用法学习: 1. pet adj. Someone's pet theory, project, or subject is one that they particularly support or like. He would not stand by and let his pet project be killed off. One of my pet theories is that anyone can do anything if they really set their mind to it. liked more than anything else. a pet project: Getting kids to do more sport is one of his pet projects. a pet theory/subject: a chance to expound her pet theory about men. expound [ɪkˈspaʊnd] 大谈, 详谈 to explain something or to express your opinion about it in detail. If you expound an idea or opinion, you give a clear and detailed explanation of it. Schmidt continued to expound his views on economics and politics. Lawrence expounded on the military aspects of guerrilla warfare. It will be an opportunity to expound the ideas he has been developing. expound on/upon: He continued to expound on the failings of our educational system. pet hate something that you dislike very much, or that makes you extremely angry. My pet hate 最不喜欢的, 最恨的事情 is people chewing gum with their mouths open. pet peeve A pet peeve is a particular thing that bugs you every time. If your pet peeve is how people misuse words, you're in the right place. A peeve is an annoyance, and a pet peeve is an annoyance that's nurtured like a pet — it's something someone can never resist complaining about. There are all kinds of pet peeves, like littering, misusing punctuation, driving slowly in the fast lane, or talking during movies. If something like that drives you crazy and you have to yap about it, it's a pet peeve. Pet peeves tend to be smaller issues. No one would call terrorism a pet peeve. habitual [həˈbɪtʃuəl] usually or often done by someone. A habitual action, state, or way of behaving is one that someone usually does or has, especially one that is considered to be typical or characteristic of them. He soon recovered his habitual geniality. If bad posture becomes habitual, you risk long-term effects. His mother had a patient who habitually flew into rages. ...her habitually prim expression. He smiled briefly, then returned to his habitual frown. a. used for describing a person who has a particular bad habit. You use habitual to describe someone who usually or often does a particular thing. She was a habitual daydreamer. ...the home secretary's plans for minimum sentences for habitual criminals. an habitual smoker/drinker/liar/criminal 惯偷, 惯性撒谎. 2. nail-biter a situation that makes you excited or worried, for example a film that frightens you. a sports event or film that is exciting because you do not know how it will end: Saturday's semifinal was a real nail-biter. conjecture 猜测, 猜想: In mathematics, a conjecture is a conclusion or a proposition which is suspected to be true due to preliminary supporting evidence, but for which no proof or disproof has yet been found. It's a word to use when you are not sure of something and have to "guess or surmise." You can see how the word conjecture means that you create a theory or opinion about something without basing it in fact because the original definition of conjecture, from Old French, is "interpretation of signs and omens." Since signs and omens are pretty subjective, it makes sense that the word would then move to its current meaning. However, even though it only seems like weather reports are conjectures, they are actually based on evidence! surmise [sə(r)ˈmaɪz] 推想 to guess that something is true, when you do not have enough information to prove that it is true. If you surmise that something is true, you guess it from the available evidence, although you do not know for certain. There's so little to go on, we can only surmise what happened. He surmised that he had discovered one of the illegal streets. He surmised that her flight was delayed. noun. If you say that a particular conclusion is surmise, you mean that it is a guess based on the available evidence and you do not know for certain that it is true. It is mere surmise that Bosch had Brant's poem in mind when doing this painting. His surmise proved correct. adjacent [əˈdʒeɪs(ə)nt] next to or adjoining something else. "adjacent rooms". cottage industry 家庭作坊似的 a business or manufacturing activity carried on in people's homes. an industry that consists of people working at home Hand weaving is a flourishing cottage industry in the region. "weaving was an important cottage industry". But before you get too excited, we should probably mention that the co-authors of this latest Brando/Dean exposé are Danforth Prince and Darwin Porter, who are notorious for having created a cottage industry of completely fabricated sex stories about dead actors. They're unburdened by facts 没有证据的压力. They just make up stuff and there are idiots who fall for it. a. an industry whose labor force consists of family units or individuals working at home with their own equipment. b. a small and often informally organized industry. c. a limited but enthusiastically pursued activity or subject this debate about sex and law became a cottage industry for feminist academics. A cottage industry is a small-scale, decentralized manufacturing business often operated out of a home rather than a purpose-built facility. Cottage industries are defined by the amount of investment required to start, as well as the number of people employed. They often focus on the production of labor-intensive goods but face a significant disadvantage when competing with factory-based manufacturers that mass-produce goods. 3. pertinent [ˈpɜː(r)tɪnənt] 相关的, 有关联的 relevant to something. Something that is pertinent is relevant to a particular subject. She had asked some pertinent questions. Pertinent information will be forwarded to the appropriate party. ...knowledge and skills pertinent to classroom teaching. 'If we pay players, how far do we go?' Gresson asked pertinently. Where had they learned all this, or, more pertinently, why had they remembered it?I do not see the pertinence of most of this material. He was determined to ask Mrs McMahon a few pertinent questions. pertinent to: information pertinent to the accident investigation. It's probably pertinent to point out that everyone on the show has full access to mental health professionals as well as support from the Warner Bros. Australia and Network 10 teams before, during and after production.
