用法学习: 1. cusp [kʌsp] I. in mathematics, for example, the point where two curves meet. II. a time when one situation or stage ends and another begins. the problems confronting Africa on the cusp of the millennium. on the cusp 拐点 If you say that someone or something is on the cusp, you mean they are between two states, or are about to be in a particular state. I am sitting on the cusp of middle age. Mr Short's behaviour is only on the cusp of acceptability. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says Australia's major banks will reveal today how they will help prop up the ailing economy amid concerns Australia is on the cusp of a recession. set great/much store by something 相信, 期待, 更强调, 更看重 有期许 to believe that something is very important or valuable. to have positive expectations for someone or something; to have high hopes for someone or something. To have much faith, confidence, or belief in someone or something; to very seriously care about, appreciate, or respect someone or something. I've always set great store by his opinion. What would happen if this relationship that she set so much store by ended? French men set more store by brains than breasts and their dating sites offer far more esoteric activities than their British counterparts. set/put/lay (great) store by/on something 看重 to think that something is very important. I've never set much store by money and possessions. esoteric [ˌesəˈterɪk] 小众的, 不广为人知的, 仅限于小范围知道和适用的知识 adj I. restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority, esp because of abstruseness or obscurity an esoteric cult. known about or understood by very few people. a rather esoteric debate about European tax rules. If you describe something as esoteric, you mean it is known, understood, or appreciated by only a small number of people. ...esoteric knowledge. His esoteric interests set him apart from his contemporaries. II. difficult to understand; abstruse an esoteric statement. III. not openly admitted; private esoteric aims. exoteric [,ɛksəu'tɛrik] 较多人知道的 adj I. intelligible to or intended for more than a select or initiated minority. an exoteric account of a philosophical doctrine. II. external; exterior. wiki: Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside of and independent from anyone's experience and can be ascertained by anyone. It is distinguished from esoteric knowledge. Exoteric relates to "external reality" as opposed to one's own thoughts or feelings. It is knowledge that is public as opposed to secret or cabalistic. It is not required that exoteric knowledge come easily or automatically, but it should be referenceable or reproducible. The dictionary defines esoteric as information that is understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. 3. initiate [ɪnɪʃieɪt] verb I. If you initiate something, you start it or cause it to happen. The company initiated a management training program for small businesses. We shall initiate urgent discussions with our European partners. They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics. The trip was initiated by the manager of the community centre. II. If you initiate someone into something, you introduce them to a particular skill or type of knowledge and teach them about it. to introduce someone to a skill, subject, or activity and teach them about it. initiate someone into something: Nicky was initiated into a world of robbery and violence. He initiated her into the study of other cultures. At the age of eleven, Harry was initiated into 被引入, 被介绍进入 the art of golf by his father. Each culture had a special ritual [ˈrɪtʃuəl] to initiate boys into manhood 成年仪式. III. If someone is initiated into something such as a religion, secret society, or social group, they become a member of it by taking part in ceremonies at which they learn its special knowledge or customs. to make someone a member of an organization or group, often with a special ceremony. initiate someone into something 成为其中一员: At the age of 30 they were initiated into the higher ranks of the movement. In many societies, young people are formally initiated into their adult roles. ...the ceremony that initiated members into the Order. noun. An initiate is a person who has been accepted as a member by a particular group or club and been taught its secrets and skills. Chen was an initiate of a Chinese spiritual discipline.
