用法学习: 1. A travesty of justice is a court case that makes a mockery of the judicial system — or so you might think, if the verdict isn't in your favor. Travesty comes from the French travesti, meaning "dressed in disguise." A legal act or decision that is so unjust that it seems like a grotesque mockery or imitation of the way the justice system is supposed to operate. a miscarriage of justice; an act of the legal system that is an insult to the system of justice. The jury's verdict was a travesty of justice. The lawyer complained that the judge's ruling was a travesty of justice. The acquittal of the mass murderer is an absolute travesty of justice. Many see the government's incarceration of the activists to be a travesty of justice. They stole millions from innocent people, and now they won't do a minute of jail time? Wow, there's a travesty of justice. travesty [ˈtrævəsti]
a situation, action, or event that shocks you because it is very
different from what it should be or because it seems very unfair. Jensen called the verdict a travesty of justice. If you describe something as a travesty of another thing 恶劣典型, you mean that it is a very bad representation of that other thing. Her
research suggests that Smith's reputation today is a travesty of what
he really stood for. If he couldn't prepare his case properly, the trial
would be a travesty. Hours after the Alabama passed the most restrictive abortion law
in the country, Lady Gaga labeled it a "travesty" on Twitter. In a
lenghty note, she wrote: "It is an outrage to ban abortion in Alabama,
period, and all the more heinous that it excludes those who have been
raped or are experiencing incest, non-consensual or not. So there's a
higher penalty for doctors who perform these operations than for most
rapists? This is a travesty, and I pray for all these women and young
girls who suffer at the hands of this system." 2. roofie 下药, 迷奸 noun. Any drug designed to make someone drowsy or disoriented; a date rape drug. an amount of a drug, especially Rohypnol, that is given to someone secretly and illegally, usually in a drink, in order to make them unconscious or unable to function normally so that they can be raped (= made to have sex against their wishes) or otherwise harmed. Rohypnol is hypnotic compound known on the street as the "date-rape drug", or more colloquially as a "roofie". Giving someone a roofie would be considered evidence of "purposeful 有目的的" conduct, which is why the law in most states includes that under the definition of rape. They warned the girls that a rapist may try to put a "roofie" in their drink. We are doing all we can to promote roofie awareness. verb. to secretly and illegally give someone a drug, especially Rohypnol, usually in a drink, in order to make them unconscious or unable to function normally so that they can be raped (= made to have sex against their wishes) or otherwise harmed. To put roofies in; to spike with roofies. Someone roofied her drink, but she found out and poured it away. A woman who believes she was roofied at a local bar went public with her story. III. (slang, transitive) To cause someone to (usually unknowingly) ingest roofies. pick up the bill/tab/check to pay for what has been bought, especially a meal in a restaurant. to pay the money that is owed for something The company picked up the entire tab for my trip. They offered to pick up the check for dinner. The joke was the only reason he roofied those girls is because he is too cheap to pick up dinner. 3. frayed 恼火的 (of temper, nerves, patience, etc) under great strain. used to describe someone's mood when they are feeling worried, upset, or annoyed: frayed nerves The whole experience left me with frayed nerves (= feeling worried). Nerves became severely frayed when air traffic problems delayed the flight. Tempers had become frayed because the men had been working more than 20 hours without a break. Nerves became severely frayed when air traffic problems delayed the flight. fray I. If something such as cloth or rope frays 脱线, 磨损, 磨边, 毛边, or if something frays it, its threads or fibres start to come apart from each other and spoil its appearance. The fabric is very fine or frays easily. The stitching had begun to fray at the edges. Her washing machine tends to fray edges on intricate designs. ...fraying edges in the stair carpet. He wore frayed jeans and cowboy shirts. II. If your nerves or your temper fray, or if something frays them, you become nervous or easily annoyed because of mental strain and anxiety. Tempers began to fray as the two teams failed to score. This kind of living was beginning to fray her nerves. noun. The fray is an exciting or challenging activity, situation, or argument that you are involved in. an energetic and often not well-organized effort, activity, fight, or disagreement. A fray is also a situation in which people or organizations compete forcefully: A third buyer has entered the fray. enter the fray With a third country about to enter (= take part in) the fray, the fighting looks set to continue. ready for the fray A