用法学习: 1. kernel of truth 一点点的真实性, 一派胡言中的唯一事实 (idiomatic) A core accuracy at the heart of a claim or narrative which also contains dubious or fictitious elements. A singular element of truth or wisdom within a greater story, narrative, speech, or claim, especially when most or all other elements are fictitious or of questionable veracity. I think the governor's speech is a bunch of hogwash by and large, but there is a kernel of truth in what he said about the need for lower taxes. Is there a kernel of truth to this rumor of layoffs? Please say no. There is not one kernel of truth in any of that nonsense you just said! There may be a kernel of truth in the story of how George Washington confessed to his father that he chopped down the cherry tree. Covid myths that spread on social media very often have a kernel of fact at their heart - a real statistic that gets misused - to tell a story which ends up far from reality. tenor noun. I. 男高音歌唱家. A tenor is a male singer whose voice is fairly high. ...a free, open-air concert given by the acclaimed Italian tenor. II. The tenor of something is the general meaning or mood that it expresses. the feeling, mood, or main message that you get from a book, person, situation, etc. I think the tenor of the discussions has been pretty positive. The whole tenor 基调 of discussions has changed. Her dreams were troubled, reflecting the tenor 情绪, 基调, 调调, 心情, 情绪 of her waking hours. III. a musical instrument that plays a middle range of musical notes. a tenor saxophone. adj. A tenor saxophone or other musical instrument has a range of notes that are of a fairly low pitch. ...one of the best tenor sax players ever. course of nature The natural, normal, or ordinary sequence or unfolding of things. The disease has spread so far that there's nothing to do now but let it follow the course of nature. Times of hardship and times of plenty are part of the course of nature for any independent business. run its course (let nature take its course) complete its natural development without interference. "his illness had to run its course". in the ordinary/normal course of things/events 通常情况下 As things typically unfold, take place, or happen. In the ordinary course of things, we would have arranged for a follow-up interview to take place right away, but things were so chaotic that it never happened. Profits are going to be down this quarter, since, in the ordinary course of things, site traffic slows down over the summer months. in the nature of things 照自然规律的话 according to the natural way things happen. If you say that something is in the nature of things, you mean that you would expect it to happen in the circumstances mentioned. It is in the nature of things that bureaucrats will measure success in terms of the numbers. Many have already died, and in the nature of things many more will die. In the nature of things, there is bound to be the occasional accident. defect to (something) To leave some place, often under repressive conditions and when it is prohibited, and go to another place. to forsake one group and take up with another. Will he defect to the other side? David defected to a small East European country. I defected to this country after witnessing the atrocities being carried out in my homeland. ditch (some place) To leave a place, especially one that is no longer of use or interest, generally in search of something better. Come on, let's ditch this place and go back to my house. barrel in (to some place) 冲进来, 闯进来 Fig. to move into a place rapidly and with great force. Tony barreled into the room and interrupted the card game. He just barreled in without knocking. 2. George Galloway threatens to sue Twitter after his account marked 'Russia state-affiliated media': The 67-year-old and his wife Gayatri Galloway have presented a show called Sputnik (Sputnik 1 ([ˈspʌtnɪk, ˈspʊtnɪk]) was the first artificial Earth satellite.): Orbiting the world with George Galloway on the Kremlin-linked RT network, formerly known as Russia Today, since 2013. He wrote: "It's Kafkaesque ( Kafkaesque [ˌkɑfkəˈɛsk, ˌkæfkəˈesk] 卡夫卡似的 (细思极恐的, 荒谬绝伦的) adj. of, characteristic of, or like the writings of Kafka; specif., surreal, nightmarish, confusingly complex, etc. complicated, confusing, and threatening. Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity. Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of looming danger. Kafkaesque bureaucracies. note: From the name of the Czech-German writer Franz Kafka. For the characters in Kafka's novels, the world seems mysterious and unfriendly, and it becomes very difficult to achieve things. ) really. When I did present on Russian state media I had no Twitter designation ( designation [ˌdezɪɡˈneɪʃ(ə)n] I. countable a name or title. A designation is a description, name, or title that is given to someone or something. Designation is the fact of giving that description, name, or title. ...a level four alert, a designation reserved for very serious incidents. ...the designation of land as an area of outstanding natural beauty. II. countable/uncountable the act of choosing someone or something for a particular purpose. ). Now that I don't, can't and would be committing a crime if I did I have been given the designation." 