keen I. If you are keen on doing something 乐见... 乐于, 很高兴, you very much want to do it. If you are keen that something should happen, you very much want it to happen. You're not keen on going, are you? Both companies were keen on a merger. I'm very keen that the European Union should be as open as possible to trade from Russia. She's still keen to keep in touch. I am not keen for her to have a bicycle. ...Doyle's keenness to please. ...a keenness for the idea of a co-ordinated approach to development. The captain wasn't keen on having him in the team. be keen to do something: The government is keen to avoid further conflict with the unions. After months of pestering, I'd finally relented to 让步 my eight-year-old daughter — we could get a puppy. But we weren't keen to spend that kind of money on a dog. And we didn't really care about purebred status. very/particularly keen: We are very keen to encourage more local employers to work with us. be keen for someone to do something: Of course I'm keen for him to be successful. (as) keen as mustard 非常感兴趣 wanting to do something very much. II. If you are keen on 感兴趣, 喜欢 something, you like it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it. I got quite keen on the idea. I wasn't too keen on physics and chemistry. ...his keenness for the arts. III. You use keen to indicate that someone has a lot of enthusiasm for a particular activity and spends a lot of time doing it. She was a keen 热忱的, 热衷的 amateur photographer. IV. If you describe someone as keen, you mean that they have an enthusiastic nature and are interested in everything that they do. wanting to do something well. Many of our players are very young and keen 想干好, 想好好表现. The students in this class are all very keen. He's a very keen 爱学习的, 好学的 student and works very hard. You're all very keen. ...the keenness of the students. V. A keen interest 浓厚兴趣 or emotion is one that is very intense. very strong. "Marea was a much-loved sister, mother and grandmother and we know her family still feel her loss as keenly as they did almost 20 years ago," she said. His business training was combined with a keen 强烈的, 浓厚的 sense of duty. a keen awareness of the importance of IT to industry. a keen interest 兴趣很大的 in something: Mr Lindsay always took a keen interest in his pupils' achievements. He had retained a keen interest in the progress of the work. ...his keen sense of loyalty. She remained keenly interested in international affairs. This is a keenly 热切期待的 awaited project. only before noun very interested in an activity that you do often because you enjoy it. a keen 热衷的 hiker/gardener/amateur astronomer. a keen cyclist/gardener/amateur historian 非常投入的, 有热情的, 热诚的. VI. If you are a keen 热情的, 热诚的 supporter of a cause, movement, or idea, you support it enthusiastically. He's been a keen supporter of the Labour Party all his life. He is a keen advocate of park-and-ride schemes. VII. If you say that someone has a keen mind 明事理的, 知道该怎么做的, you mean that they are very clever and aware of what is happening around them. used about someone's mental abilities. a keen mind/brain/intellect 脑筋好使, 头脑好使. They described him as a man of keen intellect. Mr Walsh has a keen appreciation of the priorities of the electorate. I can see you have a keen sense of humour. They're keenly aware that whatever they decide will set a precedent. VIII. If you have a keen eye or ear 眼尖耳利的, you are able to notice things that are difficult to detect. ...an amateur artist with a keen eye for detail. Brand's keen ear caught the trace of an accent. Charles listened keenly. ...his keenly observed portrait. keen sight, hearing 眼力好, 听力好, 视力好 etc makes you very good at seeing things, hearing things etc. Vultures are known for their extremely keen eyesight. I have a very keen sense of smell. a keen eye for something an ability to notice and recognize something. My friend's a tireless shopper with a keen eye for a bargain. IX. [British, informal] If you are keen on someone 对...有意思, you find them sexually attractive and want to get to know them better. Mick has always been very keen on Carla. X. A keen fight or competition 竞争激烈的 is one in which the competitors are all trying very hard to win, and it is not easy to predict who will win. There is expected to be a keen fight in the local elections. The contest should be very keenly fought. XI. Keen prices ( prohibitive [prəʊˈhɪbɪtɪv] 吓退人的, 望而却步的 费用吓人的, 拒人于千里之外的 I. If the cost of something is prohibitive, it is so high that many people cannot afford it. The cost of private treatment can be prohibitive. ...the prohibitive prices charged for seats at the opera. Meat and butter were prohibitively expensive. Insurance for dangerous sports can be prohibitively expensive. a prohibitive cost or price prevents people from buying something because it is too expensive The cost of conversion to