good holiday should leave you feeling refreshed 焕然一新 and ready for the fray (= ready to work) again. There will have to be a second round of voting when new candidates can enter the fray 战局, 乱哄哄的情况, 乱象. He would be inspiring young people to get into the political fray. fray at/around the edges 崩裂, 分崩离析 If you say that something is fraying at the edges or is fraying around the edges, you mean that it has an uncertain or unsteady quality, for example because it is gradually being spoiled or destroyed. There are signs that the alliance is now fraying at the edges. Their marriage is getting a little frayed around the edges. The champion, too, looked frayed at the edges. above the fray not directly involved in an angry or difficult struggle or disagreement. uninvolved in a difficult argument or struggle and by extension having an affectedly 装作, 装出来的 nonchalant or mature attitude about a dispute seen as petty; aloof. His political aides handled the controversy while he remained above the fray. If you want to rise above the fray when dealing with ignorant behavior, consider the following four things you can do when handling these difficult situations in a godly way. affected adj. 假装出来的. I. Assumed or simulated to impress others. If you describe someone's behaviour as affected, you disapprove of the
fact that they behave in an unnatural way that is intended to impress
other people. artificial and not sincere: an affected manner/style of writing. I found her very affected. She had an affected air and a disdainful look. He was greatly affected by her departure. an affected accent. affected indifference. II. Speaking or behaving in an artificial way to make an impression. III. Disposed or inclined. 马景涛表演过火: He overdoes his acting, 林志玲嗲声嗲气: speak affectedly, she speaks in an affectedly 装出来的 sweet voice at all time. 4. shake someone down 敲诈, 敲一笔 US informal I. 敲诈, 勒索. to blackmail someone. Fred was trying to shake Jane down, but she got the cops in on it. The police chief was trying to shake down just about everybody in town. He claimed that a government official shook his company down for $10,000 in campaign contributions. II. 威逼利诱. 逼着借. to put pressure on someone to lend one money. To extort money from someone. The mob regularly sends thugs to shake down local businesses. The blackmailer shook us down for $1000. We tried to shake down Max for a few hundred, but no deal. If you're trying to shake me down, forget it. I have no cash. III. to get money from someone by using threats or tricks. shake down I. 仔细搜查. To make a thorough search of someone or something: The guards shook down the prisoners' cells for hidden weapons. The airport security guards shook me down.
II. 熟悉环境. 适应环境. 适应新情况. To become acclimated or accustomed, as to a new
environment or a new job. Become acclimated or accustomed, to a new
place, job, or the like, as in Is this your first job? You'll soon shake down. We gave the new hire a few weeks to shake down before assigning her to a project. III. 试用. Subject a new vehicle or machine to a tryout We'll shake down the new model next week. 5. The ruling party or governing party 执政党 in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, in the case of parliamentary systems, or holding the executive branch, in presidential systems, that administers the affairs of state after an election. A prominent former deputy chairman of Britain's governing Conservatives, who was suspended from the party over accusations of Islamophobia, has defected to the small right-wing Reform UK party in a setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The move on Monday by Lee Anderson, a former miner who has courted controversy with his outspoken views, comes months before a national election in which Reform is expected to draw votes away from the Conservatives and in doing so threaten Sunak's re-election bid. 6. concatenate [kənˈkætəneɪt] 文件合并 (conjunction)
to put two or more computer files or pieces of computer information
together in order to form a single unit. to link or join together, esp
in a chain or series. to put things together as a connected series: The filename is a series of concatenated words with no spaces. conurbation [ˌkɑnərˈbeɪʃ(ə)n] 区域组团, 区域联合体 A conurbation consists of a large city together with the smaller towns around it. a large city area that develops when towns that are close to each other get bigger and join together. a city area containing a large number of people, formed by various towns growing and joining together: the conurbations of Tokyo and Osaka. ...London and all the other major conurbations. coalesce [ˌkəuəˈles] 串接, 串联, 串起来, 结合, 联合起来, 团结起来, 绑定, 捆绑起来. to come together and form a group or a single unit. If two or more things coalesce, they come together and form a larger group or system. to
unite or come together in one body or mass; merge; fuse; blend. The
rebel units coalesced into one army to fight the invaders. The various
groups coalesced into one party. Their ideas coalesced into a new
theory. Cities,
if unrestricted, tend to coalesce into bigger and bigger conurbations.
