用法学习: 1. get your hands dirty I. to do physical work. She'd never get her hands dirty helping out around the house. II. to become involved in something dishonest. air/wash your dirty linen/laundry in public to discuss private subjects or problems in public. give someone a dirty look informal to look at someone in a way that shows that you are angry with them or do not like them. do someone's dirty work to do an unpleasant or dishonest job for someone so that they do not have to do it themselves. He never fired the staff himself, but got someone else to do his dirty work. precarious adj [prɪˈkeriəs] 动荡的, 随时生变的 I. likely to change or become dangerous without warning. a precarious future 未知的未来/situation/position/existence. For the refugees life was always precarious 充满变数的, 充满未知数的. If your situation is precarious, you are not in complete control of events and might fail in what you are doing at any moment. Our financial situation had become precarious. ...the Government's precarious position. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle today survives precariously in remote regions. Wells was well aware of the precariousness of human life. The live music industry, full of precarious employment, has been decimated by coronavirus. Businesses have been shut down overnight, casual and freelance workers are facing months without wages. What becomes of a live music industry when live music is banned? II. not safe or likely to fall. Her position on the ledge was somewhat precarious 不安稳的, 不稳定的. a precarious 摇摇欲坠的 chimney. Something that is precarious is not securely held in place and seems likely to fall or collapse at any moment. They looked rather comical as they crawled up precarious ladders. One of my grocery bags was still precariously 不稳的, 不牢固的, 不牢靠的, 绑的不紧的 perched on the car bumper. 2. decimate [ˈdesɪˌmeɪt] to spoil or destroy something, for example by getting rid of a lot of people. The department has been decimated by years of budget cuts. a. To decimate something such as a group of people or animals means to destroy a very large number of them. The pollution could decimate the river's thriving population of kingfishers. British forces in the Caribbean were being decimated by disease. ...the decimation 破坏 of the great rain forests. b. To decimate a system or organization means to reduce its size and effectiveness greatly. ...a recession which decimated 摧毁, 毁掉 the nation's manufacturing industry. Government policies have resulted in a decimation 瘫痪 of essential services used by the poor. nerve I. nerves are parts inside your body which look like threads and carry messages between the brain and other parts of the body. a condition which affects the nerves in the back. trapped nerve British English, pinched nerve American English (=a nerve that has been crushed between two muscles etc, causing pain). II. [uncountable] courage and confidence in a dangerous, difficult, or frightening situation. the nerve to do something: Not many people have the nerve to stand up and speak in front of a large audience. She finally found the nerve to tell him she wanted a divorce. It takes a lot of nerve to report a colleague for sexual harassment. lose your nerve (=suddenly become very nervous so that you cannot do what you intended to do) Jensen would've won if he hadn't lost his nerve. hold/keep your nerve (=remain calm in a difficult situation) It's hard to keep your nerve when people keep interrupting you. III. [singular] spoken if you say someone has a nerve, you mean that they have done something unsuitable or impolite, without seeming to be embarrassed about behaving in this way. He's got a nerve asking for more money. 'She didn't say sorry or anything.' 'What a nerve! have the nerve to do something She lets me do all the work, and then she has the nerve to criticize my cooking. touch/hit a (raw) nerve to mention something that makes someone upset, angry, or embarrassed, especially accidentally Without realizing, he had touched a raw nerve. nerves of steel 意志坚强, 意志坚定, 钢铁意志 the ability to be brave and calm in a dangerous or difficult situation. The job requires nerves of steel. calm/steady somebody's nerves (=make someone feel less worried or nervous) She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. settle/soothe somebody's nerves (=make someone feel less worried or nervous) She hoped that a cup of tea would soothe her nerves. suffer from nerves (=often feel worried or nervous) He suffered from nerves and could no longer perform on stage. your nerves jangle (=you feel extremely nervous or worried) Suddenly she was wide awake, her nerves jangling. strain every nerve to try as hard as possible to do something He was straining every nerve to impress the judges. somebody's nerves are tattered/frayed/shattered (=they feel very nervous or worried) Everyone's nerves were frayed by the end of the week. somebody's nerves are stretched (to breaking point) 紧张到要崩溃了 (=they feel very nervous or worried) Her nerves were stretched almost to breaking point as she waited. be a bag/bundle of nerves (=to feel extremely nervous or worried) I was a bag of nerves during the interview. an attack of nerves (=a time when you feel very nervous) Harrison had an attack of nerves before the match. 