2. grift 骗子, 骗钱的 noun. an act of obtaining money from someone by fraud. A confidence game or swindle. Hey, what's the grift? What are you trying to pull? Roy is a master of the short grift, a quick swindle that's over before its victim even knows it. verb. 骗钱. To swindle someone out of money. To obtain illegally, as by con game. To obtain money illegally. To obtain money immorally or through deceitful means. Cher could always tell when a scam or a grift was going down – after all, she 'd been grifting for twenty years. grifter A con artist; someone who pulls confidence games. lose the thread I. 走神. be unable to follow what someone is saying or remember what one is going to say next. to stop concentrating so that you do not understand what someone is saying More than once she lost the thread and had to ask them to speak more slowly. "she lost the thread of the conversation after a time". II. 晃神. to stop concentrating and forget what you intended to say next. multi-hyphenate 多面手 a person, especially a celebrity, with several professions or skills. "her list of professional accomplishments puts other pop culture multi-hyphenates to shame". 3. TBBT: Howard: I promise I'll help out the rest of the week. Bernadette: The rest of the week? You said it was just gonna be a night or two. Howard: Yeah, but if I told you a week, would you have said yes? Bernadette: No. Howard: Then you left me no choice. Bernadette: I love Raj, but that's a long time for a house guest. Howard: I know, but they're tenting ( It means they're fumigating his building. "tenting a building" is often used for termite infestation. Tent fumigation (tenting) Structural fumigation techniques differ from building to building, but in houses a rubber tent is often placed over the entire house while the pesticides are being released into the vacant residence. This process is called tent fumigation or "tenting". The sealed tent concentrates the poisonous gases and prevents them from escaping into the neighborhood. The process can take up to a week depending on the fumigant used, which in turn depend on the severity of infestation and size of the building. ) his building. He can't find a hotel he likes that allows dogs. Bernadette: He's bringing Cinnamon? Howard: For a whole week, the nerve of 臭不要脸的, 真是不要脸, 真是斗胆 some people. TBBT: Raj: Good morning, everybody. I picked up coffee while I was out. Bernadette, here's your soy peppermint mocha. Bernadette: Aw, you didn't have to do that. Raj: Oh, my pleasure, and don't worry about your presentation today. You're gonna be great. Howard: Yeah, you're gonna knock it out of the park( knock/hit sb/sth out of the park informal to do something much better than someone else, or to be much better than someone or something else: Hotel Ferrero knocks everyone out of the park with their breakfast. The BBC is hitting them all out of the park at the moment, in children's drama at least. To do or perform something extraordinarily well; to produce or earn an exceptional achievement. An allusion to a baseball that is hit hard enough to land outside the stadium. Great job on that report, Jacobs—you really knocked it out of the park! I had expected to knock that test out of the ballpark, but I barely scraped by with a D. ). Bernadette: What presentation do I have today? Howard: Just go. 4. in broad strokes 大线条, 勾画出, 勾勒出, 粗略的, 简略的, 简要的 in general terms rather than in detail The speech will lay out in broad strokes the two candidates' differing approaches towards how best to stimulate the economy. a. Major features or key points; outline. b. (idiomatic, especially of a narrative or artistic work) Developments, movements, or descriptions presented in a bold or sweeping manner, without intricacy, adornment, or subtlety. short strokes I. The final steps of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious. II. (idiomatic) Bare essentials. down to the short strokes 最后几下了, 关键的阶段, 画龙点睛的阶段 (idiomatic) In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious. Etymology: Possibly an allusion to painting, in which a painter typically finishes a work with short, careful, finishing strokes of the paint brush, or to golf, in which a player concludes each hole by making short strokes with a putter. In swimming competition, as a swimmer nearly reaches a wall to turn or to finish, the competitor might take a shorter stroke to start the turn smoothly, or to finish faster. down to the wire (idiomatic) At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline. He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would be down to the wire. 5. two-by-four I. a length of wood with a rectangular cross section