用法学习: 1. devoid of 完全没有 not having (something usual or expected). completely without (something). If you say that someone or something is devoid of a quality or thing, you are emphasizing that they have none of it. I have never looked on a face that was so devoid of feeling. The skies are virtually devoid of birdlife. He is devoid of (any) ambition. The landscape seems to be completely devoid of life. Almost five years ago, I ventured into the adult industry as a male escort with an equal mix of unwavering determination and blind faith, but completely devoid of any preconceived notions about the clients I would encounter or the nature of the job itself. a leap of faith (blind faith) an act of believing something that is not easily believed. an act of believing in or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proved or known. "anyone investing in new media today has to make a leap of faith". It took a big leap of faith to decide to quit my job and try something new. smell fishy Be suspect or suspicious. If a situation or an explanation smells fishy, it causes you to think that someone is being dishonest. His explanation definitely smells fishy; my guess is that he's lying. This idiom alludes to the fact that fresh fish have no odor but stale or rotten ones do. fishy I. A fishy taste or smell reminds you of fish. II. If you describe a situation as fishy, you feel that someone is not telling the truth or behaving completely honestly. seeming dishonest or false. Suspicious; inspiring doubt. I don't trust him; his claims seem fishy to me. There's something fishy going on here. There seems to be something fishy going on. III. (LGBT slang) Of a drag queen: appearing very feminine and resembling a cisgender woman. 2. top I. The top of something is its highest point or part. I waited at the top of the stairs. ...the picture at the top of the page. Bake the biscuits for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. The bullet had entered the top part of the brain. ...the top corner of his newspaper. II. The top thing or layer in a series of things or layers is the highest one. I can't reach the top shelf. Our new flat was on the top floor. A plastic surgeon can remove the top layer of skin. III. The top of something such as a bottle, jar, or tube is a cap, lid, or other device that fits or screws onto one end of it. ...the plastic tops from aerosol containers. ...a bottle top. IV. The top of a street, garden, bed, or table is the end of it that is farthest away from where you usually enter it or from where you are. ...a little shop at the top of the street. He moved to the empty chair at the top of the table. ...the hill near the top end of the garden. ...the top corridor of the main building. V. A top is a piece of clothing that you wear on the upper half of your body, for example a blouse or shirt. Look at my new top 上衣. VI. You can use top to indicate that something or someone is at the highest level of a scale or measurement. The vehicles have a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour. ...a top-ranking Saudi officer. VII. You can use top to say that you think something is excellent. For $50, the guests got three courses of top nosh (top-notch)( nosh [nɒʃ] I. [British, informal] Food can be referred to as nosh. Fancy some nosh? II. [US, informal] A nosh is a snack or light meal. verb. [informal] If you nosh, you eat. She sprinkled pepper on my grub, watching me nosh. ...a big-bellied bird noshing some heather.). VIII. The top of an organization or career structure is the highest level in it. We started from the bottom and we had to work our way up to the top. ...his dramatic rise to the top of the military hierarchy. ...the man at the top. I need to have the top people in this company pull together. IX. You can use top to describe the most important or famous people or things in a particular area of work or activity. So you want to be a top model. The President met this afternoon with his top military advisers. Those are some of the top stories in the news. X. If someone is at the top of a table or league or is the top of the table or league, their performance is better than that of all the other people involved. The United States will be at the top of the medal table 奖牌榜首. Labour was top of the poll with forty-six percent. He was the top student in physics. I usually came top in English. XI. You can use top to indicate that something is the first thing you are going to do, because you consider it to be the most important. Cleaning up the water supply is their top priority. On arrival, a six-course meal was top of the agenda. XII. You can use top to indicate that someone does a particular thing more times than anyone else or that something is chosen more times than anything else. He was Italy's top scorer during the World Cup matches. As a political hero, the former Prime Minister was the top choice with 32 votes. XIII. To top a list means to be mentioned or chosen more times than anyone or anything else. Tourists from Southern Europe topped the list of visitors, representing 47 per cent of arrivals. So what happens if the Socialists top the poll but fall short of an absolute majority? XIV. If something tops a particular amount, it is larger than that amount. Imports topped 超过 £10 billion last month. Vehicle sales in June topped last year's total by 22%. XV. If something is topped with something, it has that thing as its highest part. The holiest of their chapels are topped with gilded roofs. To serve, top the fish with the cooked leeks. ...the glass-topped table. XVI. If you top a story, remark, or action 比得过, 比...更好, 胜过, you follow it with a better or more impressive one. How are you going to top that? XVII. You can use tops after mentioning a quantity, to say that it is the maximum possible. at the most; maximum: They shouldn't charge you more than £50 tops. Interest on the account is low - you can hope for 2% tops. The publisher expected the book to sell 1,500 copies, tops. Be here in half an hour, tops. He reckons a hundred is tops. at the top of one's voice If you say something at the top of your voice, you say it very loudly. 