western technology would be prohibitive. II. limiting something, or preventing something from being done. prohibitive laws. ) are low and competitive. The company negotiates very keen 价格亲民的, 价格有优势的, 价格有竞争力的 prices with their suppliers. The shops also offer a keenly priced curtain-making service. XII. If someone keens, they cry out or make sounds to express their sorrow at someone's death. He tossed back his head and keened 痛哭, 大哭. Someone was making a low, keening noise. XIII. a keen wind 寒风 is cold and strong. XXI. a keen blade 尖利的 is very sharp. keen on something interested in something and enjoying it, especially an activity that you do often All the kids are keen on swimming. keen on someone liking someone, or thinking that they are attractive. a keen eye for something an ability to notice and recognize something. My friend's a tireless shopper with a keen eye for a bargain.
compelling, gripping, compulsive reading/viewing; enthralling VS enthralling, enchanting = engrossing = beguiling, captivating = fascinating = intriguing: compel [kəmˈpel] verb. If a situation, a rule, or a person compels you to do something, they force you to do it. ...the introduction of legislation to compel cyclists to wear a helmet. Leonie's mother was compelled to take in washing to help support her family. Drivers are compelled by law to have insurance. compel someone to do something: The order compelled him to appear as a witness. feel compelled 感觉有必要的, 感觉有责任的 If you feel compelled to do something, you feel that you must do it, because it is the right thing to do. I feel compelled to write to thank you. Dickens felt compelled 感觉应该的 to return to the stage for a final good-bye. I felt morally compelled to 感觉有责任的 help. compelling adj. I. A compelling argument or reason 有说服力的 is one that convinces you that something is true or that something should be done. A compelling answer was provided in the final session from two different sources. There was no longer any compelling reason to continue this line of investigation. able to persuade someone to do something or persuade them that something is true There was compelling evidence in her defence. II. If you describe something such as a film or book 电影和书籍令人着迷的, or someone's appearance 外表有吸引力的, 外表摄人魂魄的, as compelling, you mean you want to keep looking at it or reading it because you find it so interesting. ...a frighteningly violent yet compelling 吸引人的, film. Her eyes were her best feature, wide-set and compelling. She wrote compellingly, with great zest. interesting or exciting enough to keep your attention completely a compelling story. compulsive reading/viewing 放不下的, 手不释卷的 a book or television programme that is very interesting and exciting. Her latest book is compulsive reading/a compulsive read. gripping 抓人的 adj. able to hold the interest or attention of someone. Craig Thomas's gripping tale of espionage. Her reckless, desperate story makes a gripping thriller. The writing is gripping, consistently superb. enthralling ( enchanting = engrossing = beguiling 有魔力的 ) an enthralling activity or event is so interesting or exciting that you give it all your attention. beguiling 有魔力的 ( captivating = fascinating = intriguing ) Something that is beguiling is charming and attractive. Mombasa is a town with a beguiling Arabic flavour. He was beguilingly boyish and attractive. consuming A consuming passion or interest is more important to you than anything else. He has developed a consuming passion for chess. enthralling [ɪnˈθrɔːlɪŋ] (人, 电影, 书籍, 音乐会, 绘画) 让人着迷的, 让人着魔的, 完全投入的, 完全被吸引的 adj. holding the attention completely; fascinating; spellbinding. an enthralling activity or event is so interesting or exciting that you give it all your attention. vocabulary: Something enthralling is fascinating — you become completely absorbed in it. An enthralling book is hard to put down, even when it's past your bedtime. When things captivate or grip you, they're enthralling. You can find another person enthralling, or a well-made movie, a wonderful concert, or an entrancing painting in a museum. Enthralling comes from the verb enthrall, which means "capture one's attention," but had the original meaning of "enslave." The word comes from the prefix en-, "make or put in," and thrall, from the Old English þræl, "serf or slave." mesmeric = mesmerising making you fix your thoughts completely on something so that you do not notice or pay attention to anything else around you. unputdownable 手不释卷的, 放不下的 informal a book that is unputdownable is so interesting or exciting that you do not want to stop reading it. hypnotic [hɪpˈnɑtɪk] I. something that is hypnotic makes you feel like sleeping, especially because it is repeated in a regular way. The rhythmic beating of the drums had a hypnotic 催眠的 effect on him. a. making you unable to pay attention to anything else. a hypnotic