nominally two inches by four inches. a length of untrimmed timber with a cross section that measures 2 inches by 4 inches "solid cages made out of two-by-fours". II. a small or insignificant thing, typically a building. a standard size of finished wood used for building that measures slightly less than two inches wide and four inches deep and can be cut to various lengths, or wood of this size: You'll need four eight-foot two-by-fours to frame out that wall. a two-by-four board. "they lived in a two-by-four shack of one bedroom". III. a trimmed timber joist with a cross section that measures 11⁄2 inches by 31⁄2 inches. (you've) got to get up pretty early in the morning to (do something) 费尽心机, 机关算尽太聪明 It will not be easy for you to successfully do something, often something deceptive or skillful. When Mom caught me trying to sneak out of the house, all she said was, "You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to fool me." Sorry, but you've got to get up pretty early in the morning to beat me at poker. Grandma may be old, but she's still sharp as ever, so you've got to get up pretty early in the morning to get something past her. it would be difficult to do something (specified) because of the ability or quality involved. You gotta get up pretty early in the morning to cheat Bill Johnson. He's a sharp businessman for sure. You gotta get up pretty early in the morning to know your Bible better than Preacher Harris. a casualty of (something) 变成牺牲品 Someone or something who is eliminated or otherwise negatively impacted as a result of something else. A: "Are you saying that half of our employees will be casualties of the merger?" B: "Yes, the new company is looking to cut costs." Many industry analysts predict movie theaters will become a casualty of the increasing popularity of online video-streaming options. Unfortunately, the scholarship program was a casualty of the university's financial difficulties. a whole different animal/beast/ball of wax 完全不同的 Something very different to, and often more difficult or complicated than, something else. You may think that your time as a TV show writer prepared you well for this project, but it's a whole different animal working on a film. It's one thing to babysit your friends' kids from time to time, but having your own children is a whole different animal! A: "I've been here 10 years already, so I don't think becoming a manager will be a big transition." B: "Are you serious? No, managing employees is a whole different animal." a whole other ball of wax 完全是另一码事 Something very different to, and often more difficult or complicated than, something else. It's one thing to babysit your friends' kids from time to time, but having your own children is a whole other ball of wax. I know you think you're some hotshot just because you worked in television once, but working on a film is a whole other ball of wax. A: "I've been here 10 years already, so I don't think becoming a manager will be a big transition." B: "Are you serious? No, managing employees is a whole other ball of wax." 6. deliver/land a knockout blow/punch 打倒在地 I. to hit someone very hard, so that they fall down and cannot get up. II. to stop someone from achieving what they want to achieve. A sucker punch (American English), also known as a dog shot, coward punch, king hit or one-punch attack 一拳致命 (Australian and New Zealand English) or cold-cock (American English), is a punch made without warning or while the recipient is distracted, allowing no time for preparation or defense on the part of the recipient. The term is generally used in situations where the way in which the punch has been delivered is considered unfair or unethical, and is done using deception or distraction, hence the term 'sucker' used to refer to the victim. clerical [ˈklɛrɪk(ə)l] I. 文书性的. 办公人员的. concerned with or relating to work in an office, especially routine documentation and administrative tasks. Clerical jobs, skills, and workers are concerned with work that is done in an office. ...a strike by clerical staff in all government departments. The hospital blamed the mix-up on a clerical error. "a clerical assistant". II. Clerical means relating to the clergy. ...a bearded man in a dark suit and clerical collar. ...Iran's clerical leadership. clobber noun. [British, informal] You can refer to someone's possessions, especially their clothes, as their clobber. verb. [informal] If you clobber someone, you hit them. Hillary clobbered him with a vase. II. If a person or company is clobbered by something, they are very badly affected by it. The construction industry was clobbered by recession. III. to defeat someone very easily in a way that is embarrassing for the team that loses. The Dallas Cowboys clobbered the Buffalo Bills last night. IV. to affect or punish someone or something badly, especially by making them lose money The paper got clobbered for libel. The company has been clobbered by falling property prices. Friends: What about us? Ross, there is no "us," okay? No! Listen to me! I fell for you and I get clobbered. You then fall for me and I again get clobbered. I'm tired of being clobbered, you know? It's just not worth it. Well, but. No "but," Ross. We are never gonna happen, okay? Accept that. Except that what? No. No. Accept that. exterminate [ɪkˈstɜrmɪˌneɪt] 消灭. 