'Stephen!' shouted Marcia at the top of her voice. be tops = be the tops If you say that something is tops or is the tops, you mean that it is better or more successful than anything else. most excellent: She is tops in her field. Birmingham comes out tops for quality of life in a new survey. These pumpkins are tops for taste and texture. Students beat 39 other countries to come out tops in maths, science and reading. I thought it was the tops so I bought it. to blow your top If someone blows their top, they become very angry about something. He blew his top after airport officials refused to let him on a plane. come out on top If a person, organization, or country comes out on top, they are more successful than the others that they have been competing with. The only way to come out on top is to adopt a different approach. top dollar If you pay top dollar for something, you pay a lot of money for it. People will pay top dollar for anything, as long as they think it's a rare treat. the top of the tree If you say that someone is at the top of the tree, you mean that they have reached the highest level in their career or profession. He sees himself going right to the top of the tree. top and tail 掐头去尾 If you top and tail fruit or vegetables such as French beans, you cut off the tops and the bottoms of them when you are preparing them to be eaten. on top of the world If you say that you feel on top of the world, you are emphasizing that you feel extremely happy and healthy. Two months before she gave birth to Jason she left work feeling on top of the world. be on top of/get on top of If you are on top of or get on top of something that you are doing, you are dealing with it successfully. ...the government's inability to get on top of the situation. top off If you top off an event or period with a particular thing, you end it in an especially satisfactory, dramatic, or annoying way by doing that thing. He topped off his career with a gold medal. The evening was topped off by a special showing of the museum's new Degas exhibit. To top it all off one of the catering staff managed to slice their finger cutting cheese. top up If you top something up, you make it full again when part of it has been used. We topped up the water tanks. He topped her glass up after complaining she was a slow drinker. top-up I. A top-up 续杯(refill) is another serving of a drink in the same glass that you have just used. Anyone ready for a top-up? II. A top-up loan or payment is added to an amount of money in order to bring it up to a required level. Student grants will be frozen at existing levels and top-up loans made available. 3. maze [meɪz] I. A maze is a complex system of passages or paths between walls or hedges and is designed to confuse people who try to find their way through it, often as a form of amusement. The palace has extensive gardens, a maze, and tennis courts. II. A maze of streets, rooms, or tunnels is a large number of them that are connected in a complicated way, so that it is difficult to find your way through them. The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. ...a maze of dimly-lighted, brown-carpeted corridors. II. You can refer to a set of ideas, topics, or rules as a maze when a large number of them are related to each other in a complicated way that makes them difficult to understand. The book tries to steer you through the maze of alternative therapies. ...the maze of rules and regulations. labyrinth [læbɪrɪnθ] I. If you describe a place as a labyrinth, you mean that it is made up of a complicated series of paths or passages, through which it is difficult to find your way. ...the labyrinth of corridors. II. If you describe a situation, process, or area of knowledge as a labyrinth, you mean that it is very complicated. ...a labyrinth of conflicting political and sociological interpretations. maze VS labyrinth A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching 不分叉的 ("unicursal")( unicursal [ˌjuːnɪˈkəːs(ə)l] (bicursal) adj. relating to or denoting a curve or surface which is closed and can be drawn or swept out in a single movement. having coordinates expressible rationally through a single parameter. ) patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal. The term "labyrinth" is generally synonymous with "maze", but can also connote specifically a unicursal pattern. The pathways 路径 and walls in a maze are typically fixed 固定不变的, but puzzles in which the walls and paths can change during the game are also categorised as mazes or tour puzzles. In English, the term labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze. As a result of the long history of unicursal representation of the mythological Labyrinth, however, many contemporary scholars and enthusiasts observe a distinction between the two. In this specialized usage maze refers to a complex branching multicursal puzzle with choices of path and direction, while a unicursal labyrinth has only a single path to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and presents no navigational challenge. 4. to hold something in check = keep sth in check If something or someone is held in check or is kept in check, they are controlled and prevented from becoming too great or powerful. to limit something: We need to find ways of keeping our expenditure in check. There were no longer enough predators to keep the harmful microbes in check. Thankfully, the firebreaks held the flames in check. Foods that release carbs slowly help to keep hunger in check. She has learned to keep her temper in check 控制脾气. Unemployment was still held in check but the economy was stagnating. He's found someone with a bit of fight to keep him in check. It's important to keep your expectations in check when it comes to finding a boyfriend. A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon. Firebreaks may also be man-made, and many of these also serve as roads, such as a logging road, four-wheel drive trail, secondary road, or a highway. not by a long shot/chalk 差得远了, 远远不是, 太不是了 informal not by any means; not at all. absolutely not. At all; in any way. Often used in the negative. Oh, we aren't finished cleaning, not by a long shot—we still have the entire downstairs to tackle. "she had not told Rory everything, not by a long shot". Is this your mum's first time? Not by a long shot. Parentification ( You might recognise the once-parentified child in the over-responsible coworker, the always-available friend. In our conversations, I asked what brought them to be clinicians. The consistency of their answers 完全一致的, 一致性, 众口一词的说法 surprised me. Virtually all said that being there for others, emotionally, came naturally; they were good at it because they were practised 熟练的 in tending others' needs since childhood, starting with their own parents. With deeper conversations, I learned of the difficult family circumstances they each came from. ) occurs when parents look to their children for emotional and/or practical support, rather than providing it. Hence, the child becomes the caregiver. As a result, parentified children are forced to assume adult responsibilities and behaviors before they are ready to do so. Parentification or parent–child role reversal is the process of role reversal whereby a child or adolescent is obliged to act as a parent to their own parent or sibling. Two distinct types of parentification have been identified technically: instrumental parentification and emotional parentification. For instance, instrumental parentification involves the child completing physical tasks for the family, such as looking after a sick relative, paying bills, or providing assistance to younger siblings that would normally be provided by a parent. On the other hand, emotional parentification occurs when a child or adolescent must take on the role of a confidante or mediator [ˈmiːdɪeɪtə] ( meditate [ˈmɛdɪteɪt] ) for (or between) parents or family members. 