用法学习: 1. 澳洲取消俄罗斯大使馆用地许可: Legal stoush brewing after Australian bureaucrats cancel Russian embassy's rebuild: Russia has flagged legal action after Australian bureaucrats scuttled ( scuttle verb I. 小跑着去 to run somewhere with short quick steps. When people or small animals scuttle somewhere, they run there with short quick steps. Two very small children scuttled away in front of them. Crabs scuttle along the muddy bank. II. To scuttle a plan or a proposal means to make it fail or cause it to stop. to make a plan, agreement, attempt, etc. fail or stop Such threats could scuttle the peace conference. II. 凿沉. to sink a ship deliberately, for example by making holes in the bottom. To scuttle a ship means to sink it deliberately by making holes in the bottom. He personally had received orders from the commander to scuttle the ship. noun. A scuttle is the same as a coal scuttle.) the construction of its new embassy building in Canberra. One federal government figure — speaking on the condition of anonymity — also said the NCA's decision was based on planning considerations and was not "directly" influenced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The official, however, noted that any reservoirs of goodwill 善意 towards Moscow in Canberra had been drained by its recent illegal military activity. "You can't imagine it helped," the official told the ABC. 2. scrumptious [skrʌmpʃəs] 可口的 adj [informal] If you describe food as scrumptious, you mean that it tastes extremely good. ...a scrumptious apple pie. Get your head out of the gutter! 思想单纯点 to stop thinking dirty thoughts when someone tells you to. My Friend: thinks of dirty thoughts and says it out loud. Me: Get your head out of the gutter! slurp 啜吸, 稀溜溜的吸 drink or eat (something) with a loud sucking noise. to make loud sucking noises as you drink something. "she slurped her coffee". noun. a loud sucking sound made while drinking or eating. "she drank it down with a loud slurp". dumpy 矮胖的 [disapproval] If you describe someone as dumpy, you mean they are short and fat, and are usually implying they are unattractive. someone who is dumpy is fat, short, and unattractive a dumpy little man. Foxtel apologises after CEO calls Game of Thrones star 'short, dumpy girl'. Foxtel apologises after Australian CEO calls actor ‘dumpy-looking girl’ at House of the Dragon premiere. Delany's comments were meant to be "self-deprecating 自嘲的 and lighthearted", the apology continued, intending to convey the idea that Game of Thrones had taken a hitherto unknown actor and thrown her into the international spotlight. hitherto [ˌhɪðərˈtu] [ˈhɪðərˌtu] 此前, 之前 until the present time. You use hitherto to indicate that something was true up until the time you are talking about, although it may no longer be the case. As a result, workers who had hitherto been reliable now neglected their work. Hitherto, the main emphasis has been on the need to resist aggression. The consumer boom had made many hitherto scarce goods more readily available. Wight's book includes hitherto unpublished material. 3. 提前: move up = move forward (push forward) (推后, 延后, 后延 put off, move back) To reschedule (something) to an earlier date or time. The meeting was moved up to Tuesday. lather [ˈlæðər] 泡沫 (lathe [leɪð] 车床 ) I. A lather is a white mass of bubbles which is produced by mixing a substance such as soap or washing powder with water. ...the sort of water that easily makes a lather 制造泡沫 with soap. He wiped off the remains of the lather with a towel. verb. I. When a substance such as soap or washing powder lathers, it produces a white mass of bubbles because it has been mixed with water. The shampoo lathers and foams so much it's very hard to rinse it all out. II. If you lather something, you rub a substance such as soap or washing powder on it until a lather is produced, in order to clean it. Lather your hair as normal. For super-soft skin, lather on a light body lotion before you bathe. be in/get into a lather worried or upset about something. to be or become very worried or nervous about something. very worried and upset about something The truth of the matter is that you have spent the past six months working yourself up into a lather over situations which are really none of your business. She was in a lather when I left because she couldn't find her ticket. It's not worth getting into a lather over. Her parents were in a lather when she came home late. 泡沫浴: During the episode, Khloe, 37, pops over to Kris' house ahead of the Kardashian momager's Masterclass taping. She's seen drawing a bath for her mom in a lavish tub, filling it high with bubbles and water. "I'll make her bath," she says. "I have to make sure there's a lot of bubbles so we don't piss anyone off." In a confessional, Kris says: "It's really nice to have a neighbor that I am in love with." Khloe has admitted that she often acquiesces (acquiesce [ˌækwiˈes] (爱亏爱死) 接受, 服从大局 to
agree to something or to accept something, although you do not want to.