杀光. 消除, 除去, 祛除 to kill all the insects or animals of a particular type in an area. to kill a person or a group of people. To exterminate a group of people or animals means to kill all of them. A huge effort was made to exterminate the rats. They have a real fear that they'll be exterminated in the ongoing civil war. Man is exterminating too many species for zoos to be much help. ...the extermination of hundreds of thousands of their countrymen. 7. 法国大选: Exit polls after the first round of voting in the French presidential elections on Sunday show President Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen are on track for a second-round shootout. The figures suggested no candidate secured a majority of the vote, meaning the top two contenders will contest a second vote on April 24. But Macron's late entry into the campaign, with only one major rally that even supporters found underwhelming 不尽如人意的, and his focus on an unpopular plan to increase the retirement age, have dented his ratings. Steep inflation and cost-of-living pressures haven't helped. In contrast, the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Le Pen has been boosted by a months-long focus on the cost of living issues, as well as falling support for her far-right rival, Eric Zemmour. Rising fuel and food prices, fanned by the war in Ukraine, were a pressing issue for many voters.
funky: I. funky music has a strong simple beat that is good for dancing. music that has a strong musical rhythm or beat and a deep bluesy sound. You might practice some funky bass lines before auditioning for your school's jazz band. Funky tunes have some of the spirit of the 1960s-era music genre called funk, a branch of R&B that's influenced by soul and jazz music. Rhythm is so important in funky music that the drums and bass are emphasized, melody less so.Funky jazz, blues, or pop music has a very strong, repeated bass part. It's a funky sort of rhythm. II. Based on this cool music, funky also means "stylish" or "hip". fashionable in a way that is unusual and shows a lot of imagination. "Mom, those pants are totally funky." III. The word's original meaning, however, was "stinky," specifically when discussing the smell of aged cheese. IV. [mainly US, informal, approval] Offbeat, unconventional or eccentric. If you describe something or someone as funky, you like them because they are unconventional or unusual. It had a certain funky charm, I guess, but it wasn't much of a place to raise a kid. V. Not quite right; of questionable quality; not appropriate to the context.
continual VS continuous, abhorrent VS aberrant, veracious VS voracious: continual I. A continual process or situation happens or exists without stopping. continuing without stopping. a continual process of growth and education. The school has been in continual use since 1883. They felt continual pressure to perform well. Despite continual pain, he refused all drugs. She cried almost continually and threw temper tantrums. The large rotating fans whirred continually. II. Continual events 断断续续的, 反反复复的, 反复发生的 happen again and again. happening again and again, often in an annoying way. I've had enough of their continual arguing. ...the government's continual demands for cash to finance its chronic deficit. She suffered continual police harassment. Malcolm was continually changing his mind. I had been writing him continually, trying to get him to call me. continuous I. A continuous process or event continues for a period of time without stopping. continuing without stopping or being interrupted. a continuous flow of water. a continuous hum from the air conditioner. Residents report that they heard continuous gunfire. ...all employees who had a record of five years' continuous employment with the firm. There is a continuous stream of phone calls. The civil war has raged almost continuously for ten years. It is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in America. II. 连绵不断的. 连绵不绝的. 不间断的. A continuous line or surface has no gaps or holes in it. a continuous line, curve, etc. continues without a break or space. ...a continuous line of boats. ...the continuous frieze of sculpted figures. III. the past continuous. the present continuous. 