5. practised I. very good at doing something because you have a lot of experience of doing it. Someone who is practised at doing something is good at it because they have had experience and have developed their skill at it. Once you are practised at this sort of relaxation you will feel quite refreshed afterwards. ...a practised and experienced surgeon. She is a confident and practised speaker who always impresses her audience. He is practised 熟练的, 有实际经验的, 有实操经验的 in the art of public debate. We need someone who is practised at negotiating business deals. He was well practised in the art of deception. II. formal A practised 熟能生巧的技能 skill has been obtained from a lot of practice: She performed the song with practised skill. smack verb. I. 掌掴. 扇巴掌, 搧巴掌 to hit someone or something forcefully with the flat inside part of your hand, producing a short, loud noise, especially as a way of punishing a child: I never smack my children. I'll smack your bottom if you don't behave yourself. II. to hit something hard against something else. to hit someone or something forcefully, usually making a loud noise: I was afraid she was going to smack me. The car spun around and smacked into a tree. She smacked the ball over the fence. He smacked his hand down on the table to get our attention. I smacked my head on the corner of the shelf. She smacked her books down on the table and stormed out of the room. He smacked his hands down on his knees. The midfielder smacked the ball against a post. III. If one thing smacks of another thing that you consider bad, it reminds you of it or is like it. The engineers' union was unhappy with the motion, saying it smacked of racism. noun. I. a hit from someone's flat hand as a punishment: Sometimes he just doesn't listen and I end up shouting at him or giving him a smack. You're going to get a smack on the bottom if you don't stop throwing your toys. II. a hit given with the fist (= closed hand): I gave him a smack on the jaw. III. a short, loud noise: She slammed her briefcase down on the desk with a smack. IV. a loud kiss: a big smack on the lips. V. heroin (= a strong illegal drug): How long has she been on smack? adv. I. (UK also smack bang); (US also smack dab) exactly in a place or a situation: She lives smack in the middle of Shanghai. US The kids are smack dab 恰好地, 不偏不倚, 正好的 in the middle of the fight between their parents. II. directly and forcefully, producing a short, loud noise: I wasn't looking where I was going and walked smack into a lamppost. smack your lips 大嚼( Munch 大肆咀嚼 is another way to say chew. Smack refers to a person's lips/mouth smacking together while chewing, and is generally more noisy and unpleasant because they are chewing with their mouth open. "All I want to do is sit around and munch on buttered toast". "dried fruit is my favourite snack food". "I sometimes snack between meals, which is a bad habit". Snack on food: To eat food between meals. It's usually something small.) to close and open your mouth loudly to express a strong wish to eat something you like a lot: "I love chocolate cake," said Susannah, smacking her lips. Smacking 大吃大嚼, 大肆咀嚼, 吧嗒嘴, the noise you make while eating, is a controversial part of the human dining experience. Some cuisine cultures encourage people to make noise when they eat. It is considered a compliment to the chef, when the diner slurps his soup for example. But other cuisine cultures think it is the absolute rudest act you can commit at a dinner table. It's ruder than putting your elbows on the table – that's right, it's bad. It's not just rude though, it's aggravating to some people, to the point that it might just start a fight. You might think this is an overreaction, but recent research has finally shed light on why it is so aggravating (and justified why you need to stop smacking at the table). smack of something If something smacks of an unpleasant quality, it seems to have that quality: The whole situation smacks of mismanagement and incompetence. smack talk critical or insulting comments made to someone, especially an opponent (= a person who someone is competing against). smackdown I. an occasion when two people, companies, etc. compete with each other in order to win or achieve something Early episodes suggest that his actions will lead to the mother of all smackdowns, with no clear winner. The situation became a full-blown smackdown betwen three federal agencies - Homeland Security, State Department, and the Department of Defense. A smartphone smack-down is brewing. II. a big and definite defeat. have you not learned by now that smugness will get you nothing so quick as a karmic smackdown? Does the fact that Connor received a smack-down mean he will back off? III. an occasion when someone refuses to accept something in a very definite way: The Republicans' across-the-board smackdown of the motion indicated the party's unity, he said. Human rights and civil liberties groups see this decision as a long overdue presidential smack-down that recognizes the basic right of everybody in the United States to due process. smash verb I. If you smash something or if it smashes, it breaks into many pieces, for example when it is hit or dropped. Someone smashed a bottle. A crowd of youths started smashing windows. Two or three glasses fell off and smashed into pieces. II. If you smash through a wall, gate, or door, you get through it by hitting and breaking it. The demonstrators used trucks to smash through the embassy gates. Soldiers smashed their way into his office. III. If something smashes or is smashed against something solid, it moves very fast and with great force against it. The bottle smashed against a wall. He smashed his fist into Anthony's face. IV. To smash a political group or system means to deliberately destroy it. Their attempts to clean up politics and smash the power of party machines failed. V. If you smash something, you do it extremely well or successfully. We're really going to smash this task. I didn't know she could sing like that. She smashed it. noun. I. A smash is the same as a smash hit. It is the public who decide if a film is a smash or a flop. II. You can refer to a car crash as a smash. He was near to death after a car smash. smashed [smæʃt] I. Someone who is smashed is extremely drunk. II. Smashed food is crushed until it is soft and smooth. We had the smashed avocado and poached eggs. smashing I. [British, informal, old-fashioned] If you describe something or someone as smashing, you mean that you like them very much. It was smashing. I really enjoyed it. She's a smashing girl. II. A smashing success or victory is one that is impressive and definite. We gave a party and everybody came and I think it was a smashing success. Johnson's smashing victory in 1964 changed the political horizon substantially. smash up I. If you smash something up, you completely destroy it by hitting it and breaking it into many pieces. She took revenge on her ex-boyfriend by smashing up his home. You could smash the drawer up with a hammer. Office material worth hundreds of thousands of pounds was smashed up. II. If you smash up your car, you damage it by crashing it into something. All you told me was that he'd smashed up yet another car. smash down If you smash down a door, building, or other large heavy object, you hit it hard and break it until it falls on the ground. The crowd tried to smash down the door of the police station. 6. dope noun. I. (scoop)
Dope is information which you have been given illegally or secretly.