3. lift I. If you lift your eyes 抬眼 or your head 抬起头来, you look up, for example when you have been reading and someone comes into the room. When he finished he lifted his eyes and looked out the window. II. If people in authority lift a law or rule that prevents people from doing something, they end it. The European Commission has urged France to lift its ban on imports of British beef. III. If something lifts your spirits or your mood, or if they lift, you start feeling more cheerful. He used his incredible sense of humour to lift my spirits 提高兴致. A brisk walk in the fresh air can lift your mood 提高兴趣, 提起兴趣 ( lighten the mood ) and dissolve a winter depression. As soon as she heard the phone ring her spirits lifted. IV. If something gives you a lift, it gives you a feeling of greater confidence, energy, or enthusiasm. [informal] My selection for the team has given me a tremendous lift 提高信心. If you give someone a lift somewhere, you take them there in your car as a favour to them. He had a car and often gave me a lift 捎带 home. V. If a government or organization lifts people or goods in or out of an area, it transports them there by aircraft, especially when there is a war. The army lifted people off rooftops where they had climbed to escape the flooding. The helicopters are designed to quickly lift soldiers and equipment to the battlefield. VI. To lift something means to increase its amount or to increase the level or the rate at which it happens. The bank lifted 提高利率 its basic home loans rate to 10.99% from 10.75%. A barrage would halt the flow upstream and lift 抬高水位 the water level. VII. If fog, cloud, or mist lifts 云开, 云淡, 云散去, 雾散去, it reduces, for example by moving upwards or by becoming less thick. The fog had lifted and revealed a warm, sunny day. VIII. If you lift root vegetables or bulbs 拔起, 拔出来, you dig them out of the ground. Lift carrots on a dry day and pack them horizontally in boxes of damp sand. to lift a finger = to raise a finger If you say that a person does not lift a finger or raise a finger to do something, especially to help someone, you are critical of them because they do nothing. [disapproval] She never lifted a finger around the house. They will not lift a finger to help their country. 4. liaison [liˈeɪzɑn] I. singular/uncountable the exchange of information between people or organizations, so that they understand each other and work well together. Liaison is co-operation and the exchange of information between different organizations or between different sections of an organization. Liaison between police forces and the art world is vital to combat art crime. The courses are designed by universities in liaison with employers. liaison with: The company has established a good liaison with local communities. in (close) liaison with someone: Project engineers are in close liaison with the client. a. uncountable the job of exchanging information about the work of an organization with people who are affected by it. If someone acts as liaison with a particular group, or between two or more groups, their job is to encourage co-operation and the exchange of information. I have a professor on my staff here as liaison with our higher education institutions. She acts as a liaison between patients and staff. the home-school liaison officer 联络官, 联络人. II. countable a sexual or romantic relationship between two people, especially one that is secret or that you do not approve of. You can refer to a sexual or romantic relationship between two people as a liaison. She embarked on a series of sexual liaisons with society figures. 5. call out I. to shout something, especially when you are trying to get someone's attention. Hands up, please – don't call out 大叫. 'In here!' she called out. call out to someone 找某人, 叫某人 (不是 call out for someone): I tried to call out to him through the window. If you call someone out, you order or request that they come to help, especially in an emergency. Colombia has called out the army and imposed emergency measures. I called the doctor out. The fire brigade should always be called out to a house fire. II. to ask a person or organization that provides a service to come and deal with something for you. to ask someone to come in order to do a job, especially when it is an emergency: We had to call out a doctor. The government called the army out to deal with violent disorder on the streets. The lifeboat was called out yesterday. call someone out 呼吁 to do something: Governor Ross called out the militia to deal with the riot. III. to criticize someone about something they have said or done and challenge them to explain it. Calling her out in front of everyone wasn't exactly fair. IV. to challenge someone over something they have said or done. Why he would call her out in an open forum is beyond me. You should politely but firmly call them out on their offensive behavior. call someone out on something (transitive, idiomatic, colloquial) To challenge, to denounce. He was very insulting. Finally Jack called him out and shut him up. She called them out on their lies. V. (transitive, idiomatic) To specify, especially in detail. They call out 304 stainless steel in the drawing, but the part was made from aluminum. VI. (transitive, idiomatic) To order into service; to summon into service. The Governor called out the National Guard. Usage notes:
Bus operators are said to "call out" a stop when they announce that it
will be the next available stop; synonyms of call out are not typically
used. callout 叫嚣, 挑战 (slang) I. An invitation to fight; the act of one child calling out another. II. an occasion when someone is asked to come to a person's home or to a particular place in order to do a job, help someone, etc.: Many plumbers charge double for an emergency call-out over the weekend. The mountain rescue service had several call-outs last week. drongo [ˈdrɒŋɡəʊ] I. drongo shrike any insectivorous songbird of the family Dicruridae, of the Old World tropics, having a glossy black plumage, a forked tail, and a stout bill. II. Australian and New Zealand slang a foolish person. III. Australian informal a new recruit in the Royal Australian Air Force. 6. have a flair for something to be very skilful at something. be very skilful at something. Our youngest son has a flair for drawing.