白吃白捡, 有借不还, 空手套白狼, 白要 bludge VS scrounge VS bum VS touch someone for sth VS cadge VS mooch 蹭吃蹭喝, 蹭饭: 0. TBBT1: Howard: Why don't you just clean out the whole room? Take the string art clown I made her in third grade and the ribbon I got in swim class for putting my face in the water. Stuart: What is your problem? She said it was okay. Howard: Well, I'm her son, and I say it's not okay. Stuart: Some son, looks like you spent ten minutes on that clown art. Howard: Well, maybe I should've gone to a fancy art school like you. Then I could run a failed comic shop and mooch off some guy's mother. Bernadette: Why don't we leave so you can cool off? Stuart: I think that's a good idea. Take him out of my store. Howard: Your store? My mother gave you the money to reopen. I'm not going anywhere. Leonard: Why don't we go get the food for the party. Stuart: Thank you. Raj: Smart, looks like we're being helpful. Leonard: Mmm, when really we're just exiting an uncomfortable situation. TBBT2: Howard: If you ever want to change things up, you're always welcome here. Bernadette: Just not in our bedroom, you dumbass. Raj: I appreciate it, but I think staying with Leonard and Penny makes more sense for everyone. Penny: Then it's settled. Raj: And just so you know, it's only temporary. I'm not gonna get too comfortable. Bernadette: Good. Nobody needs a mooch 白吃白喝的, 蹭饭的 living in their house forever. Stuart: Hey, that's no way to talk about your baby. TBBT3: Raj: Why are you being like this? Stuart: Because I love Howard and Bernadette and if I want to keep mooching off them, I need to be helpful. Raj: Hey, this pregnancy had an emotionally-needy third wheel way before you came along. Stuart: Why can't there be four wheels? Raj: Is this what you do when I'm not here, make really good points? Stuart: Look, just come in and help me build a baby swing. TBBT4: Leonard: Satisfied? Sheldon: Hardly. Consider this unlikely but very plausible scenario. A young woman alone in the big city. Her ridiculous dream of becoming an actress lies shattered about her. Penny: Hey, wait a minute. Howard: Well, hang on. Let's see where he's going. Sheldon: Then it hits her. How is she going to survive? I mean, she has no prospects, no marketable skills. And then one day, she meets a group of geniuses and their friend Howard. Howard: Hey, I… Penny: Hang on. Let's see where he's going. Sheldon: She befriends them, and then lies in wait until 等待时机, 静待时机 they reveal a marketable idea, which she steals and sells to the highest bidder. Leonard: That is ridiculous. Sheldon: Oh, is it? Well let's see you come up with an explanation as to why this woman hangs out with us all the time. Penny: Oh, great. You know what? I've already mooched dinner off you guys. I don't need to listen to this. Howard: There's your answer, free food. 1. bludgeverb intransitive/transitive Australian informal I. 白要. to get things from other people without paying for them. to scrounge from (someone). II. to evade work. noun. a very easy task; undemanding employment. plunge to (one's) death 摔死 To fall from such a great height that one dies upon impact. The whole time we were on the rickety rope bridge, I couldn't help but think we were going to plunge to our death in the river far below. bludgeon [ˈblʌdʒ(ə)n] I. to hit someone hard with a heavy object. bludgeon someone to death 打死, 击打致死: Atkinson had been bludgeoned to death in his flat. II. to force someone to do something by repeated arguments or threats. bludgeon someone into doing something: We were bludgeoned into accepting their offer. 2. scrounge [skraʊndʒ] verb intransitive/transitive [informal, disapproval] to get something that you want by asking someone for it instead of by providing it or paying for it yourself. If you say that someone scrounges something such as food or money, you disapprove of them because they get it by asking for it, rather than by buying it or earning it. Williams had to scrounge enough money to get his car out of the car park. The government did not give them money, forcing them to scrounge for food. scroungers 白吃白捡 (parasite, freeloader [slang], sponger [informal], bum [informal]) They are just scroungers. 