Information, usually from an inside source, originally in horse racing
and other sports. What's the latest dope on the stock market? The government had plenty of dope on him. II. [informal, disapproval] If someone calls a person a dope, they think that the person is stupid. I'm more comfortable with them. I don't feel I'm such a dope. III. Dope is a drug, usually an illegal drug such as marijuana or cocaine. A man asked them if they wanted to buy some dope. He has failed a dope test for cocaine. You get dope dealers on every corner. verb. If someone dopes a person or animal or dopes 下药 their food, they put drugs into their food or force them to take drugs. Anyone
could have got in and doped the wine. I'd been doped with Somnolin.
They've got him doped to the eyeballs. ...recent cases of horse doping. II. (intransitive, now chiefly sports) 兴奋剂. To use drugs; especially, to use prohibited performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sporting competitions. adj. (slang) Amazing; cool. That party was dope! dopey [doʊpi] I. 困得不行的, 睡眼惺忪的. Someone who is dopey is sleepy, as though they have been drugged. wanting to sleep, because or as if you have taken a drug: He had taken a sleeping tablet the night before and still felt dopey. The medicine always made him feel dopey and unable to concentrate. II. [informal, disapproval] 愚蠢的. If you describe someone as dopey, you mean that they are rather stupid. dupe [djuːp] Verb. If a person dupes you, they trick you into doing something or into believing something which is not true. to deceive someone, usually by making that person do something that they did not intend to do: The girls were duped by drug smugglers into carrying heroin for them. ...a plot to dupe stamp collectors into buying fake rarities. We know some sex offenders dupe the psychologists who assess them. noun. I. 被骗了的人. A dupe is someone who is tricked by someone else. someone who has been tricked: an innocent dupe. He becomes an innocent dupe in a political scandal. But Justice Lasry said Cassidy was also a murderer and would have faced trial if he survived the incident. "I accept he was a willing participant, not a mere dupe 上当受骗的人," Justice Lasry said. While in prison, the judge said Edmunds had been targeted by other prisoners and was suffering from physical ailments and mental illness. II. a short form of duplicate that is used to refer to a product made to look like a more expensive or high-quality product: The fashion blogger shares her favourite designer dupes 仿品, 复制品. I found a Gucci dupe belt online. sharp I. A sharp 锋利的, 锐利的 point or edge is very thin and can cut through things very easily. A sharp knife, tool, or other object has a point or edge of this kind. The other end of the twig is sharpened into a sharp point to use as a toothpick. Using a sharp knife, cut away the pith and peel from both fruits. The ground was strewn with sharp-edged pebbles. II. You can describe a shape or an object as sharp if part of it or one end of it comes to a point or forms an angle. His nose was thin and sharp 尖尖的. ...black sharp-toed cowboy boots. III. A sharp 急转弯的, 拐弯 bend or turn is one that changes direction suddenly. I was approaching a fairly sharp bend that swept downhill to the left. Do not cross the bridge but turn sharp left to go down on to the towpath. Room number nine was at the far end of the corridor where it turned sharply to the right. IV. If you describe someone as sharp, you are praising them because they are quick to notice, hear, understand, or react to things 反应快的. He is very sharp, a quick thinker and swift with repartee. Gates is known to be a superb analyst with a sharp 眼神锋利, 犀利的眼神 eye and an excellent memory. I liked their enthusiasm and sharpness of mind 大脑快. V. If someone says something in a sharp way, they say it suddenly and rather firmly or angrily, for example because they are warning or criticizing you. 'Don't contradict your mother,' was Charles's sharp reprimand. That ruling had drawn sharp criticism 锐利的批评, 犀利的批评 from civil rights groups. 'You've known,' she said sharply, 'and you didn't tell me?' Environmentalists were sharply critical of the policy for its failure to encourage conservation. 'Let them find their own way out,' said his father with unaccustomed sharpness. VI. A sharp change, 突然的变化 movement, or feeling occurs suddenly, and is great in amount, force, or degree. There's been a sharp rise in the rate of inflation. Tennis requires a lot of short sharp movements 快速移动换位. He felt a sharp pain in the abductor muscle in his right thigh. Unemployment among the over-forties has risen sharply in recent years. I turned my body sharply 突然转身 in the chair. The latest survey shows buying plans for homes are sharply lower than in June. VII. A sharp difference, image, or sound is very easy to see, hear, or distinguish. Many people make a sharp distinction between humans and other animals. Her reticence was in sharp contrast to the glamour and star status of her predecessors. All the footmarks are quite sharp and clear. We heard a voice sing out in a clear, sharp tone. Opinions on this are sharply divided. The woman's figure is sharply brought out by the intense Provençal light. She was sharply aware of the separation between herself and her family. The telescope will show us our Universe as we've never seen it before, with wonderful sharpness and clarity. VIII. A sharp taste or smell is rather strong or bitter, but is often also clear and fresh. ...a colourless, almost odourless liquid with a sharp, sweetish taste. In the hot sun the rain-washed herbs smelled sharp and spicy and sweet all at once. The pesto vinaigrette added a stimulating sharpness. IX. A sharp wind, or sharp cold 刺骨寒冷的, is so strong or intense that it almost hurts you when you are exposed to it. The wind was not as sharp and cruel as it had been. X. Sharp clothes are neat, elegant, and fashionable. Now politics is all about the right haircut and a sharp suit. A sharp dresser, Wyatt is never seen in casual clothes. You look sharp and handsome. I'll do you. XI. Sharp is used after stating a particular time to show that something happens at exactly the time stated. She planned to unlock the store at 8.00 sharp this morning. XII. Sharp is used after a letter representing a musical note to show that the note should be played or sung half a tone higher. Sharp is often represented by the symbol ♯. higher than the correct or stated musical note: The E string on my guitar is a bit sharp. This concerto is in the key of C sharp (= the set of musical notes a semitone higher than the one based on the note C). to sing sharp. A solitary viola plucks a lonely, soft F sharp. have a sharp tongue = be sharp-tongued 尖酸刻薄的 to be someone who often criticizes and speaks in a severe way: Jane has a sharp tongue, so be warned. short, sharp shock A short, sharp shock is a punishment that is fairly harsh and severe but only lasts for a short time. razor-sharp I. A cutting tool that is razor-sharp is extremely sharp. ...a razor sharp butcher's knife. ...razor-sharp teeth. II. If you describe someone or someone's mind as razor-sharp, you mean that they have a very accurate and clear understanding of things. ...his razor-sharp intelligence. at the sharp end If you say that someone is at the sharp end of a particular activity or type of work, you mean that they are involved in the most difficult or dangerous aspects of it. He is a real estate broker at the sharp end of a tough and exacting business. Working at the sharp end, many of us have noted an increase in the number of patients. 