His sporting and political interests coalesced admirably in his writing
about climbing. Null
Coalescing Operator: The ?? operator is the null coalescing operator,
and it can be used with both nullable types and reference types. It says
"If the operand is nonnull, give it to me; otherwise, give me a default
value." For example: int? x = null; int y = x ?? 5; // y is 5. The ??
operator is equivalent to calling GetValueOrDefault with an explicit
default value. coalesce into something 联合体, 组团, 联结, 连起来, 接起来, 连在一起, 连成一片, 连成一体 [for two or more things] to blend or fuse and become one thing. The fading colors coalesced into a gray blur. In the distance, the crowd coalesced into a single blob. convalesce [ˌkɒnvəˈlɛs] 恢复身体, 休养生息, 静养(recuperate) recover one's health and strength over a period of time after an illness or medical treatment. If you are convalescing, you are resting and getting your health back after an illness or operation. to rest in order to get better after an illness: After your operation, you'll need to convalesce for a week or two. After two weeks, I was allowed home, where I convalesced for three months. ...those convalescing from illness or surgery. "he spent eight months convalescing after the stroke". The princess has been convalescing for several weeks, after having abdominal surgery, and the altered image sparked intense speculation about her whereabouts and condition. convalescence [kɒnvə'lesəns] Convalescence is the period or process of becoming healthy and well again after an illness or operation. the process or period of resting in order to get better after an illness or operation High temperatures have also been far from conducive to convalescence. recuperate [rɪˈkuːpəreɪt] I. to get back money that you have spent or invested: I don't think we will be able to recuperate all our outlay. II. to become well again after an illness; to get back your strength, health, etc.: She spent a month in the country recuperating from/after the operation. conveyance [kənˈveɪəns] I. uncountable formal the process of moving people, animals, or goods from one place to another. II. countable formal a vehicle. III. countable legal a document that shows that the person who has just bought a property is now its legal owner. 7. black op[s] = black operation 秘密行动 Often black ops. a secret mission or campaign carried out by a military, governmental, or other organization, typically one in which the organization conceals or denies its involvement. secret military activities, especially illegal ones, that are ordered by a government or organization but that they will not admit to having ordered: a black ops agent/team. Some national intelligence agencies use black ops to undermine enemy governments. The company even resorted to an industrial black op to steal secrets from its competitor. wiki: A black operation or black ops is a covert or clandestine operation by a government agency, a military unit or a paramilitary organization; it can include activities by private companies or groups. Key features of a black operation are that it is secret and it is not attributable to the organization carrying it out. A single such activity may be called a black bag operation; that term is primarily used for covert or clandestine surreptitious entries into structures to obtain information for human intelligence operations. The main difference between a black operation and one that is merely secret is that a black operation involves a significant degree of deception, to conceal who is behind it or to make it appear that some other entity is responsible (e.g. false flag operations). 8. kook [kuːk] a mad or eccentric person. an eccentric, crazy, or foolish person. phrasing I. 措辞. The phrasing of something that is said or written is the exact words that are chosen to express the ideas in it. the choice of words used to express something: The phrasing of the contract is ambiguous. The phrasing of the question was vague. ...a letter to the Pope, which necessitates careful phrasing. II. 停顿. The phrasing of someone who is singing, playing a piece of music, acting, or reading something aloud is the way in which they divide up the work by pausing slightly in appropriate places. ...certain features that make a performance good or bad – the timing, the phrasing 节奏, and so on. Her phrasing, as ever, is faultless. all-timer an exceptional person or thing that is regarded as the best or as among the best of all time the fifth game of the National League Championship series, in San Diego, which was an all-timer by any measure …. old-timer 老人, 老员工 an old man, or someone who has been or worked in a place for a long time. 9. fence 销赃的人: noun. a person who buys and sells stolen goods. A fence is a person who receives stolen property and then sells it. He originally acted as