incarcerate VS incinerate VS incarnate VS lacerate: 1. incarcerate [inˈkɑ:səˌreit] I. To put into jail. If people are incarcerated, they are kept in a prison or other place. They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. It can cost $40,000 to $50,000 to incarcerate a prisoner for a year. ...her mother's incarceration in a psychiatric hospital. II. To shut in; confine. incarcerate someone in something to imprison someone in something. The sheriff incarcerated Lefty in the county jail. He had wanted to incarcerate Max in the jail too. apprehend [ˌæprɪˈhend] I. (take into custody) 拘捕. 抓捕. 捕获 ( lift [slang], nick UK). formal to arrest someone. If the police apprehend someone, they catch them and arrest them. Police have not apprehended her killer. II. very formal to understand something. If you apprehend something, you understand it fully. Only now can I begin to apprehend 领会, 体会, 完全明白 the power of these forces. apprehensive [ˌæprɪˈhensɪv] 焦虑的 I. slightly worried or nervous. I waited apprehensively for him to comment. apprehensive of: It's a strategy that many teachers are apprehensive of using. apprehensive about: Leonora felt very apprehensive about his visit. apprehension [ˌæprɪˈhenʃ(ə)n] I. countable/uncountable a feeling of worry or fear that something bad might happen. Many of us face our retirement with apprehension. Anja noticed the look of apprehension on his face. II. uncountable formal the act of arresting someone. misapprehension [ˌmɪsæprɪˈhenʃ(ə)n] 错误的认为 a belief that is not correct. He is under the misapprehension that he can do what he chooses. comprehension [ˌkɑmprəˈhenʃ(ə)n] I. uncountable the ability to understand something. The students stared at me without comprehension. We have no comprehension of the traumas these children have suffered. beyond (someone's) comprehension (=impossible for someone to understand): Such acts of cruelty are beyond the comprehension of most people. II. countable/uncountable education an exercise that tests how well students understand a language, or that helps them to improve their understanding of it, in which they read a piece of writing or listen to someone speaking, and then answer questions. listening/reading comprehension. comprehend [ˌkɑmprəˈhend] to understand something. How could you possibly comprehend the difficulties of my situation? fully comprehend: We fully comprehend people's anxieties. Laura gasped, hardly able to comprehend that her brother's life was in danger. 2. incarnate adj. [ɪnˈkɑrnət] adj (usually immediately postpositive) I. 化身. possessing bodily form, esp the human form: They looked at me as though I was the devil incarnate 恶魔化身. a devil incarnate. an incarnate spirit. a villain who is evil incarnate邪恶化身. II. personified or typified: stupidity incarnate.