7. right this way 这边走, 这边来: a polite thing to say when you are leading someone somewhere Your table is ready. Right this way. Your waiter will be here soon. walk (right) this way 这边走 Walk in this direction; follow this particular path. Walk this way, ma'am. Yes, over here, away from the ladder. Walk right this way to reach the stage. that way/this way I. You can use that way and this way to refer to a statement or comment that you have just made. Some of us have habits few people know about and we keep it this way. We have a beautiful city and we pray it stays that way. I've never found it hard to make friends so I suppose I was lucky that way. II. You can use that way or this way to refer to an action or situation that you have just mentioned, when you go on to mention the likely consequence or effect of it. Keep the soil moist. That way 这样的话, 那样的话, the seedling will flourish. I am left holding the baby; but at least this way I know that she's being well looked after. as it happens/it just so happens 巧了不是, 凑巧了, 碰巧 used to describe something that occurs by chance. used to tell someone something that is surprising, interesting, or useful As it happens, I know someone who might be able to help. It (just) so happens that I know her son. stranger things have happened 更奇怪的事都有呢, 那算不了什么. 那有什么奇怪的 used to say that although a suggested event or idea seems very strange or surprising, it is possible: "You don't think Katie and Darryl are falling in love, do you?" "Well, stranger things have happened." 8. ride on someone's coattails = hang on someone's coattails to have one's success dependent on that of someone else. To benefit from someone else's success; to use someone else's success as a means to achieve one's own. When you're on the coattails of someone else, you're enjoying success because of the association. Often, the success is not earned. An old-fashioned type of jacket has coattails that extend to the ground. If someone sat on your coattails, you could drag them around, giving them a ride. That's why this expression refers to situations where one person gets a free ride from another. If a father gives his son a job, the son might be accused of riding his dad's coattails. This suggests the son doesn't deserve the job: he only has it because of the family connection. Everyone knows you've been riding on the governor's coattails for the last two years, but once her term ends you'll be on your own. Jonathan rode on the famous professor's coattails to get some recognition for his own work from several esteemed academic journals. wet hanky means useless, flop. I do not believe that the stars came flying off from the sun like drops of water when you spin your wet hanky. hanky-panky behaviour, in particular sexual or legally dubious behaviour, considered improper but not seriously so. unacceptable or dishonest behaviour, especially involving sexual activity or money: There was a bit of hanky-panky going on at the Christmas party. "suspicions of financial hanky-panky". a. Hanky-panky is used to refer to sexual activity between two people, especially when this is regarded as improper or not serious. Does this mean no hanky-panky after lights out? b. If you describe behaviour as hanky-panky, you disapprove of it because it is dishonest or breaks rules. ...economic hanky-panky. expressive I. If you describe a person or their behaviour as expressive, you mean that their behaviour clearly indicates their feelings or intentions. You can train people to be more expressive. ...her small, usually expressive 表情丰富的, 全都写在脸上的 face. ...the present fashion for intuitive, expressive painting. He moved his hands expressively. Crying is part of our natural expressiveness. II. If something is expressive of particular ideas or qualities, it has features which indicate or demonstrate them. Perhaps all his poems were really love poems, expressive of love for someone. Its history is expressive of the character and development of the people who possess it. showing what someone thinks or feels: an expressive face. expressive hands. be expressive of something formal showing a particular feeling or characteristic. conveying (a specified quality or idea). "the spires are expressive of religious aspiration". The final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is expressive of joy. shot caller 说话算数的人 I. (slang) Someone in charge, especially the leader of a street gang. II. (US, prison slang) A prison inmate who holds informal authority over other inmates and who masterminds criminal activity. meet the moment 符合当下的要求和情况 do what is needed given the present circumstances; rise to the occasion. "when the pandemic hit their state, New Yorkers met the moment". As we approached this project, we recognized that the design needed to be a nod to the original location, with aspects incorporated throughout the property, but we needed to create something entirely new and unexpected to meet the moment. the bane of my existence 痛苦之源 To say that something or someone is "the bane of my existence" means that the person or thing is a constant irritant or source of misery. Something that is so disagreeable with your spirit that it feels like its existence might negate yours. This goes further than "hate," and implies that you and the object in question are sworn enemies. Can be used seriously or, more likely, exaggerated for comedic effect. Wearing socks with sandals is the bane of my existence. The iPhone's autocorrect is the bane of my existence. A pheromone [ferəmoʊn] hormone (hɔːrmoʊn 信息素, 外激素 is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavior of the receiving individuals. There are alarm pheromones, food trail pheromones, sex pheromones, and many others that affect behavior or physiology. Pheromones are used by many organisms, from basic unicellular prokaryotes to complex multicellular eukaryotes. Their use among insects has been particularly well documented. In addition, some vertebrates, plants and ciliates communicate by using pheromones. The ecological functions and evolution of pheromones are a major topic of research in the field of chemical ecology. Some animals and insects produce chemicals called pheromones which affect the behaviour of other animals and insects of the same type, for example by attracting them sexually. 