a fence for another gang before turning to burglary himself. It's 15 grand. He was only expecting 10. Well, fence sold the bracelet for more than he thought it was worth, I guess. And they didn't pocket the difference? Huh. Honest fence. She's new. They always start out honest. I got a couple guys working hotels. It's a good operation. Could move a lot more if I could fence some of the bigger pieces to your contacts up north. verb. I. To conceal the truth by giving equivocal answers; to hedge; to be evasive. II. To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods. on the fence not able to decide something: Many consumers are still on the fence, waiting for a less expensive computer to come along. Todd’s still sitting on the fence, trying to decide which school he wants to go to. fence someone in to limit someone's activity in a way that annoys them or makes them unhappy: I feel fenced in by all the rules and regulations at work. fence something off to separate an area with a fence in order to stop people or animals from entering it. to prevent access to an area by putting a fence around it: They're fencing off the construction site. The hill had been fenced off to prevent animals from grazing on it. pawn (figurative) Someone who is being manipulated or used to some end. Though a pawn of the gods, her departure is the precipitating cause of the Trojan War. II. The state of being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge. All our jewellery was in pawn 被典当, 抵押 by this stage. She had to put her ring in pawn to pay the bills. She decided to pay another $5 to keep the necklace in pawn for another month. I had to put my watch in pawn to pay for the train ticket. We hid the jewellery from Marcie so that she couldn't put them in pawn. She wasn't wearing the tiara because it was in pawn at the time. fend for If you have to fend for yourself, you have to look after yourself without relying on help from anyone else. to take care of and provide for yourself without depending on anyone else: The corporation will no longer receive a government subsidy, and must fend for itself financially. The woman and her young baby had been thrown out and left to fend for themselves. fend off I. If you fend off unwanted questions, problems, or people, you stop them from affecting you or defend yourself from them, but often only for a short time and without dealing with them completely. to avoid dealing with something that is unpleasant or difficult: Somehow she managed to fend off the awkward questions. He looked relaxed and determined as he fended off questions from the world's media. He had struggled to pay off creditors but couldn't fend them off any longer. II. If you fend off someone 打走, 打跑 who is attacking you, you use your arms or something such as a stick to defend yourself from their blows. to push or send away an attacker or other unwanted person: He managed to fend off his attackers with a stick. She spent the entire evening fending off unwanted admirers. He raised his hand to fend off 抵抗 the blow. 10. towering 高耸的
I. If you describe someone or something as towering, you are
emphasizing that they are impressive because of their importance, skill,
or intensity. a towering figure in the art world. Laurence Olivier's Othello was a towering performance. He remains a towering figure in modern British politics. I saw her in a towering rage only once. II. used in the sense of rising to a pitch of violence or intensity since Shakespeare's time. Shakespeare wrote, "The brauery of his grief did put me into a towering passion". III. If you describe something such as a mountain or cliff as towering, you mean that it is very tall and therefore impressive. ...towering cliffs of black granite which rise straight out of the sea. rage noun. I. Rage is strong anger that is difficult to control. (a period of) extreme or violent anger: Her sudden towering rages were terrifying. I was frightened because I had never seen him in such a rage before. He flew into a fit of rage over the smallest mistake. He was red-cheeked with rage. I flew into a rage. He admitted shooting the man in a fit of rage. in a towering rage 气的火冒三丈 very angry. I'd steer clear of the boss right now—he's in a towering rage over that shipping error. Dad was in a towering rage because of what happened. I've never seen him that angry before! II. You can refer to the strong anger that someone feels in a particular situation as a particular rage, especially when this results in violent or aggressive behaviour. Cabin crews are reporting up to nine cases of air rage a week. III. When something is popular and fashionable, you can say that it is the rage or all the rage. to be very popular or fashionable: In China, Mercedes-Benz cars are all the rage among the moneyed elite. The 1950s look