stare. II. relating to hypnosis or caused by hypnosis. a hypnotic trance making you unable to pay attention to anything else. trance [trɑːns] 精神恍惚, 恍恍惚惚, 晃神, 好了疮疤忘了疼, 好了伤疤忘了疼, 浑浑噩噩(拒绝直面问题时) A trance is a state of mind in which someone seems to be asleep and to have no conscious control over their thoughts or actions, but in which they can see and hear things and respond to commands given by other people. Like a man in a trance, Blake found his way back to his rooms. They went into a trance to communicate with the spirit world. countable usually singular a state caused by hypnosis in which someone can move and speak but is not conscious in a normal way. put someone in/into a trance: Her psychiatrist put her into a deep hypnotic trance. a state in which you are awake but not really conscious of where you are because you are thinking about something else. He came out of his trance 晃过神来 and greeted me. vocabulary: If your eyes are open but you're not fully awake and in control, you may be in trance. Someone might have hypnotized you, or just a glimpse of your latest heartthrob might send you into a trance. Trances don't have to be magic or mysterious — when you avoid facing your problems head-on, you're creating your own trance. President Obama once said, speaking of America's decades-long dependence on foreign oil, "We cannot keep going from shock when prices go up, to trance when they go back down." He meant that when prices rise, we all complain, but when they fall, we forget we ever had a problem and refuse to change a thing. inspirational Something that is inspirational provides you with inspiration. giving you the enthusiasm to do or create something. Gandhi was an inspirational figure. Cumbria was inspirational for Wordsworth. inspiring adj. Something or someone that is inspiring is exciting and makes you feel strongly interested and enthusiastic She was one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. It was not exactly our most inspiring performance of the season. inviting 有吸引力的, 让人想尝试的 adj. If you say that something is inviting, you mean that it has good qualities that attract you or make you want to experience it. The February air was soft, cool, and inviting. There is an inviting restaurant with an outdoor terrace. ...an inviting smile. The waters of the tropics are invitingly clear. something that is inviting is attractive and makes you want to experience it an inviting outdoor pool.
Top of the lake: China Girl: Strange things can happen when television shows move from one locale [loʊˈkæl] to another. The languid ( languid [ˈlæŋɡwɪd] I. 懒洋洋的. very slow and relaxed. He lifted his hand in a languid fashion and pushed back his blond curls. If you describe someone as languid, you mean that they show little energy or interest and are very slow and casual in their movements. To his delight a familiar, tall, languid figure lowered itself down the steps of a club. Time spent at Jumby Bay can be as energetic or as languid as you wish. We sat about languidly after dinner. II. a languid occasion or period of time is relaxed and pleasant. a languid evening. III. literary someone who is languid is weak or ill. ) moodiness of True Detective's first season, mired in 摆脱不了的, 摆脱不开的, 深陷的 ( When you're mired in something, you're stuck or entangled in it. You can't get out. Sometimes, being mired means to be literally trapped in the mire, which is like a swamp or muck. But usually when people are mired, it's in something less icky but equally hard to get out of. You could be mired in six hours of homework. stuck in a bad situation and unable to get out or make progress. a government mired in scandal and controversy. ) the mystic culture and history of rural Louisiana, looked more like lumpy ( 一坨的, 一大块的, 一块块的. 有块的. Something that is lumpy contains lumps or is covered with lumps. full of lumps. lumpy paint/sauce. a lumpy pillow. When the rice isn't cooked properly it goes lumpy and gooey. hump I. A hump is a small hill or raised area. The path goes over a large hump by a tree before running near a road. II. 驼峰 A camel's hump is the large lump on its back. Camels rebuild fat stores in their hump. III. 