3. bum noun. I. Someone's bum is the part of their body which they sit on. II. A bum is a person who has no permanent home or job and who gets money by working occasionally or by asking people for money. III. If someone refers to another person as a bum, they think that person is worthless or irresponsible. [informal, disapproval] You're all a bunch of bums 人渣( loafer, lounger, piker [Australian, New Zealand, slang], dodger ). adj. I. Some people use bum to describe a situation that they find unpleasant or annoying. He knows you're getting a bum deal. II. used for describing a body part that does not work correctly. a bum knee/leg/wrist. bum rap unfair criticism or blame for something. bum bag = a fanny pack. bum steer a piece of false information or bad advice that influences you to do the wrong thing. get/be given the bum's rush to be forced to leave a place where people do not want you. verb. If you bum something off someone, you ask them for it and they give it to you. to ask someone to give you something such as a cigarette, drink, or money without giving them anything in return. I managed to bum the train fare off my dad. Mind if I bum a cigarette? beach bum If you refer to someone as a beach bum, you mean that they spend a lot of time enjoying themselves on the beach or in the sea. bums on seats If the organizers of an event such as a concert want to put bums on seats, they want a lot of people to attend it. He is one of the few players who puts bums on seats. bum around 乱逛, 随便乱走, 随便逛, 走哪是哪 If you bum around, you go from place to place without any particular destination, either for enjoyment or because you have nothing else to do. I think they're just bumming around at the moment, not doing a lot. She went off to bum around the world with a boyfriend. 4. touch somebody for something British English informal to persuade someone to give or lend you something, especially money. He tried to touch me for the taxi fare home. 5. cadge [kædʒ] If someone cadges food, money, or help from you, they ask you for it and succeed in getting it. [mainly British, informal] Can I cadge a cigarette? He could cadge a ride from somebody.
词组: 1. sort fact from fiction 辨明真伪, 辨别真伪, 去伪存真, 发现真相, 剔除谣言: Rumours about coronavirus are spreading like wildfire in China. So let's sort fact from fiction. How we sort fact from fiction as violent attacks unfold in real time? 2. chafe [tʃeɪf] I. [intransitive] to feel annoyed and impatient about something that stops you doing what you want. chafe at/under: We were all beginning to chafe a little under such close supervision. II. 磨. 摩擦, 磨损. [intransitive/ transitive] to rub the skin on a part of your body and make it sore. The collar had been chafing his neck. The straps of the backpack were beginning to chafe.
a. [transitive] to rub a part of your body in order to make it warm.
III. used in cookery to describe when someone overworks scone dough, so
that it ends up with too much air in it. chaff [tʃɑːf] [tʃæf] the outer part of wheat and other grains that is removed before the grains are used. sort/separate the wheat from the chaff (husk玉米皮) 去芜存菁 to show which parts or people are useless and get rid of them. To separate the good or valuable from that which is inferior. When it comes to books, time will separate the wheat from the chaff. Good books will have lasting appeal, and the rest will be forgotten. The managers hoped that the new procedure for evaluating employees would separate the wheat from the chaff. With so many manuscripts arriving daily, it's a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff and spot the really exceptional ones. skim something off (of) something and skim something off I. Lit. 撇去. to scoop something off the surface of something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) The cook skimmed the fat off the stew. The cook skimmed off the fat.
II. 去芜存菁. 挑去精英. 掐尖. Fig. to remove a portion of something of value,
such as money, from an account. (Of is usually retained before
pronouns.) to take the best part of. the teacher skimmed off the able pupils for his class. The auditor was skimming a few dollars a day off the bank's cash flow. Kelly skimmed off a few dollars each day. During its two-hour-plus-expanse( expanse [ikˈspæns] n I. an uninterrupted surface of something that spreads or extends, esp over a wide area; stretch. an expanse of water. II. expansion or extension. ), the loud and proud show is skimming the cream of today's pop brand names, which kicked off with a highly theatrical performance from Gaga of her new single, "Applause." It serves as a tease for her upcoming album, "ARTPOP," out Nov. 11th. Cream skimming 掐尖 is a pejorative conceptual metaphor used to refer to the perceived business practice of a company providing a product or a service to only the high-value or low-cost customers 优质客户 of that product or service. The term derives from the practice of extracting cream from fresh milk at a dairy, in which a separator draws off the cream (which is lighter, and floats) from fresh or raw milk.