is all the rage at the moment. IV. an exciting or entertaining event involving a lot of activity: The party was a rage. verb. I. You say that something powerful or unpleasant rages when it continues with great force or violence. to happen in a strong or violent way: The storm raged 来势汹汹 outside. A flu epidemic is raging in/through local schools. The argument rages on (= continues strongly). Train services were halted as the fire raged 熊熊燃烧 for more than four hours. ...the fierce arguments raging over the future of the Holy City. The war rages on 如火如荼 and the time has come to take sides. If something destructive rages, it happens in a way that cannot be controlled: The fire broke out and raged for four days, destroying most of the old city. II. If you rage about something, you speak or think very angrily about it. He raged a 发火, 大发雷霆 (= spoke angrily to) us for forgetting to order a replacement. Monroe was on the phone, raging about her mistreatment by the brothers. Inside, Frannie was raging. 'I can't see it's any of your business,' he raged. phone rage extreme anger on the phone towards a person or organization, often because someone is not satisfied with a product or service: Call centre workers are particularly at risk of phone rage from irate customers. 11. Braille [breɪl] 盲文 a system of printing for blind people, in which each letter is represented as a raised pattern that can be read by touching it with the fingers: The book has been printed in six languages and in Braille. upskill to improve the aptitude for work of (a person) by additional training They have to upskill themselves by focusing better. to learn new skills or to teach workers new skills: The program is aimed at people working in IT who want to upskill. We are upskilling the team. 12. mortgage [ˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ] noun. A mortgage is a loan of money which you get from a bank or building society in order to buy a house. ...an increase in mortgage rates. They took out a £400,000 mortgage (= they borrowed £400,000) to buy the house. a monthly mortgage payment. verb. If you mortgage your house or land, you use it as a guarantee to a company in order to borrow money from them. to borrow money to buy a house: They had to mortgage 那房子做抵押 their home to borrow enough money to pay for their children’s education. Their home was mortgaged up to the hilt (= the full value of their home had been borrowed). They had to mortgage their home to pay the bills. ...mortgaged homes. wiki: A mortgage loan or simply mortgage ([ˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ]), in civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination. This means that a legal mechanism is put into place which allows the lender to take possession and sell the secured property ("foreclosure" or "repossession") to pay off the loan in the event the borrower defaults on the loan or otherwise fails to abide by its terms. 14. missive [ˈmɪsɪv] 信函, 信件 often humorous a letter, especially a long or official one. A missive is a letter or other message that someone sends. "yet another missive from the Foreign Office". Speculation begins over who penned the missive. She sent a ten-page missive to the committee, detailing her objections. saddle up something = saddle up to fasten a seat on the back of a horse, or to ride a horse. To set and cinch a saddle on a horse in preparation for riding. To set and cinch a saddle in preparation for riding. Fred saddled up a horse and set out for Kingston to pick up the mail. Saddle up, men! We've got a lot of riding to do today. He was in the stable, saddling up his horse. He saddled up his father's horse as usual. "Saddle up Jacky boy because I'm ready for war," Timothy cracks his knuckles. To mount a bicycle and get ready to ride. Let's saddle up and hit the road! 15. royally 实实在在地 If you say that something is done royally, you are emphasizing that it is done in an impressive or grand way, or that it is very great in degree. very much: You've messed up royally this time! That was a royally stupid thing to say. They were royally received in every aspect. "This letter has hit a sweet spot and it's pissed me off royally," she fires up. b. very well, as if intended for or typical of a king or queen: We always get treated royally when we stay here. As a young man earning a large salary, he lived royally for a good few years. do sth to death 老掉牙的, 听到起茧子的, 老套的 to overuse (a joke, etc) so that it no longer has any effect. to use, perform, etc. so often that it becomes tiresome; overdo. to perform or present an idea, joke etc so often that people become tired of it. If a joke or story has been done to death, it has been told so often that it has stopped being funny. Most of his material has been done to death by numerous comedians. Tori and Jack read the anonymous letter, they skim past the done-to-death questions about their sex lives (or lack thereof). 