驼背. A hump is a large lump on a person's back, usually caused by illness or old age. verb. I. [British, informal] If you hump something heavy 背着, you carry it from one place to another with great difficulty. Charlie humped his rucksack up the stairs to his flat. II. To hump someone means to have sex with them. get/have the hump = give somebody the hump [British, informal] If someone gets the hump, they get very annoyed about something. to feel annoyed or offended. to make someone feel angry or upset, or to feel angry or upset. Fans just get the hump when they lose. over the hump If you say that you are over the hump, you mean that you no longer have a problem or difficulty that was stopping you being successful or happy. ), peyote-swigging ( peyote [peɪˈəʊti] = mescal [mɛˈskæl] a cactus that grows mainly in Mexico and contains the powerful illegal drug mescalin that makes people who take it imagine they see and hear things. swig [swɪɡ] 大口豪饮, 大口喝 verb. If you swig a drink, you drink it from a bottle or cup quickly and in large amounts. to drink something from a bottle, can, glass etc carelessly and in large amounts He swigs down four cans of fizzy orange drink a day. He was still hanging around, swigging the Coke out of the can. Brian took a swig of his drink. McGuire took a long swig from his bottle of bitter lemon.) fan fiction when the show was rebooted in exurban ( exurb [ˈɛksɜːb] the region just outside the suburbs of a city, usually where middle class or rich people live. a residential area beyond the suburbs of a city. Today the American Dream survives in the exurbs well outside major cities or suburbs. The 16 acre ... site is located in Exton, Chester County, a rapidly developing exurb on the outskirts of Philadelphia. ) California a year later. Even a simple production change can make a difference: The X-Files, transplanted from filming in dreary ( dreary VS bleak VS dismal VS gloomy VS dreadful VS melancholy: dreary [ˈdrɪəri] ( 感觉, 地方, 时间, 某事) 阴沉的, 让人沉闷阴郁的 making you feel bored or unhappy. If you describe something as dreary, you mean that it is dull and depressing. ...a dreary little town in the Midwest. They live such dreary lives. ...a drearily familiar scenario. dark and dreary weather. vocabulary: When something is dreary it's depressing or lifeless in a rainy-day way. I finished my work, there was nothing on TV, and the rain just wouldn't stop: what a dreary day! Dreary can refer to a feeling, a place, a time, or even a thing. It sounds a little like a combination of "drizzle" and "teary," and that's not a bad way to remember what it means. My grandmother's house was a dreary affair: run down, poorly lit, and silent but for the buzz of the florescent light in the cramped kitchen. Some might call the recession a depression: I call it dreary, either way. If the economy remains dreary like this much longer, I just might move to China. bleak [bliːk] (前景, 形势) 暗淡, 灰暗的: Something that is bleak is gloomy and depressing. If it's raining and dark, you might describe the night as bleak. If you have looked for work and no one will hire you, you could describe your prospects as bleak. If you and the ten people sharing your lifeboat have been adrift for ten days and are down to your last cracker, your situation is bleak. A near synonym is dismal. Bleak is from Middle English bleik, from Old Norse bleikr "white, pale." This word is related to the English word bleach. dismal [ˈdɪzm(ə)l] adj. I. making you feel unhappy and without hope or enthusiasm. dismal living conditions. a. Something that is dismal is bad in a sad or depressing way. My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal. It was a dismal failure. He failed dismally in his opening match. b. Something that is dismal is sad and depressing, especially in appearance. The main part of the hospital is pretty dismal but the children's ward is really lively. ...a dark dismal day with rain falling steadily. You can't occupy yourself with dismal thoughts 绝望的想法 all the time. II. very bad. a dismal performance/record. Dismal is a dreary, depressing sort of bad. "With the cold rain and their team behind by six field goals, the mood in the stands was so dismal 绝望的, 没有希望的 even the cheerleaders had lost their 'Rah.'" Dismal comes from the Latin dies mali which means "bad days." There is a hopelessness implied in the word. If you fell on the way to school and cut your knee, it would be bad, but not dismal. If you fell into a giant mud puddle and had to wear dirty, crusty clothes until you got home, it might make the school day seem pretty dismal. dreadful [ˈdredf(ə)l] 烂透的, 糟糕透顶的, 非常糟糕的 I. very unpleasant. If you say that something is dreadful, you mean that it is very bad or unpleasant, or very poor in quality. They told us the dreadful news. My financial situation is dreadful. You behaved dreadfully. They treated him dreadfully. The journey was dreadful. II. only before noun used for emphasizing how bad something is. Dreadful is used to emphasize the degree or extent of something bad. We've made a dreadful mistake. I had a dreadful headache. It's a dreadful shame that you can't go. vocabulary Something that's terribly bad is dreadful. Some people love going to the opera, but for others there's no more dreadful way to spend three hours. Dreadful means "full of dread," "feeling a sense of dread," or "causing dread." Dread means fear or anxiety. The adjective dreadful can describe something truly devastating, like the dreadful aftermath of a tornado, or something that's awful on a more personal