, 毫无疑问的 regrets his ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. It is emphatically [emˈfætɪkli] ( I. 坚决的, 决然的. 完完全全的 very firmly and clearly. Adams emphatically denied that the conversation ever took place. II. in a very clear way that no one can argue about. Scientists proved emphatically that there was a link between smoking and cancer. ) denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation. prerogative [prɪˈrɒɡətɪv] 特权 a right that a particular person or group has. It's the manager's prerogative to decide who will be employed. If something is the prerogative of a particular person or group, it is a privilege or a power that only they have. Constitutional changes are exclusively the prerogative of the parliament. It is your prerogative to stop seeing that particular therapist and find another one. "If they can defend keeping an innocent person in jail, that's their prerogative," Bevin said of prosecutors. "In America, I'm all for innocent people not being incarcerated." royal prerogative 皇室特权, 皇家特权 the special rights of a king or queen.