16. cast-iron A cast-iron guarantee, piece of evidence 铁打的保证, etc. is absolutely certain and can definitely be believed. They are demanding cast-iron guarantees of a fair hearing. Even if one could visualize her as a murderer, she has a cast-iron alibi. They will punish you for being late, unless you've a cast-iron excuse. Reliable and unlikely to change. Always used before a noun. You can trust me, OK? I only make cast-iron promises. about/on one's person 身上 (formal) Held on one's physical body. being carried by someone You cannot have a smartphone on your person during the exam. He was arrested for having a gun on his person without a permit. in a pocket, bag, or something else that you are holding. if you have something on or about your person, you have it in your pockets or attached to you Customs officers found a gun concealed about his person. Do you have about your person such a thing as a lighter? 17. fresh in one's mind remembered clearly by one I'd like to take the test soon, while the information is still fresh in my mind. I'm so tired now. Let's pick this up 再说, 再谈 in the morning. Maybe fresh minds 头脑清醒 bring fresh ideas. invalid noun. ['ɪnvəlɪd] 生活不能自理的人 An invalid is someone who needs to be cared for because they have an illness or disability. someone who is sick and unable to take care of himself or herself, especially for a long time: Is the invalid in bed? My dad's mother is an invalid, and she lives with my aunt and uncle. I hate being treated as an invalid. I will not be treated like an invalid. Do I make myself clear? Sir, no-one's saying you're an invalid. We're just worried you might be pushing yourself a little hard. If you'd just let us help... I do not require any help. I am perfectly fine! invalid adj. [ɪn'vælɪd] I. If an action, procedure, or document is invalid, it cannot be accepted, because it breaks the law or some official rule. The trial was stopped and the results declared invalid. We cannot accept liability if you are refused entry because of invalid documents. invalidity [ɪnvəlɪdɪti] ...the invalidity of the marriage ceremony. II. An invalid argument or conclusion is wrong because it is based on a mistake. We think that those arguments are rendered invalid by the hard facts on the ground. II. An invalid document, ticket, law (inadmissible), etc. is not legally or officially acceptable: I'm afraid your driving licence is invalid in Eastern Europe. III. An invalid opinion, argument, etc. is not correct, usually because it is not logical or not based on correct information: an invalid argument. 18. stroke somebody's ego to say nice things to someone to make them feel good, especially because you want something from them. To appeal to one's pride or vanity. You're not going to get what you want by stroking the boss's ego. If anything, that's a good way to get in trouble with her! I couldn't resist stroking my ego a bit by reading some of the good reviews for my latest film. 19. Death in paradise: This is no time for rest and relaxation, Inspector. Sir, what are you doing here? My job, Inspector. I've been receiving calls about this business at the care home. A murder like this striking at the most vulnerable in our society - people need reassurance. They've arranged a town hall. I need a full briefing. You're going to a town hall, sir? Why wouldn't I? I am the Police Commissioner. Sir, I think what Marlon is trying to say is, surely this is a duty that can be delegated 代劳的. Delegated to whom, Inspector? You? Not somebody that almost recently died from a gunshot wound, sir. 20. NIMBY [ˈnɪmbi]
noun informal a person who objects to the siting of something perceived as unpleasant or hazardous in the area where they live, especially while raising no such objections to similar developments elsewhere. "rural development arouses intense suspicion from NIMBYs and conservationists". Dr Pojani said Brisbane's housing shortages were being exacerbated by "selfish NIMBYs" — home owners who oppose new houses being built in their neighbourhoods. She said in her view this was a clear example of "typical NIMBYism", driven by fear of falling property values. wiki: an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard", is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed infrastructure developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land use regulations. It carries the connotation that such residents are only opposing the development because it is close to them and that they would tolerate or support it if it were built farther away. The residents are often called nimbys, and their viewpoint is called nimbyism. The opposite movement is known as YIMBY for "yes in my back yard".