level, like a dreadful blind date. If it's bad, fearsome, or unpleasant, you can call it dreadful. ) Vancouver to sunny Los Angeles in its sixth season, suddenly saw all the myriad possibilities ( [ˈmɪriəd] a myriad of something an extremely large number of people or things, especially one that is too large to count. A whole myriad of options exists for us. ) of alien comedy and adjusted its tone accordingly. Top of the Lake, the 2013 miniseries by Jane Campion about a female detective (Elisabeth Moss) investigating a missing, pregnant 12-year-old, was set in the fictional remote town of Laketop, New Zealand, and much of the series's power came from its bleak 灰暗的, 暗色调的, 阴沉阴暗的, otherworldly 像是另一个世界似的 landscape. The vast mountains looming over yellow fields put the eerie, even surreal behavior of Laketop's inhabitants in the right kind of frame. The primary antagonist (protagonist) in the show is misogyny, which seemed to have infected Laketop so perniciously ( pernicious [pərˈnɪʃəs] 充满邪恶的, 危险人物的, 暗藏危险的 adj. If you describe something as pernicious, you mean that it is very harmful. very dangerous or harmful, especially to someone's moral character I did what I could, but her mother's influence was pernicious. There is a pernicious culture of excellence: everything has to be not merely good but the best. vocabulary: Pernicious means harmful and subtle, such as a poison gas that causes illness in those exposed to it over the course of years. Pernicious comes from the Latin perniciosus, "destructive," which in turn comes from pernicies, "death" or "ruin." You might have heard your parents and teachers talk about the pernicious effects of watching too much TV and playing video games all day — they'll turn your brain to mush 一团浆糊 (allegedly). The Hatch Act of 1939, An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities, is a United States federal law whose main provision prohibits all employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president and vice president[3], from engaging in some forms of political activity. ) in the first season that even an all-women retreat run by the enigmatic GJ (Holly Hunter) couldn't endure it. Within the tight-knit rural community, which was deeply suspicious of outsiders, the hatred and subjugation ( subjugate [ˈsʌbdʒʊɡeɪt] 收服, 制服 I. If someone subjugates 臣服, 征服, 打服. 平定, 收服, 制服 a group of people, they take complete control of them, especially by defeating them in a war. People in the region are fiercely independent and resist all attempts to subjugate them. ...the brutal subjugation of native tribes. to defeat a place or a group of people and force them to obey you. Just 50 years later, England was again subjugated by the Normans. II. If your wishes or desires are subjugated to something, they are treated as less important than that thing. Health, common sense, and self-respect are subjugated to the cause of looking 'hot'. vocabulary: If you say you won't be kept down by the man, you are saying that you won't let the man subjugate you. To subjugate is to repress someone, or to make them subservient to you. In subjugate you see the word subject. In this word, it's not talking about the subject of a sentence, rather it's talking about the kind of subjects that Kings have serving them. Subjugate is to reduce someone's status to that of a subject. It's a royal demotion, often brought by force or intimidation. underyoke (transitive) To bring under yoke; make subject. pass under the yoke (of a defeated army) To be humiliated by the victors. under the yoke Under subjugation. They were under the yoke of the Romans. They were under the Roman yoke. The were brought under the yoke of the Romans. conjugate [ˈkɑndʒəˌɡeɪt] 动词变形 I. transitive
to state the different forms a verb can have, for example according to
the number of people it refers to and whether it refers to the present,
past, or future. When pupils or teachers conjugate a verb, they give its
different forms in a particular order. ...a child who can read at one
and is conjugating Latin verbs at four. II. intransitive if a verb conjugates, it has different forms. Today we learn how the verb "to be". ) of women had coagulated ( coagulate [kəʊˈæɡjʊleɪt] 凝固, 凝结 if a liquid coagulates, it becomes thick and solid. Blood slowly coagulated round the edges of the cut. When a liquid coagulates, it becomes very thick. As the egg whites cook, they coagulate and rise to the surface. The blood coagulates to stop wounds bleeding. Blood becomes stickier to help coagulation in case of a cut. vocabulary: When liquid starts to thicken and become solid, it coagulates. When you get a cut, the blood flowing from the wound will coagulate: it will start to clot and form a solid scab so you will stop bleeding. Many liquids have the potential to coagulate. If the cream you just poured into your coffee is