If you acquiesce in something, you agree to do what someone wants or to
accept what they do even though you may not agree with it. Steve seemed to acquiesce in the decision. He has gradually acquiesced to the demands of the opposition. When her mother suggested that she stay, Alice willingly acquiesced. acquiesce in/to: Despite acquiescing in the board's decision, he had never really changed his own view.) to her mother. When they were in New York for Kim's SNL appearance, Kris Jenner wanted to show off the apartment she lived in when she was a flight attendant. She took along her boyfriend Corey Gamble and Khloe who complained that she had been on this tour every time and is always there for her mom. Khloe was most definitely the chosen one when it came to assisting Kris and being by her side this week. Kris was preparing to teach a master class and she needed to relax so she called Khloe over to start her a lavish bubble bath. When Kris entered the tub, she was donning a silk robe, flashy jewels, and holding a cocktail. She sat in the bubble bath with Khloe by her side and according to The Sun, fans could not help but cringe. Yes, the two are neighbors and extremely close but is this just a tad too close? It was actually sweet that Khloe wanted to help her mom relax prior to the master class. She also was off in the corner as her mother taught it and even offered advice. After a brief chat with Khloe, she sends the cameras out of the room, undresses and gets into the tub to get rid of her problems. Fans seemed to think there was something odd about a mom getting naked with her daughter, even though it didn't seem like the duo was out of phase. wiki: Bubbles on top of the water, less ambiguously known as a foam bath 泡沫浴, can be obtained by adding a product containing foaming surfactants ( surfactant = surface-active agent a substance, such as a detergent, that can reduce the surface tension of a liquid and thus allow it to foam or penetrate solids; a wetting agent. ) to water and temporarily aerating it by agitation (often merely by the fall of water filling the tub). The practice is popular for personal bathing because of the belief that it cleanses the skin, that the foam insulates the bath water, keeping it warm for longer, and (as a lime soap dispersant) prevents or reduces deposits on the bath tub at and below the water level (called "bathtub ring" and soap scum, respectively) produced by soap and hard water. It can hide the body of the bather, preserving modesty or, in theatre and film, giving the appearance that a performer who is actually clothed is bathing normally. Children often find bubble baths enjoyable, so they are an enticement to get them into the bathtub. Surfactant preparations for this purpose are themselves called "bath foam", "foaming bath", or "bubble bath", and frequently contain ingredients for additional purposes common to bath enhancers. Used at much higher concentration (for instance on a washcloth), such preparations (especially in liquid format) may also be used to wash skin or hair, so they are sometimes marketed for combined purposes; in a few cases, mild household detergents for hand washing of articles have also been labeled for such purposes, or for preventing soap scum on the bathtub (with or without foaming). lather VS foam VS suds VS froth: "Lather" and "suds" are reserved for mixtures of soap and water. "Suds" usually implies larger bubbles whereas "lather" has small or no bubbles. You will find "suds" in your laundry wash tub but not "lather." Your shampoo bottle instructs you to "lather, rinse, repeat," but the soapy substance on your head can be described as either "lather" or "suds." Shaving cream makes "lather," which is rarely, if ever, described as "suds." "Foam" usually implies a certain permanence to the material whereas the bubbles found in "froth" usually, but not always, dissipate fairly quickly. "Foam" also implies larger bubbles than "froth." Whipped cream can be described as "frothy," but without having noticeable air bubbles it would probably not be described as "foamy." "Frothy" can also be used to describe churning water, like you would find at the bottom of a waterfall or in a boiling pot.