The cream has now been "skimmed" or captured separately from the fresh
milk. The idea behind the concept of cream skimming in business is that
the "cream" - high value or low-cost customers, who are more profitable to serve - would be captured by some suppliers
(typically by charging less than the previous higher prices, but still
making a profit), leaving the more expensive or harder to service
customers without the desired product or service at all or "dumping" them on some default provider, who is left with less of the higher value customers whom, in some cases, would have provided extra revenue to subsidize or reduce the cost to service the higher-cost customers,
and the loss of the higher value customers might actually require the
default provider to have to raise prices to cover the lost revenue, thus
making things worse. Whether or not the perceived negative effects of cream skimming actually do occur - or only occur in limited circumstances - is a matter of judgment and debate. 3. separate the men from the boys = separate the sheep from the goats To distinguish or separate the experienced, competent, or strong participants from those who are not. We've had some easy games so far in the season, but this next one is going to separate the men from the boys. This is a business that separates the men from the boys—don't get involved unless you have what it takes. Fig. to separate the competent from those who are less competent. (Not necessarily just about males.) This is the kind of task that separates the men from the boys. Working in a challenging place like this really separates the sheep from the goats.
contain VS confine VS curb VS curtail (控制疫情: contain, curb) VS restrain VS constrain: contain [kənˈteɪn]
I. a container, envelope, room, etc. that contains something has
something inside it. If something such as a box, bag, room, or place
contains things, those things are inside it. The bag contained a Christmas card. Factory shops contain a wide range of cheap furnishings. The 77,000-acre estate contains five of the highest peaks in Scotland. The envelope contained a few dried rose petals. There were four or five boxes containing toys and books. a. if an area contains something, you will find that thing there. The area contains some of the richest geological deposits in the country.
II. if a substance contains something, that thing is a part of it. If a
substance contains something, that thing is a part of it. Greek yogurt contains 含有, 包含 much less fat than double cream. Most of that old paint contains lead, which is hazardous if ingested. Brown rice contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. a. to include something, or to have it as a part. The information you need is contained in this report. b. If writing, speech, or film contains particular information, ideas, or images, it includes them. This sheet contained a list of problems a patient might like to raise with the doctor. The two discs also contain two of Britten's lesser-known song-cycles. c. If a group or organization contains a certain number of people, those are the people that are in it. The committee contains 11 Democrats and nine Republicans.
III. to control or hide an emotion. If you cannot contain a feeling
such as excitement or anger, or if you cannot contain yourself, you
cannot prevent yourself from showing your feelings. He was bursting with curiosity and just couldn't contain himself. Evans could barely contain his delight: 'I'm so proud of her,' he said. I couldn't contain my excitement any longer 控制脾气, 控制情绪, 控制心情 (curb your emotions). self-contained
I. You can describe someone or something as self-contained when they
are complete and separate and do not need help or resources from
outside. He seems completely self-contained 自给自足的 and he doesn't miss you when you're not there. ...self-contained economic blocs. II. Self-contained accommodation 什么都有的, 什么都是独立的
such as a flat has all its own facilities, so that a person living
there does not have to share rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom with
other people. contain yourself to not show your emotions. She could hardly contain herself when she saw him arrive. barely/hardly contain something 几乎不加控制: Laura barely contained her fury.