spoiled, you'll see the cream coagulate as it curdles into little floating chunks. If someone has a heart condition that may result in a heart attack, he or she might take medication that keeps the blood in the arteries from coagulating, or dangerously thickening. ) at every level, to the point where Robin's boss, Detective Sergeant Al Parker (David Wenham) was revealed to be not only a rapist but also the mastermind of a ring of underage prostitutes. There's a group of unprepossessing ( unprepossessing [ˌʌnpripəˈzesɪŋ] 不起眼的, 貌不惊人的, 外表普通的 not impressive or attractive. If you describe someone or something as unprepossessing, you mean that they look rather plain or ordinary, although they may have good or special qualities that are hidden. We found the tastiest food in the most unprepossessing bars and cafés. prepossessing [ˌpriːpəˈzesɪŋ] adj. creating a favourable impression; attractive. unassuming behaving
in a quiet and pleasant way, without trying to appear better or more
important than other people. If you describe a person or their behaviour
as unassuming, you approve of them because they are quiet and do not
try to appear important. He's a man of few words, very polite and unassuming. She has a gentle, unassuming manner. ) bloggers who run a website for rating sex workers online and meet weekly to debate their favorites (the primary character literally lives in his mother's basement). Robin's male colleagues either proposition ( proposition [ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n] to offer to have sex with someone, especially in an offensive way. If someone who you do not know very well propositions you, they suggest that you have sex with them. He had allegedly tried to proposition a colleague. ...unwanted sexual propositions. noun. I. If you describe something such as a task or an activity as, for example, a difficult proposition or an attractive proposition, you mean that it is difficult or pleasant to do. Making easy money has always been an attractive proposition. Even among seasoned mountaineers this peak is considered quite a tough proposition. II. A proposition is a statement or an idea which people can consider or discuss to decide whether it is true. The proposition that democracies do not fight each other is based on a tiny historical sample. III. In the United States, a proposition is a question or statement about an issue of public policy which appears on a voting paper so that people can vote for or against it. I voted 'yes' on proposition 136, but 'no' on propositions 129, 133 and 134. IV. A proposition is an offer or a suggestion that someone makes to you, usually concerning some work or business that you might be able to do together. You came to see me at my office the other day with a business proposition 商业提案, 生意提议. I want to make you a proposition. proposal I. 政治提案 A proposal is a plan or an idea, often a formal or written one, which is suggested for people to think about and decide upon. The President is to put forward new proposals for resolving the country's constitutional crisis. ...the government's proposals to abolish free health care. The Security Council has rejected the latest peace proposal. II. A proposal is the act of asking someone to marry you. After a three-weekend courtship, Pamela accepted Randolph's proposal of marriage. ) her or disparage the appearance of her new partner, Miranda (Game of Thrones's Gwendoline Christie). Even Robin's ally, a criminal pathologist, fixates on her sex life, telling her he'd marry her if only he had a bigger penis. The real villain, though, is Alexander "Puss" Braun (David Dencik), a German immigrant and former academic who's cartoonishly evil in a logic-defying 不合逻辑 ( defy logic/the odds etc 说不通的, 打破常理, 不合逻辑, 不符合逻辑, 不合常理. to not happen according to the principles you would expect a 16-week premature baby who defied the odds and survived. ) way, as if the Joker ran a brothel and groomed underage girls for the sole purpose of torturing their parents. As despairing 让人绝望的( [dɪˈsperɪŋ] feeling that a situation is so bad that nothing you can do will change it. despair [dɪˈspeə(r)] the feeling that a situation is so bad that nothing you can do will change it. To my utter despair, the car would not start. in despair: In despair he phoned the embassy. ) as they are about toxic masculinity, the new episodes are fixated on the subject of motherhood—what it means, what it costs, and the lengths women will go to when they're denied it. "You withheld from her," Kidman spits in one of the odder scenes, sporting prosthetic teeth and a curly gray wig. "Mothers don't do that. They reassure their children. That's what they do." This accusation—that Robin, who gave up the baby she had after being raped as a teenager, is selfish and a bad mother—is a hard statement to qualify 圆回来, 无论怎么说都说不通, 圆不过来的 ( qualify I. When someone qualifies, they pass the examinations that they need to be able to work in a particular profession. But when I'd qualified and started teaching it was a different story. I qualified as a doctor from London University over 30 years ago. II. If you qualify for something 满足要求, 满足资格, 合格 or if something qualifies you for it, you have the right to do it or have it. To qualify for maternity leave you must have worked for the same employer for two years. The basic course does not qualify you to practise as a therapist. ...skills that qualify foreigners for work visas. ...highly trained staff who are well qualified to give unbiased, practical advice. III. To qualify as something or to be qualified as something 符合标准, 满足条件 means to have all the features that are needed to be that thing. 13 percent of American households qualify as poor, says Mr. Mishel. These people seem to think that reading a few books on old age qualifies them as experts. IV. If you qualify in a competition 晋级, you are successful in one part of it and go on to the next stage. Nottingham Forest qualified for the final by beating Tranmere on Tuesday. Cameroon have also qualified after beating Sierra Leone. ...a World Cup qualifying match. He was the fastest qualifier for the 800 metres final. V. If you qualify a statement 稍事修改, 稍微圆一下, 稍微修饰一下, you make it less strong or less general by adding a detail or explanation to it. to add something to a statement in order to change it slightly or state the situations in which it is not true. I welcome the positive approach – perhaps I should qualify that by saying 'the largely positive approach' – adopted by the government. I would qualify that by putting it into context. qualified I. Someone who is qualified has passed the examinations that they need to pass in order to work in a particular profession. Demand has far outstripped supply of qualified teachers. The reader should seek the services of a qualified professional for such advice. II. If you give someone or something qualified support or approval 不完全支持, 不完全赞同, 部分支持, 部分赞同, 有保留的, your support or approval is not total because you have some doubts. The government has given qualified support to the idea. Mr Wade answers both questions with a qualified yes. qualified success 部分成功 If you describe something as a qualified success, you mean that it is only partly successful. Even as a humanitarian mission it has been only a qualified success. ), but it's far from being the only head-scratcher 想不通, 想不明白, 百思不得其解, 摸不着头脑. China Girl is full of aphorisms ( [ˈæfəˌrɪz(ə)m] 警句. 鸡汤. a short statement that says something wise and true. An aphorism is a short witty sentence which expresses a general truth or comment. 'What if they gave a war and nobody came?' was one of his generation's favored aphorisms. ) and statements that might be profound if they weren't so nonsensical (nonsensical [nɑnˈsensɪk(ə)l] 没道理的, 荒唐的, 完全莫名其妙的东西 [disapproval] adj not true, or not sensible. If you say that something is nonsensical, you think it is stupid, ridiculous, or untrue. ideas, actions, or statements that are nonsensical are not reasonable or sensible This is a nonsensical argument 没有意义的. It seemed to me that Sir Robert's arguments were nonsensical. There were no nonsensical promises about reviving 复苏, 重振 the economy. a nonsensical theory. nonsensical If something has no intelligent meaning, you can describe it as nonsensical. When you're really angry, you might hear yourself sputtering nonsensical sounds and have to stop, take a breath, and start again.
Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" is full of great examples of
nonsensical words, like "mimsy," "frumious," and "slithy," which manage
to be both descriptive and completely nonsensical. Something that is utterly ridiculous or absurd can also be described as nonsensical. You might tell your best friend, "I know you like crazy hats, but that thing on your head is completely nonsensical."). It's obvious that Campion is perturbed [pə(r)ˈtɜː(r)bd] ( If someone is perturbed by something, they are worried by it. worried or upset by something. William looked more than a little perturbed at the suggestion. He apparently was not perturbed by the prospect of a police officer coming to call. She was really quite perturbed at the prospect. unperturbed [ˌʌnpə(r)ˈtɜː(r)bd] 不在乎的, 不担心的 not worried or upset by something that has happened. not disturbed or troubled unperturbed by the prospect of a fight. ) by the legalized sex industry in Sydney, staffed overwhelmingly by migrants from Asia. In considering it, she makes two storylines converge: The sex workers in Puss's brothel are also illegally acting as surrogates for infertile white couples. It's a clumsy plot device, and the point it seems intended to make about Western exploitation of immigrants never comes through.