进行时时态. continual VS continuous: The words continual and continuous are like twins: they both come from continue, but they get mad if you get them confused. Continual means start and stop, while continuous means never-ending. Continual things come and go, like arguments or rain. If your parents' continual arguing drives you crazy, just be glad they stop sometimes! With continual rain, you'll get some sunny breaks, as Ireland's forecasters like to say. Or in this bit about the birth of Lynyrd Skynyrd: There were continual battles between authority figures like Skinner and the free spirits who formed the band. (herald-review.com). Continuous, on the other hand, is nonstop. If the young Skynyrds had a continuous argument with authority, they'd never stop, not even to sing "Free Bird." With continuous rain, you'll never see the sun. A flight or a wire can be continuous: Jongeward and Woodhouse ended up breaking the record for continuous flight. They stayed in the air for 1,124 hours. (Yuma Sun) A telegraphic signal would go more than seven times around the earth in one second if it travelled on one continuous wire. (Elmer Ellsworth Burns). Continual is chronic, like a cough that comes and goes, or a teenager's sporadic fights with The Man. Continuous is like a circle, or a nightmare carousel that never ever stops. Neither one is the evil twin; they're both moody. abhorrent/ aberrant ( aberrant [æˈberənt] not normal or not what you would usually expect. Aberrant means unusual and not socially acceptable. Ian's rages and aberrant behavior worsened. ): Abhorrent describes something truly horrible like finding a dead rat in your soup, but something aberrant is just abnormal, like a cat in a pink fedora. Abhorrent means disgusting or detestable. When you abhor something, you loathe it. Its Latin root means, "to shudder, recoil," which is what you do when faced with something abhorrent like a zombie, or in these examples: She said sanitary conditions in the emergency room were abhorrent. (Seattle Times) If I thought monarchy abhorrent, for example, I would not seek British citizenship. (Washington Times) Aberrant (no "h") means unusual, straying from a defined path. It's not necessarily nasty. It's from the Latin, berrantem, "wandering away." It's related to err, a mistake, through Old French and Latin. If a behavior is aberrant, it's just not normal: Weeks ago the nation witnessed the culmination of aberrant fan behavior when Bryan Stow was beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. (Newsweek) Upstairs the show gives way to delicious aberrant moments, like the gallery kitted out in beige walls and chunky red molding. (New York Times) If you can remember that the err in aberrant indicates an error and that you abhor something that is abhorrent, your word choice will be neither aberrant nor abhorrent. Wearing a feather boa to a funeral? Aberrant. Stealing the body? veracious [vəˈreɪʃə] / voracious [vəˈreɪʃəs] 欲求不满的, 贪得无厌的, 吃不饱的( veracious 实事求是的, 真实可靠的, 不说假话的 truthful or true. speaking or representing the truth. "a veracious account". He is a veracious person. Veracity [vəˈræsəti] is the quality of being true or the habit of telling the truth. We have total confidence in the veracity of our research. He was shocked to find his veracity questioned.): Voracious describes someone super hungry, like a zombie or a wolf. A voracious appetite makes you want to eat a whole cake. Veracious (with an "e") means truthful, as in a veracious first president who cannot tell a lie. Voracious is spelled with an "o" for an open mouth or the hole in your stomach you're trying to fill if you have a voracious appetite. It's used to describe appetites, but not always for food — a voracious reader devours books by reading one after the other. Here are some unrelenting examples: The fish are such voracious eaters that they have crowded out other species and disrupted ecosystems. — Wall Street Journal. A voracious reader, he became a self-educated art historian and a well-informed generalist whose knowledge awed his friends, including well-known artists. — New York Times. The more formal word veracious comes from the Latin root verus for "truth." You might recognize that root in words like verify "to show something's true," or verisimilitude for "seeming true to life." Veracious means truthful, so a veracious author, for example, is one who tells the truth. Here are more examples: This interesting, although not very veracious author, gives the following account of the process. — J.G. Millingen. I ought to have bought up all sorts of memories, and written the most veracious novel the world has seen. — Israel Zangwill. If you had to hang out with either a voracious person or a veracious one, choose the veracious, or truthful, one. The voracious one would definitely eat all of your French fries, and your brains if you hang out with zombies.