obstacle VS obstruction VS barrier VS impediment VS encumbrance VS barricade: To me, in a general sense, an "obstruction" definitively blocks passage, whereas an "obstacle" can be overcome or avoided. Maybe that's why when I see''obstacle'', I always want to ''overcome it''. An obstruction is something blocking, usually completely, a passage. The obstruction needs to be removed or expelled for the passage to be unblocked. An obstacle, on the other hand, is something that is in the road but which can possibly be avoided. For example, a small pile of bricks in the middle of a road is an obstacle. You can drive around it. A barrier across the entire road is an obstruction. You have to stop and cannot move forward until the obstruction is removed. obstacle (需要逾越的, 克服的)障碍物, 阻碍 [ˈɑbstək(ə)l] I. An obstacle is an object that makes it difficult for you to go where you want to go, because it is in your way. Most competition cars will only roll over if they hit an obstacle. He left her to navigate her own way round the trolleys and other obstacles. II. You can refer to anything that makes it difficult for you to do something as an obstacle. a difficulty or problem that prevents you from achieving something. Disabled people succeed in overcoming many obstacles in everyday life. Tiredness was the biggest obstacle in the way of their attempt to rescue the climbers. obstacle to: All major obstacles to peace have now been removed. Overcrowding remains a large obstacle to improving conditions. To succeed, you must learn to overcome obstacles. 搭配: Adj chief, formidable, greatest, insuperable, insurmountable, main, major, serious. place/put obstacles in the path/way to deliberately try to stop someone from achieving something They are putting obstacles in the way of peace. 障碍物, 阻挡, 信号阻挡: There are many obstacles in homes and office buildings that interfere with your WiFi signal - the main culprits being building materials. The study revealed a signal drop of more than 83% from the best case scenario, without obstacles or interference, to the worst case scenario in a jungle terrain with thick foliage and interference, as chosen for this study. This paper discusses about the variation of signal strength due to the presence of obstacles in indoor environment. An experimental analysis of impact of various obstacles on ZigBee RF signal strength has been done. barrier [ˈberiər] I. A barrier is something such as a rule, law, or policy that makes it difficult or impossible for something to happen or be achieved. Duties and taxes are the most obvious barrier to free trade. anything that prevents progress or makes it difficult for someone to achieve something. These regulations would place barriers in the way of genetic research. barrier to sth: In an ideal world, there would be no barriers to the free movement of people between countries. Disability need not be a barrier to a successful career. High levels of debt are a major barrier to economic development. II. A barrier is a problem that prevents two people or groups from agreeing, communicating, or working with each other. something that prevents people from communicating, working together, etc. Language differences did not appear to be a barrier. cultural barriers (文化障碍, 语言障碍, 文化隔阂, 语言隔阂). break down barriers 突破障碍, 突破隔阂: We're trying to break down barriers between young people from both communities. There is no reason why love shouldn't cross the age barrier. She had been waiting for Simon to break down the barrier between them. When you get involved in sports and athletes, a lot of barriers are broken down. III. A barrier is something such as a fence or wall that is put in place to prevent people from moving easily from one area to another. a long pole, fence, wall, or natural feature, such as a mountain or sea, that stops people from going somewhere. anything used or acting to block someone from going somewhere or from doing something, or to block something from happening: The Secret Service erected concrete barriers around the White House. Jackie Robinson was the African-American who succeeded in breaking major league baseball's color barrier (= use of race to block something from happening). Barriers 围栏, 围挡 have been erected all along the route the Pope will take. The mountains acted as a natural barrier 天然屏障 to the spread of the disease. The demonstrators broke through heavy police barriers. As each woman reached the barrier one of the men glanced at her papers. a bar or gate that stops people or vehicles from entering a place. Fans broke through the barriers and rushed onto the field. IV. A barrier is an object or layer that physically prevents something from moving from one place to another. ...a severe storm, which destroyed a natural barrier 防护层 between the house and the lake. The packaging must provide an effective barrier to prevent contamination of the product. something that separates one thing from another The river is the last barrier between the rebel army and the city. V. You can refer to a particular number or amount as a barrier when you think it is significant, because it is difficult or unusual to go above it. a number, limit, or level that is considered important because it is difficult to go past. go through/break a barrier: the day the stock market broke the 10,000 barrier. The figure for inflation could go through the 5 percent barrier. They are fearful that unemployment will soon break the barrier of 突破...