9. secret, the general term, implies a concealing or keeping from the knowledge of others, for whatever reason [my secret opinion of him]; covert implies a concealing as by disguising or veiling [a covert threat]; clandestine 偷偷摸摸的 suggests that what is being kept secret is of an illicit, immoral, or proscribed nature [their clandestine meetings in the park]; stealthy [stelθi] 避人耳目的 implies a slow, quiet secrecy of action in an attempt to elude notice and often connotes deceit [the stealthy advance of the panther]; sly I. A sly look 讳莫如深的, expression, or remark shows that you know something that other people do not know or that was meant to be a secret. His lips were spread in a sly 有深意的 smile. He gave me a sly, meaningful look. Anna grinned slyly. II. If you describe someone as sly, you disapprove of them because they keep their feelings or intentions hidden and are clever at deceiving people. She is devious and sly and manipulative. He's a sly old beggar if ever there was one. on the sly To do something on the sly means to do it secretly, often because it is wrong or bad. Was she meeting some guy on the sly? devious [diːviəs] I. [disapproval] 不正大光明的, 不光彩的. 不正当的. 非正途的. If you describe someone as devious you do not like them because you think they are dishonest and like to keep things secret, often in a complicated way. Newman was devious, prepared to say one thing in print and another in private. By devious means she tracked down the other woman. ...the deviousness of drug traffickers. II. A devious route or path 曲里拐弯的, 七绕八绕的 to a place involves many changes in direction, rather than being as straight and direct as possible. He followed a devious route. furtive [fɜːrtɪv] adds to this connotations of slyness or watchfulness and suggests a reprehensible objective. If you describe someone's behaviour as furtive, you disapprove of them behaving as if they want to keep something secret or hidden. He walked towards the summerhouse, at first furtively, then with more confidence. With a furtive glance over her shoulder, she unlocked the door and entered the house. the furtive movement of his hand toward my pocket; surreptitious [sʌrəptɪʃəs] connotes a feeling of guilt in the one who is acting in a furtive or stealthy manner [she stole a surreptitious glance at him]; underhanded implies a stealthiness characterized by fraudulence or deceit [underhanded business dealings]. game verb. To exploit loopholes in a system or bureaucracy in a way which defeats or nullifies the spirit of the rules in effect, usually to obtain a result which otherwise would be unobtainable. To use the rules and procedures meant to protect a system in order to instead manipulate the system for a desired outcome. We'll bury them in paperwork, and game the system. adj. Willing and able to participate. She's a game woman. noun. I. Wild animals hunted for food. The forest has plenty of game. II. (uncountable, informal, used mostly for men) The ability to seduce someone, usually by strategy. He didn't get anywhere with her because he had no game. alias [ˈeɪ.li.əs] used when giving the name that a person is generally known by, after giving their real name: Malcolm Little, alias Malcolm X. a false name, especially one used by a criminal. You use alias when you are mentioning another name that someone, especially a criminal or an actor, is known by. ...the defendant Pericles Pericleous, alias Peter Smith. He travels under (= using) an alias. hard-faced 面无表情的, 不动声色的 adj (disapproving)(of a person) showing no feeling or sympathy for other people The bar was full of sullen men and hard-faced young women. bald-faced 没脸没皮的 showing no shame or embarrassment about doing something bad: a bald-faced lie. be bad news be unpleasant or undesirable. used to say that someone is likely to cause trouble Stay away from that guy, he's bad news. "stay away from him, he's bad news". iffy I. full of uncertainty; doubtful. If something is iffy, it is uncertain. His political future has looked iffy for most of this year. "the prospect for classes resuming next Wednesday seems iffy". II. of doubtful quality or legality. "a good wine merchant will change the iffy bottles for sound ones". If you say that something is iffy, you mean that it is not very good in some way. If your next record's a bit iffy, you're forgotten. He was from an iffy neighborhood. hear crickets 空气忽然冷了, 尴尬的沉寂, 完全无消息, 完全无回音 To receive no response or reaction at all from someone else, typically indicating displeasure or disapproval. I thought my book was going to be a huge hit, but I heard crickets when I showed it to my publisher. A: "Well, did the board of directors like your presentation?" B: "I guess not. We heard crickets after we were finished." Today, when someone says "crickets" or "all I heard was crickets", he means that an awkward silence occurred. This may mean the listener did not agree with the speaker or approve of what the speaker was saying. It is often used to describe an instance where a joke falls flat and no one in the audience laughs. peep I. If you peep, or peep at something, you have a quick look at it, often secretly and quietly. Children came to peep at him round the doorway. Now and then she peeped to see if he was noticing her. 'Fourteen minutes,' Chris said, taking a peep at his watch. II. If something peeps out from behind or under something, a small part of it is visible or becomes visible. Purple and yellow flowers peeped up between rocks. Here and there a face peeped out from the shop doorway. hear a peep = not hear a peep out of someone 毫无声响, 完全没有声音, 死寂, 沉寂, 什么也听不到 If you say that you don't hear a peep from someone, you mean that they do not say anything or make any noise. You don't hear a peep from her once she's gone to bed. to not hear someone speak or make a sound, especially when this is surprising: She hasn't heard a peep out of him in more than 10 days. We didn't hear a peep out of them until Sunday morning. When the other couple lived here, we never heard a peep out of them. There's an election next month and we've barely heard a peep out of any of the candidates. The kids were in the games room and we didn't hear a peep out of them all evening. a peep of protest. passé [pɑːˈseɪ] US [pæsˈeɪ] 不流行的, 过时的 adjective