IV. to prevent something harmful from spreading to other people or
places. If you contain something, you control it and prevent it from
spreading or increasing. More than a hundred firefighters are still trying to contain the fire at the plant. The city authorities said the curfew had contained the violence. Firefighters are still battling to contain the blaze. Strong measures are urgently needed to contain 控制散播, 控制传播 the epidemic. a. to keep something within limits. Our main task is to contain 控制开支, 控制支出 expenditure within a budget. confine [kənˈfaɪn] confines noun. [kɒnfaɪnz] I. usually passive
to force someone to stay in a place and prevent them from leaving. If
someone is confined to a mental institution, prison, or other place,
they are sent there and are not allowed to leave for a period of time. The woman will be confined to a mental institution. He announced that the army and police had been confined to barracks. confine someone to something: Many prisoners are confined to their cells for long periods of time. a. to make someone stay in a place because they are too ill, weak, or disabled to leave. confine someone to something: Ill health kept him confined to his room. If you confine yourself or your activities to something, you do only that thing and are involved with nothing else. He did not confine himself to the one language. Yoko had largely confined her activities to the world of big business. His genius was not confined to 不局限于 the decoration of buildings.
II. to prevent something dangerous from spreading. To confine something
to a particular place or group means to prevent it from spreading
beyond that place or group. Health officials have successfully confined the epidemic to the Tabatinga area. The U.S. will soon be taking steps to confine the conflict. confine something to something: They managed to confine 控制 the fire to the engine room. III. always passive if something is confined to one area or group of people, it happens only in that area or affects only that group of people. I
like men a lot, and I have great male friends. But did I really need to
travel 6,000 miles across the Atlantic to learn that being a complete
dolt (A stupid person; a dunce.) is not confined to men in the UK? be confined to someone/something 仅限于: Before 1914 divorce was largely confined to the upper classes. The risk of infection is confined to relatively small groups. a. formal to keep an activity within particular limits. confine something to something: I shall attempt to confine 限定范围 the discussion to broad principles. noun. Something that is within the confines of an area or place is within the boundaries enclosing it. The movie is set entirely within the confines 禁锢 of the abandoned factory. ...the wild grass and weeds that grew in the confines of 在有限范围内 the grandstand. curtail [kɜrˈteɪl] 限制, 减少 to reduce or limit something, especially something good. If you curtail something, you reduce or limit it. If you curtail something, you reduce or limit it. NATO plans to curtail the number of troops being sent to the region. I told Louie that old age would curtail her activities in time. His powers will be severely curtailed. reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on. To curtail something is to slow it down, put restrictions on it, or stop
it entirely. If I give up cake, I am curtailing my cake-eating. "civil liberties were further curtailed". vocabulary: Curtail is an official-sounding word for stopping or slowing things down. The police try to curtail crime — they want there to be less crime in the world. A company may want to curtail their employees' computer time, so they spend more time working and less time goofing around. Teachers try to curtail whispering and note-passing in class. When something is curtailed, it's either stopped entirely or stopped quite a bit — it's cut short. In a statement issued on the stroke of the Lunar New Year, China's National Radio and Television administration said an investigation found BBC World News' China-related reports had "seriously violated" regulations, including that news should be "truthful and fair", had harmed China's national interests and undermined national unity. 英外交部长: China's decision to ban BBC World News in mainland China is an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom. NATO plans to curtail the number of troops being sent to the region. I told Louie that old age would curtail her activities in time. His powers will be severely curtailed. a government attempt to curtail debate. A year after the Christchurch massacre, hate crime experts say technology platforms and law enforcement agencies are failing to curtail the white supremacy ideologies that drove the killings. curb noun. I. American the edge of a sidewalk (=path built beside a road) that is closest to the road. The British word is kerb. A car drew up to the curb and stopped. II. a rule or control that stops or limits something. curb on: Curbs on the use of mountain bikes in the forest are being called for. curb verb. I. If you curb something, you control it and keep it within limits. ...advertisements aimed at curbing the spread of the disease. The City on Wednesday made a historic decision in a bid to curb (contain) the spread of the virus. He called for energy consumption to be curbed. He called for much stricter curbs on immigration. to control or limit something that is harmful. Increased interest rates should curb inflation. Partisan politics 党派之争, 党派斗争, for most of us, stopped at the water's edge. I hope that they stay stopped – for the sake of America – regardless of what party is in power. This does not mean that we cannot have earnest, honest, even vehement domestic differences of opinion on foreign policy. It is no curb on 不是限制 free opinion or free speech. But it does mean that they should not root themselves in partisanship 太深入于派系斗争( be rooted in something to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it The country's economic troubles are rooted in a string of global crises. This feeling of rejection is often deeply rooted in childhood. ). II. If you curb an emotion 控制感情, 控制情绪 or your behaviour 控制行为 (contain your emotions), you keep it under control. to control an emotion or way of behaving that could cause problems. You'd better curb that temper of yours. He curbed his temper 控制脾气. You must curb your extravagant tastes. jump the curb 开上了人行道 if a vehicle or driver jumps the curb, they drive up onto the sidewalk. Restraint is the act of holding something back. For example, if you exercise restraint over your emotions 控制情绪, you won't burst out into tears in public. act with restraint. show restraint 极大的忍耐, 极大的克制, 能忍耐. restraint [rɪˈstreɪnt] I. [uncountable] the limit or control of the expression of strong emotion or opinion. The President sent a letter to both nations urging 敦促, 督促 restraint.