大关 three million. The Popular Front failed, as expected, to pass the 5 per cent barrier. break the ... barrier to be larger than the highest previous amount or the highest expected amount They're expecting profits to break the $5 million barrier. crash barrier (US = guardrail) 围挡, 围栏, 护栏 UK a gate in some railway stations through which you must go to get on a train. A crash barrier is a strong low fence built along the side of a road or between the two halves of a motorway in order to prevent accidents. Passengers are requested to show their tickets at the barrier. VI. used to describe methods of preventing pregnancy that work by physically blocking sperm from coming into contact with an egg: GPs tend to offer the basic options of pill, barrier methods or sterilization. Barrier contraception has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. non-tariff barrier = trade barrier something that keeps people or things apart: The language barrier is less frightening in print than over the telephone. barrier between sb/sth (and sb/sth) Lack of regular communication is named time and time again as the major barrier between management and employees. a number or measurement that is considered to be important or hard to reach: The average wage in Britain has broken the £20,000 barrier. The Dow Jones broke the 10,000 barrier early in the day, but closed down 41.85 points at 9923.42. The authors outlined recent trends in the political behaviour and organisation of seniors, the barriers to senior representation, and the challenges for the future. sound barrier 声速极限: If an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, it reaches a speed that is faster than the speed of sound. barricade [ˌberɪˈkeɪd] I. a temporary structure that is built across a road, gate, or door to prevent people from getting through. A barricade is a line of vehicles or other objects placed across a road or open space to stop people getting past, for example during street fighting or as a protest. Large areas of the city have been closed off by barricades set up by the demonstrators. a barricade of burning tires. II. used for talking about a situation in which people use determined methods to protest about something or achieve something they believe in. Residents were ready to go to the barricades to fight the school closure. verb. I. 堵死. 封死. to build a barricade across a road, gate, or door. If you barricade something such as a road or an entrance, you place a barricade or barrier across it, usually to stop someone getting in. The rioters barricaded streets 堵路 with piles of blazing tyres. The doors had been barricaded. II. to shut yourself inside a place and block all the entrances so that no one can get in. If you barricade yourself inside a room or building, you place barriers across the door or entrance so that other people cannot get in. The students have barricaded themselves into their dormitory building. About forty prisoners are still barricaded 被封在 inside the wrecked buildings. barricade tape yellow tape with a warning printed on it in large black letters, used to stop people from entering, for example a place where a crime has been committed. obstruct [ɒbstrʌkt] (必须清除的障碍, 而obstacle是需要逾越克服的障碍) VERB. I. If something obstructs a road or path 堵住路, 堵住出口, it blocks it, stopping people or vehicles getting past. to physically prevent someone or something from moving along or through a path, passage, door, etc. by blocking it An accident is obstructing the traffic at junction 14. Tractors and container lorries have completely obstructed the road. II. To obstruct someone or something means to make it difficult for them to move forward by blocking their path. A number of local people have been arrested for trying to obstruct lorries loaded with logs. They were fined for obstructing traffic. to block a path, passage, door, etc. so that it is difficult or impossible for someone or something to move along or through it Tenants must not obstruct access to fire equipment. Seven people were arrested for allegedly obstructing a highway. The child must have swallowed something that’s obstructing his windpipe. III. To obstruct progress or a process means to prevent it from happening properly. to take action in order to prevent someone from doing something or to prevent something from happening He disliked the project but had not actively obstructed it. The authorities are obstructing 妨碍, 阻碍, 设阻, 设置障碍 a United Nations investigation. III. If someone or something obstructs your view, they are positioned between you and the thing you are trying to look at, stopping you from seeing it properly. to prevent you from seeing something by being between you and the object that you want to see The trees in their garden obstruct our view of the ocean. Claire positioned herself so as not to obstruct David's line of sight 挡住视线. obstruct the administration of justice to try to influence the result of a court case, especially by preventing the true facts about a crime from being known. hindrance [hɪndrəns] noun. I. A hindrance is a person or thing that makes it more difficult for you to do something. The higher rates have been a hindrance to economic recovery. You would be more of a hindrance than a help 碍手碍脚帮倒忙. without [let or] hindrance 自由自在的, 一路畅通的, 畅通无阻的 without being prevented from doing what you want to do. Hindrance is the act of hindering someone or something. without obstruction or impediment. "rats scurried about the house without let or hindrance". They boarded their flight to Paris without hindrance. encumbrance [ɪnˈkʌmbrəns] An encumbrance is something or someone that encumbers you. Magdalena considered the past an irrelevant encumbrance. impediment [ɪmˈpedɪmənt] formal I. something that makes it more difficult for someone to do something or more difficult for something to happen. Something that is an impediment to a person or thing makes their movement, development, or progress difficult. He was satisfied there was no legal impediment to the marriage. impediment to: The size of the service sector is an impediment to economic growth. II. a physical or psychological problem that affects how well someone can do something a speech impediment. Someone who has a speech impediment has a disability which makes speaking difficult. John's slight speech impediment made it difficult for his mother to understand him.