III. (Botany) (esp of plant parts) flesh-coloured or pink. vb (tr) I.
to give a bodily or concrete form to. II. to be representative or
typical of. III. To realize in action or fact; actualize. a community that incarnates its founders' ideals. incarnation [ˌɪnkɑrˈneɪʃ(ə)n] I. the form or character that a person or thing takes at a particular time. In its previous incarnation as a sushi bar, the restaurant wasn't particularly popular. An incarnation is an instance of being alive on Earth in a particular form. Some religions believe that people have several incarnations in different forms. She began recalling a series of previous incarnations 前世, 前生. His industry and persistence suggest that he was an ant in a previous incarnation. II. singular a person or thing that is an extremely strong example of a particular quality. If you say that
someone is the incarnation of a particular quality, you mean that they
represent that quality or are typical of it in an extreme form. The regime was the very incarnation of evil. She is a perfect incarnation of glamour. The Greeks saw these tribes as the incarnation of evil (epitome [ɪˈpɪtəmi], archetype [ˈɑrkəˌtaɪp] be a study in something to show a particular emotion or quality by your appearance. His face was a study in dejection. to be a perfect example of something His face was a study in fear. dejected [dɪˈdʒektəd] someone who is dejected has lost all their hope or enthusiasm, especially because they have failed at something. They sat in silence, looking tired and dejected. a quick study 快刀手, 学习快手 someone who learns new things quickly. 3. lacerate [ˈlæsəreɪt] 划伤, 割伤 (nick) to make a deep cut in someone's flesh. 4. incinerate [ɪnˈsɪnəˌreɪt] 焚烧 I. When authorities incinerate rubbish or waste material, they burn it completely in a special container. The government is trying to stop hospitals incinerating their own waste. ...banning the incineration of lead batteries. ...an incineration plant. II. If people are incinerated, for example in a bomb attack or a fire, they are burnt to death. 5. nick verb I. [British, informal] If someone nicks something, they steal it. He smashed a window to get in and nicked 偷窃 a load of silver cups. We used to nick biscuits from the kitchen. II. [British, informal] If the police nick someone, they arrest them. The police nicked me for carrying an offensive weapon. Keep quiet or we'll all get nicked 抓获, 抓到. III. If you nick something or nick yourself, you accidentally make a small cut in the surface of the object or your skin. When I pulled out of the space, I nicked the rear bumper of the car in front of me. A sharp blade is likely to nick 划伤, 划破 the skin and draw blood. He dropped a bottle in the kitchen and nicked himself on broken glass. IV. [US, informal] If you are nicked by someone, they cheat you, for example by charging you too much money. College students already are being nicked, but probably don't realize it. noun. I. [British, informal] The nick is a prison, or a police station. II. A nick is a small cut made in the surface of something, usually in someone's skin. The barbed wire had left only the tiniest nick 小划痕, 小划伤 just below my right eye. in good nick/in bad nick [British, informal] Nick is used in expressions such as 'in good nick' or 'in bad nick' to describe the physical condition of someone or something. His ribs were damaged, but other than that he's in good nick. Tom's house is actually in better nick than mine.
Sydney radiologist Denise Lee jailed for sending threatening messages to former Tinder date: A Sydney radiologist who admitted she was "hell-bent on revenge" has been jailed for nine months after sending thousands of abusive and threatening messages to a former Tinder date. A 'bunny boiler' is a woman who acts vengefully after breaking up with a partner. Denise Jane Lee, 41, went on 10 dates in four months with Matthew Holberton after meeting on the app in July 2015, but within months she vowed to target "whatever you value most". When Mr Holberton tried to break it off, Lee bombarded him with an initial 69 texts in under two hours, which ranged from "I want us to try properly" to "I am going to f*** your life up". Lee insisted she was "not a bunny boiler" in one of her later messages. Magistrate Michael Barko told Downing Centre Local Court the matter involved "the most detailed and extraordinary proceedings" he had dealt with. When Mr Holberton moved to Melbourne and began another relationship, Lee targeted his new partner and included the woman's colleagues and mother in further emails. Mr Barko said the content was at least defamatory [dɪˈfæməˌtɔri] and slanderous, if not "vile, despicable and offensive". Referring to the new partner's social media posts, Lee slung insults including "hagged mutton face", "ugly, attention-seeking slag (Slag is an insulting term for a woman who has a lot of sexual partners. )" and "you have a beak like an eagle". Lee was initially charged with 10 offences including multiple counts of using a carriage service to menace, but last year she pleaded guilty to four charges and the remaining were dropped following negotiations with prosecutors. Mr Barko sentenced her to nine months in jail and a two-year community corrections order, including 200 hours of community service. He said the community must understand "gutless and cowardly" use of communication tools came with serious ramifications. The court heard Lee used 38 different email addresses, including Protonmail and VPN services to conceal the sender's details. Mr Barko said Lee was clearly an "extremely bright, intelligent woman", having previously achieved a perfect 100 per cent tertiary entrance rank. He acknowledged mental health issues and prolonged proceedings but said the latter was partially a result of her spending "hundreds of thousands of dollars" on legal fees. Mr Barko began the sentencing by quoting English dramatist William Congreve, who famously wrote: "Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned, Nor Hell a fury, like a woman scorned ( 'Hell has no fury like a woman scorned' conveys the idea that a scorned woman (that is, one who has been betrayed) is more furious than anything that hell can devise.)". Lee appealed the decision and was subsequently granted bail to reappear in court next month.