disapproving no longer fashionable. If someone describes something as passé, they think that it is no longer fashionable or that it is no longer effective. Punk is passé. Wines from that region were quite popular for a while, but now they're rather passé. Mastitis 乳腺炎, which mainly affects breast-feeding women, causes redness, swelling and pain in one or both breasts. Mastitis is an inflammation of breast tissue that sometimes involves an infection. The inflammation results in breast pain, swelling, warmth and redness. You might also have fever and chills. Pig City is an independently released song recorded in late 1983 by the Brisbane band The Parameters. The song critiques the corrupt and authoritative aspects within Joh Bjelke-Petersen's Queensland State coalition government and Queensland police force during the early 1980s. Issues raised within the song included banning of street marches, persecution of aborigines, ministerial and government corruption, SP bookmaking, police harassment and Special Branch surveillance. It was Pig city 乱世 back in the days. Wristy: Hand job. pecking order 鄙视链, 鄙视榜 The pecking order of a group is the way that the positions people have are arranged according to their status or power within the group. He knew his place in the pecking order. There's a Pecking order in every part of the world. land verb. I. When someone or something lands, they come down to the ground after moving through the air or falling. He was sent flying into the air and landed 20ft away. Three mortar shells had landed close to a crowd of people. II. When someone lands a plane, ship, or spacecraft, or when it lands, it arrives somewhere after a journey. The jet landed after a flight of just under three hours. He landed his troops on the western shore. The crew finally landed the plane on its belly on the soft part of the runway. III. To land goods somewhere means to unload them there at the end of a journey, especially by ship. [mainly British] The vessels will have to land 卸载, 卸货 their catch at designated ports. ...a five-man gang which landed the huge shipment on the Cornwall coast. IV. If you land in an unpleasant situation or place or if something lands you in it, something causes you to be in it. He landed in a psychiatric ward. This is not the first time his exploits have landed him in trouble. V. If someone or something lands you with a difficult situation, they cause you to have to deal with the difficulties involved. [mainly British, informal] The other options simply complicate the situation and could land him with more expense. VI. If something lands somewhere, it arrives there unexpectedly, often causing problems. Two days later the book had already landed on his desk. This was the weekend that the war finally landed on their doorstep. VII. If you land a fish, you succeed in catching it and getting it out of the water. One angler landed 掉到 fish of 10 lb and 9 lb on the same day. VII. If you land something that is difficult to get and that many people want, you are successful in getting it. He landed a place on the graduate training scheme. His flair with hair soon landed him a part-time job at his local barbers. VIII. If someone lands a blow or punch or if their blow or punch lands, they hit someone. I could hear the blows landing as he appealed for help. IX. (slang, transitive) To succeed in having sexual relations with; to score Too ugly to ever land a chick. X. To go down well with an audience. Some of the comedian's jokes failed to land. When your jokes don't land Whenever you make a joke that no one really laughs at, what is the best move? Do you quickly move on? Just be quiet and wait a second? Or does it depend on your style? I find when no one laughs I sort of put filler words in like "so that's kinda weird" or something and I'm thinking it really deludes my act. I'm fairly new to standup and was just wondering some other opinions. Sorry if this has been asked before. to fall/land on your feet If you say that someone always falls or lands on their feet, you mean that they are always successful or lucky, although they do not seem to achieve this by their own efforts. He has good looks and charm, and always falls on his feet. While I struggle through life, she lands on her feet. 11. put your heart and soul into something 全身心投入 to make a lot of effort to do something: She puts her heart and soul into her work. If you put your heart and soul into something, you do it with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy. He was a committed man and put his heart and soul into everything he did. Retinol [ˈrɛtɪˌnɒl ], also called vitamin A1, is a fat-soluble vitamin in the vitamin A family that is found in food and used as a dietary supplement. Retinol or other forms of vitamin A are needed for vision, cellular development, maintenance of skin and mucous membranes, immune function and reproductive development. Dietary sources include fish, dairy products, and meat. As a supplement it is used to treat and prevent vitamin A deficiency, especially that which results in xerophthalmia. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a muscle. As an ingredient in skin-care products, it is used to reduce wrinkles and other effects of skin aging. retinal [retɪnəl] adj Retinal means relating to a person's retina. ...retinal cancer. make headway If you make headway, you progress towards achieving something. He is not disappointed at the failure to make headway towards resolving their differences. There was concern in the city that police were making little headway in the investigation. inflection point 转折点, 拐点 I. MATHEMATICS a point of a curve at which a change in the direction of curvature occurs. In differential calculus and differential geometry, an inflection point, point of inflection, flex, or inflection (rarely inflexion) is a point on a smooth plane curve at which the curvature changes sign. In particular, in the case of the graph of a function, it is a point where the function changes from being concave (concave downward) to convex (concave upward), or vice versa. II. US (in business) a time of significant change in a situation; a turning point. "the economy has crossed an inflection point and is poised for bigger things". inflection [ɪnˈflɛkʃn] = inflexion in UK GRAMMAR
I. a change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a
grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, person, number,
case, and gender. In grammar, an inflection is a change in the form of a
word that shows its grammatical function, for example a change that
makes a noun plural or makes a verb into the past tense. "a set of word forms differing only in respect of inflections 时态语态形态变化".