overpass 天桥 (underpass 地下道) VS culvert 涵洞 VS interchange 立交桥: An overpass ( A pedestrian overpass 过街天桥 allows traffic to pass without affecting pedestrian safety. ) (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An overpass and underpass together form a grade separation. Stack interchanges are made up of several overpasses. In North American usage, a flyover is a high-level overpass, built above main overpass lanes, or a bridge built over what had been an at-grade intersection. Railway overpasses are used to replace level crossings (at-grade crossings) ( At interchanges, roads pass above or below each other, using grade separation 不同层的 and slip roads. ) as a safer alternative. Using overpasses allows for unobstructed rail traffic to flow without conflicting with vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Rapid transit systems use complete grade separation of their rights of way to avoid traffic interference with frequent and reliable service. Railroads also use balloon loops and flying junctions instead of flat junctions, as a way to reverse direction and to avoid trains conflicting with those on other tracks. culvert: 用例1: The body was found in a roadside water culvert 涵洞( [ˈkʌlvərt] a very wide pipe that carries water under a road or railroad line.) wrapped in a material before forensics and homicide officers were called to the scene and it was taken to Glebe City morgue. 用例2: The father of the family, Frederick Dominguez, came running out of the culvert ( 下水管道, 桥梁的涵洞) where they had sought shelter when family members heard the sound of the California Highway Patrol helicopter Wednesday afternoon. "Had he not been moving, we would not have seen him, because the tree line was very dense and he came climbing out of the culvert," helicopter pilot Steve Ward told CNN on Thursday. "We were just very lucky." While the family huddled in the culvert, Lexi led them in impromptu singalongs 跟着唱. 用例3: When officers caught up with him a short time later at Balgownie they discovered his car had hit a guard rail at the Dawson Street intersection and come to rest on a culvert 涵洞 ( a very wide pipe that carries water under a road or railway line. A culvert is a structure that allows water to flow under a road, railroad, trail, or similar obstruction from one side to the other side. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. ) with a 1.5 metre drop. Ilic later recorded a breath analysis of 0.151. 3. A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange 立交桥, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges eliminate the problems of weaving, have the highest vehicle capacity, and vehicles travel shorter distances when compared to different types of interchanges. The four-level stack (or simply four-stack) has one major freeway crossing another freeway with a viaduct, with connector flyover ramps crossing on two further levels. This type of interchange does not usually permit U-turns. The four-level stack creates two "inverse" dual-carriageways—the turn ramps crossing the middle section have traffic driving on the opposite side of oncoming traffic to usual.
TBBT: 1. Raj: Oh, Emily ran back to the hospital, so I'm just hanging out at her place. What are you, uh, what are you doing? Howard: Just playing video games while Bernie does the taxes. Raj: What are you, a little kid? Is she gonna cut your dinner into little pieces, too? Howard: She doesn't have to, I filled up on 吃饱, 塞饱 ( I. become completely full. "the dining car filled up". If food fills you up, it makes you feel as if you have eaten enough: That sandwich really filled me up 撑死了, 塞饱. II. cause a space or container to become full. to become full, or to make something become full: Her eyes filled up with tears. Shall I fill the car up 加油. The seats in the hall were filling up fast. He filled up the tank with petrol. "he quickly filled up the bowl with water". III. satisfy the hunger of someone. "choices like soups, yogurts, and pumpkin seeds can provide protein and fill you up". fill (yourself) up on/with informal to eat so much food that you cannot eat any more Don't fill yourself up with cookies. He filled up on pecan pie. fill somebody up informal food that fills you up makes you feel as though you have eaten a lot when you have only eaten a small amount. ) jelly beans.