imprimatur VS sanction VS endorsement VS warrant: imprimatur [ˌɪmprɪˈmeɪtə,ˌɪmprɪˈmɑːtə,ˌɪmprɪˈmɑːtʊə] noun I. official permission given by the Roman Catholic Church for a book to be printed. an official licence issued by the Roman Catholic Church to print an ecclesiastical or religious book. "the imprimatur for this edition was granted by Cardinal O'Casey". II. 许可. 准许. permission, or approval. If something such as a product has someone's imprimatur, that person has given it their official approval, for example by allowing their name to be shown on it. official permission to do something that is given by a person or group in a position of power: When he suspended the constitution and dissolved Congress, he had the imprimatur of the armed forces. The University of Glasgow gave its imprimatur to the school. a person's authoritative approval. "the original LP enjoyed the imprimatur of the composer". endorsement I. 公开支持. the act of saying that you approve of or support something or someone. the act of making a public statement of your support for something or someone: Both candidates have been seeking the union's endorsement. The campaign hasn't received any political endorsements. He hoped to secure quick endorsement of the plan from the president. II. the fact of a famous person appearing in an advertisement saying that they use and like a product. An endorsement is also a public statement, esp. by someone who is famous, that the person uses or likes a particular product: Some athletes get contracts for product endorsements worth millions of dollars. products that carry an endorsement from a celebrity. III. a mark on a driving licence that shows the driver is guilty of driving in an illegal way: He's got a couple of endorsements on his licence already. sanction noun & noun. I. (法律上的)批准. 准许. approval or permission, especially formal or legal: They tried to get official sanction for the plans. to formally give permission for something. If someone in authority sanctions an action or practice, they officially approve of it and allow it to be done. He may now be ready to sanction 授权使用暴力 the use of force. He seemed to be preparing to sanction an increase in public borrowing. The king could not enact laws without the sanction of Parliament. The government was reluctant to sanction intervention in the crisis. To be just, a government must have the sanction of the governed. Note: usually describes formal or legal approval. II. 制裁. an official order, such as the stopping of trade, that is taken against a country in order to make it obey international law: He questioned why cricket felt it necessary to impose sanctions against/upon his country when other sports do not. He expressed his opposition to the lifting of sanctions. Many nations have imposed sanctions on the country because of its attacks on its own people. Trade/economic sanctions will only be lifted (= stopped) when the aggressor nation withdraws its troops. III. a strong action taken in order to make people obey a law or rule, or a punishment given when they do not obey. A sanction is a severe course of action which is intended to make people obey instructions, customs, or laws. As an ultimate sanction, they can sell their shares. Without realistic sanctions 惩戒办法, 惩罚手段, 惩治手段, some teachers have difficulty keeping order in the classroom. warrant verb. I. to make a particular activity necessary. If something warrants a particular action, it makes the action seem necessary or appropriate for the circumstances. The allegations are serious enough to warrant 理由充分, 使有必要 an investigation. No matter was too small to warrant his attention. Do you think this fear is warranted 有必要的, 有充足理由的, 理由充分的? Obviously what she did was wrong, but I don't think it warranted such a severe punishment. It's a relatively simple task that really doesn't warrant a great deal of time being spent on it. II. 担保. 保证. old-fashioned used to say that you are certain about something. If you warrant that something is true or will happen, you say officially that it is true, or guarantee that it will happen. All entrants must warrant 保证 that their entry is entirely their own work. The contract warrants that an experienced person is on board all the time. He's to blame, I'll warrant (you). noun. I. an official document, signed by a judge or other person in authority, that gives the police permission to search someone's home, arrest a person, or take some other action. A warrant is a legal document that allows someone to do something, especially one that is signed by a judge or magistrate and gives the police permission to arrest someone or search their house. Police confirmed that they had issued a warrant for his arrest. ...a search warrant. Equipment is allocated by warrant. a search warrant. Judge La Riva had issued an arrest warrant/a warrant for his arrest. II. UK old-fashioned a reason for doing something. If you say that there is no warrant for something, you mean that there is no good reason to justify it. There is some warrant for 没道理, 没理由 holding back on full-scale aid. There's no warrant for that sort of behaviour! to sign one's own death warrant 自己找死, 自寻死路 If you say that someone is signing their own death warrant, you mean that they are behaving in a way which will cause their ruin or death. By accusing the King of murder, he signed his own death warrant.