II. [countable] an act of limiting or controlling something, or a
situation in which this happens, especially in business or politics. the use of wage restraint to curb inflation. III. [countable] something that holds you and physically controls your movements, often to protect your safety. mandatory seat belts and head restraints. IV. [uncountable] the act or process of stopping the free movement of a person or the free progress of an activity. He left of his own free will and not under restraint. restraint of trade the act of preventing free competition in business, in a way that is unfair. judicial restraint
the principle that judges should base their court decisions on written
laws and legal precedent, without considering their personal and
political opinions. exercise restraint (self-restrain 自我克制, 自我约束): We need to exercise restraint on spending. over-the-shoulder restraint on an amusement ride, a device which locks over your shoulders and stops you from falling out. restraint of trade the act of preventing free competition in business, in a way that is unfair. constraint [kənˈstreɪnt] 束缚, 约束, 别人加的限制 (restraint [rɪˈstreɪnt] 是自己对自己的克制, 忍耐)
I. [countable] [often plural] something that limits your freedom to do
what you want. something that controls what you do by keeping you within
particular limits: The
constraints of politeness wouldn't allow her to say what she really
thought about his cooking. Financial constraints on the company are
preventing them from employing new staff. The organization has to operate within the usual democratic constraints. financial/ environmental/ budget constraints. constraint on: constraints on presidential power. II. [uncountable] formal
behavior that is very controlled and not natural, usually because you
are embarrassed. stiffness of manner and inhibition in relations between
people. unnatural behaviour that is sometimes the result of forcing
yourself to act in a particular way: She tried to appear friendly, but her constraint was obvious. "they would be able to talk without constraint 拘谨, 无拘无束的, 拘束的 (constrained: behaving in a way that is very controlled and not natural)". under constraint formal If you do something under constraint, you do it only because you have been forced to: They confessed, but only under severe constraint. stifle I. If someone stifles something you consider to be a good thing, they prevent it from continuing.压制, 抑制. 强压怒火 Regulations on children stifled creativity抑制了创造性. II. If you stifle a yawn or laugh 强控制住, you prevent yourself from yawning or laughing. 忍住笑声, 忍住呵欠, 压下去. She makes no attempt to stifle a yawn. III. If you stifle your natural feelings or behaviour 压抑住, 扼制住, you prevent yourself from having those feelings or behaving in that way. 控制 (感情或行为). It is best to stifle curiosity and leave birds' nests alone. stamp down ( conquer, inhibit, suppress, subdue, curb, dampen )(quell, squelch, quench suppress or crush completely; "squelch any sign of dissent" 压下不满; "quench 镇压反叛 a rebellion". curb, hold in, control, moderate, contain, check, hold 控制情绪等 - lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger". ) to put down by force or authority; "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires".