女王病情: In 2008, also during the Queen's annual Balmoral jaunt ( jaunt A jaunt is a short journey which you go on for pleasure or excitement. ), the Evening Standard set off quite the hullabaloo ( [ˌhʌləbəˈlu] I. a lot of excitement, talk, and writing about an event. II. a lot of noise made by angry or excited people. A hullabaloo is a lot of noise or fuss made by people who are angry or excited about something. 喧嚣, 纷扰 I was scared by the hullabaloo over my arrival. ) when ran a story entitled "Prince Philip Defies Cancer Scare." At the time, a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace would only say "We do not comment on private health matters," a taciturn refusal to engage that hardly tamped down speculation ( tamp down I. to reduce the amount, level, size, or importance of something: As the price of gasoline rose above $3 a gallon, consumers cut their spending elsewhere, tamping down profits in retail, travel and other industries. The party retained power by boosting the economy and tamping down corruption. II. to put a check on. reduce, lessen. tamp down rumors. To suppress (something, usually an emotion or thought). To suppress or demoralize someone. My ex-husband was always trying to tamp me down so that I would think I didn't deserve anything better in life. There will always be bullies who tamp you down for being different. III. 压平 to drive in or down by a succession of light or medium blows. To compact a substance (usually soil) until it is flat. tamp wet concrete. to pat or pack something down. Tamp the soil down over the seeds after you plant them. Please tamp down the soil firmly.). Immediately, the story was picked up by news outlets both in the UK and internationally. All signs pointed to a minor crisis brewing, at which point the Palace changed tack 改变策略, 改变应对策略 and put out a highly unusual statement the very same day, denying the "damaging story" and arguing that "Members of the Royal Family have a right to privacy, particularly in relation to their personal health" which was why they had "always refused to confirm or deny the persistent rumours." Which is, of course, entirely understandable. HRHs are human and deserve the dignity and space to privately deal with whatever ails them, just like the rest of us. The problem is, you and I are not the Head of State with a church and military of our very own, to boot. While the planning for the Queen's passing and funeral, Operation London Bridge, has been meticulously set out and plotted down to the minute for years now, what seems to have gotten forgotten in all that preparatory fluster is how to manage the prospect of a 97-year-old sovereign in obviously declining health. The issue lies in the dual identity the nonagenarian ( nonagenarian [ˌnɑnədʒəˈneriən] [ˌnoʊnədʒəˈneriən] 90高龄的人 someone who is between 90 and 99 years old. ) occupies. Elizabeth Windsor, horse-lover, great-grandmother and Marmite fan should be able to face the vicissitudes ( vicissitudes [vɪˈsɪsɪˌtudz] 变化和艰难 changes and unexpected difficulties. You use vicissitudes to refer to changes, especially unpleasant ones, that happen to someone or something at different times in their life or development. Whatever the vicissitudes of her past life, Jill now seems to have come through. vicissitudes of: the vicissitudes of being a parent. ) of age with as much poise as possible. If the Palace continues to remain rigidly tight-lipped, this way only danger lies ( If there is a danger that something unpleasant will happen, it is possible that it will happen. There is a real danger that some people will no longer be able to afford insurance. There was no danger that any of these groups would be elected to power. If there is a danger of famine, we should help. a situation in which something unpleasant might happen. danger of: We must act now to avoid the danger of another rise in interest rates. danger (that): There is a danger that the money will simply be wasted. a real/great/serious danger: There is a very real danger that people will lose interest. in danger of (doing) something: The peace talks are now in danger of collapse. there's no danger of that (=it is very unlikely): "What if he comes back early from lunch?" "There’s no danger of that." ). Rumour, conjecture and downright Trumpian levels of misinformation will only thrive 四起, 丛生 if the public is kept entirely in the dark too. In recent years, and in recent months especially, we have seen the monarchy wheel out future Kings William V and George VII with increasing regularity, the purpose being to drive home a message of continuity and to amp up public faith in the stability of the monarchy. Smart move. However, that canny approach is going to be undermined by the whispers and insinuation that will only swirl with greater velocity and force if the situation is allowed to remain unchecked. It is this nearly impossible tight rope that the Palace now has to walk. However, the "mobility problems" line 说法, 说辞, 措辞 is one that has worn increasingly thin 缺乏说服力, 唬不住人, 糊弄不了人( wear thin I. be gradually used up or become less convincing or acceptable. If your patience or temper is wearing thin, you are becoming annoyed and are likely to get angry soon. He was sympathetic at first but his patience soon wore thin. "his patience was wearing thin". II. If your patience wears thin, you become less and less patient: I've warned you several times about being late and my patience is wearing thin. III. If something such as a joke wears thin 磨出茧子了, it becomes boring or annoying or stops being funny or effective, because it has been seen, heard, or used too much: Tony, the joke is beginning to wear thin now - it's time to stop. Her standard excuse for being late was beginning to wear thin. ) and insiders have started to hear whispers of much more serious issues.