II. the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice. An inflection
in someone's voice is a change in its tone or pitch as they are
speaking. The man's voice was devoid of inflection 平铺直叙, 没有情感. 'Seb?' he said, with a rising inflection 升调, 降调. "she spoke slowly and without inflection 升降调, 高低音". 12. place/put stock in 太当回事, 太相信, 太注意, 太留意 to have confidence or faith in someone or something. If you put stock in something that someone says or does, you have a high opinion of it. He placed/put a lot of stock in her ability to get the job done. I don't put much stock in the rumors. I'm willing to put some stock in these polls since they've been accurate before. (transitive, chiefly in the negative) To have faith in; to believe; to give credence to. He's been wrong before, so I don't put much stock in what he says any more. The acorn [eɪkɔːrn], or oaknut 橡树果, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera Quercus and Lithocarpus, in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns are 1–6 cm (1⁄2–2+1⁄2 in) long and 0.8–4 cm (3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in) on the fat side. Acorns take between 5 and 24 months (depending on the species) to mature; see the list of Quercus species for details of oak classification, in which acorn morphology and phenology are important factors. surmise [səˈmʌɪz] suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it. 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 something must be wrong". noun. 猜测. 猜想. a supposition that something may be true, even though there is no evidence to confirm it. 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. "Charles was glad to have his surmise confirmed". clink If objects made of glass, pottery, or metal clink or if you clink them, they touch each other and make a short, light sound. She clinked her glass against his. They clinked glasses. The empty bottle clinked against the seat. Their glasses clinked, their eyes met. ...the clink of a spoon in a cup. They clinked glasses 碰杯. livid I. Someone who is livid is extremely angry. I am absolutely livid about it. She is livid that I have invited Dick. II. Something that is livid is an unpleasant dark purple or red colour. The scarred side of his face was a livid red. lividity What is lividity? Lividity refers to the bluish-purple discoloration of skin after death. It is a common sign associated with livor mortis, one of the four post-mortem signs of death, along with pallor mortis, algor mortis, and rigor mortis. Livor mortis 尸斑 is characterized by lividity and occurs within hours after death. predilection [ˌpriːdɪˈlɛkʃn] noun a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favour of something. If you have a predilection for something, you have a strong liking for it. If someone has a predilection for something, they like it a lot: Ever since she was a child, she has had a predilection for spicy food. ...his predilection for fast cars and fast horses. "my predilection for Asian food". predilect = predilected chosen in preference; preferred. Donkey punch is the sexual practice of inflicting blunt force trauma to the back of the head or lower back of the receiving partner during anal or vaginal sex as an attempt by the penetrating partner to induce involuntary tightening of internal or external anal sphincter muscles or vaginal passage of the receiving partner. According to Jeffrey Bahr of Medical College of Wisconsin, there is no reflex in humans that would cause such tensing in response to a blow on the head, although striking a partner on the back of the neck or head could cause severe, even lethal injury. earmuffs 耳套, 堵住耳朵 [ˈɪəmʌfs] a pair of soft fabric coverings, connected by a band across the top of the head, that are worn over the ears to protect them from cold or noise. pick and choose select only the best from a number of alternatives. to select fastidiously, fussily, etc "he could pick and choose from the world's most beautiful women".
Order VS Command: your marching orders = (US) walking papers If you give someone their marching orders, you tell them that you no longer want or need them, for example as your employee or as your lover. They've had their marching orders. What does it take for a woman to say 'that's enough' and give her man his marching orders? If you give someone their walking papers, you ask that person to leave a place or a job because they have done something wrong: Three players got their walking papers last week. She was called into the boss's office and given her walking papers. a tall order If something is a tall order, it is very difficult. Financing your studies may seem like a tall order, but there is plenty of help available. under orders If you are under orders to do something, you have been told to do it by someone in authority. I am under orders not to discuss his mission or his location with anyone. order (order sb to do sth. order sth, order sth) I. If a person in authority orders someone to do something, they tell them to do it. Williams ordered him to leave. He ordered the women out of the car. 'Let him go!' he ordered. 'Go up to your room. Now,' he ordered him. II. If someone in authority orders something, they give instructions that it should be done. The President has ordered a full investigation. The radio said that the prime minister had ordered price controls to be introduced. He ordered that all party property be confiscated. The President ordered him moved because of fears that his comrades would try to free him. Who ordered the order 谁下的令? command I. If someone in authority commands you to do something, they tell you that you must do it. He commanded his troops to attack. 'Get in your car and follow me,' he commanded. He commanded that roads be built to link castles across the land. 'Don't panic,' I commanded myself. The tanker failed to respond to a command to stop. I closed my eyes at his command. ...the note of command 命令的语气 in his voice. II. If you command something such as respect or obedience, you obtain it because you are popular, famous, or important. ...an excellent physician who commanded the respect of all his colleagues. There is no limit to what can be achieved here because of the fantastic support we command. III. If an army or country commands a place, they have total control over it. The Royal Navy would command 掌控, 把控, 管控 控制, the seas. Yemen commands the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. ...the struggle for command of the air. IV. An officer who commands part of an army, navy, or air force is responsible for controlling and organizing it. ...the French general who commands the U.N. troops in the region. He didn't just command. He personally fought in several heavy battles. ...a small garrison under the command of Major James Craig. He took command of 108 Squadron. V. If a place commands a view, especially an impressive one, you can see the view clearly from that place. If a person commands a view of something, they can see it clearly from where they are. The house commanded some splendid views of Delaware Bay. ...a point of rock, from which we could command a view of the loch. noun. I. In the armed forces, a command is a group of officers who are responsible for organizing and controlling part of an army, navy, or air force. He had authorisation from the military command to retaliate. The army's supreme command has said the army will withdraw. II. In the armed forces, a command is a group of soldiers that a particular officer is in charge of. There would continue to be a joint command of U.S. and Saudi forces operating within Saudi borders. ...the Strategic Air Command. III. If someone has command of a situation, they have control of it because they have, or seem to have, power or authority. Whoever was waiting for them there had command of the situation. Mr Baker would take command of the campaign. It was his senior partner who was in command. IV. Your command of something, such as a foreign language, is your knowledge of it and your ability to use this knowledge. His command of English was excellent. ...a singer with a natural command of melody. have sth at one's command If you have a particular skill or particular resources at your command, you have them and can use them fully. She sought revenge with all the skills at her command. He lived in a remote village, with very limited means at his command. be in command/be in command of yourself If you are in command or in command of yourself, you are relaxed and able to react and behave in the way that you want to. Nixon looked comfortable and in command. The man appeared to be in complete command of himself.
