用法学习: 1. hold a strong/winning/weak hand 有一手好牌, 一手烂牌 I. In card games, to have been dealt a selection of cards that is quite likely to be better than those of other players. I could tell from his eyes that he held a strong hand. Sure enough, he ended up with a royal flush at the end. II. By extension, to be in a position that affords one a lot of leverage over others. The country provides manufacturing opportunities for large companies around the globe, so it holds a strong hand whenever new restrictions and regulations are proposed. Our union used to hold a strong hand when negotiating with upper management, but they've been giving up our rights little by little over the years. David Cameron was holding a very good hand, but little did he know that the Leave campaign would put together an unlikely hand of their own. Nigel Farage and former London mayor Boris Johnson campaigned hard for the Leave camp and stoked the rising nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment throughout the country. The two men spread misinformation and were assisted by uncontrolled waves of disinformation on social media. It was a huge success, and 52.8 per cent of Britons who voted, voted in favour of Brexit. a hole card 王牌 mainly AMERICAN A hole card is an advantage that you keep secret until you are ready to use it. Just when everyone thought Randy was going to lose the competition, he used his hole card and pulled into first place. The fact that I knew where she was and had in my possession a boxful of evidence were my only two remaining hole cards. Note: In five card 'stud' poker, the 'hole' card is the only card which is dealt to you face down so that the other players cannot see it. face card I. A playing card that has a picture of a person (such as a king, queen, or jack) on it, as opposed to one of the numeral cards. The face cards are more valuable than any of the cards you're holding. A: "Man, I was hoping to be dealt a face card." B: "Yeah, don't tell me that. You need to be able to bluff when you're playing poker, kid." I got really lucky to not only get four face cards, but all four queens! II. An important or powerful (and, possibly, conceited) person. You can't park here—these spots are for face cards only. I thought the new CEO would be a total face card, but maybe not if he took that giant cardboard cutout of himself out of the lobby. As soon as that guy became a manager, he also became a face card, pushing people around and calling down here for every possible favor. counting cards A counting strategy used in casino card games to help one to determine whether the player or the dealer is likely to have the advantage in the next hand. A lot of casino dealers train in counting cards in order to spot players who are trying to do it. I don't think I'm good enough at math for counting cards. Wait, counting cards is legal? Then why doesn't everyone do it? 2. hold up your hands to admit something or confess that you have made a mistake or done something wrong If we had lost by big margins to better teams then we would hold up our hands and admit we're not good enough. But that's not the case. financially secure: The general definition of financial security, though, is being able to live comfortably on your income while paying your monthly expenses and saving money for the future. Being financially secure also means that you have enough money set aside so you can continue living comfortably when you experience tough times. Financial independence 财务自由 is a state where an individual or household has accumulated sufficient financial resources to cover its living expenses without having to depend on active employment or work to earn money in order to maintain its current lifestyle. These financial resources can be in the form of investment or personal use assets, passive income, income generated from side jobs, inheritance, pension and retirement income sources, and varied other sources. The concept of financial independence goes beyond just having enough money or wealth. Achieving financial independence gives freedom to make the best use of time to pursue life's goals, dreams, or help the citizens of the community to lead a life with purpose. It's a state where one has come to terms with the fact of having accumulated enough, and have freed themselves from the shackles of debt and tendency to make poor financial decisions, and have transformed their relationship with money to make healthy financial choices. Gaining financial independence should not be confused with not having to work at all. Rather, financial independence gives the freedom to make choices at will, enabling individuals to achieve what matters the most while not having to worry about earning money. 3. On the clock I. Currently engaged in work during one's normal working day or assigned hours. Working at one's job; occupied in some manner during one's hours of remunerated employment. During one's official working hours; in or into a position of remunerated employment. I'd love to go have a beer with you, but as you can see by the uniform I'm wearing, I'm actually on the clock right now. Would you mind stocking these Actually, I'm not on the clock today. I'm just hanging out with my boyfriend. II. Of a taxi (and by extension, its driver), currently engaged to carry a passenger and having an active meter. Of a taxicab, engaged for hire; displayed numerically as time or fare on the meter of a taxicab. Sorry, but I can't stay to chat. I've got a taxi waiting outside that's still on the clock 计费! III. Currently displayed on a motor vehicle's speedometer or odometer. I can't believe I got a ticket for speeding—I was only going 50 on the clock! This car may have 200,000 kilometers on the clock, but it still runs as smooth as ever. III. 按时计费. Remunerated per unit of time. Alas, the delivery boy is on the clock; he could and would work much faster on commission! Penny: Thank you so much for helping us, Stuart. Stuart: Oh, I, I was just glad to be invited. To be honest, I don't always feel like I'm part of the group. Penny: Okay, sweetie, we're on the clock here. Can you hate yourself and frost at the same time? rawdog = raw dog = bareback I. (transitive, intransitive, slang, vulgar) To have sex without a condom; to bareback. II. (transitive, slang, vulgar, figuratively) To do an activity without protection, instruction or intermediary. Rather than using a framework, he's apparently just raw dogging HTML. III. The practice known as 'rawdogging' or sometimes 'barebacking,' means consuming no music, movies, or any other form of entertainment except for the basic flight maps or flight data screens on your seatback. Taking it to greater extremes, some will also claim to forgo food and drink for the duration of the journey. 4. rolled gold ( = filled gold in US) 镀金的 noun a metal, such as brass, coated with a thin layer of gold, usually of above 9 carat purity. It is used in inexpensive jewellery. a base metal (as brass) with a thin plate of gold rolled over it. a composition consisting of gold-plating welded to and rolled with a backing of brass or other base metal, at least 1/20 (0.05) of the total weight being that of the gold. Senator Shoebridge said they left Washington DC without any assurances 得到任何保证. "We didn't come away from Washington with a rolled gold guarantee. Our job was to rekindle the campaign to remind Washington about the importance of Julian Assange and of truth-telling". a sleeping issue By the end of the meeting it was clear the delegation convinced them it was not a sleeping issue, and it was a live problem that needed a political solution. The meeting was part of a whirlwind trip where the MPs met with Democratic and Republican congressmen and women as well as the US Department of State. 4. backdoor I. relating to something that is done secretly or in a way that is not direct or honest: The change was immediately dismissed as a backdoor tax increase. II. attacking the side of a goal or target that is not being guarded or protected by an opponent: The next basket came on a perfectly executed backdoor cut (= a run made by a player who does not have the ball that takes them to the side of the target that is not protected by the defence). This was Argentina at its best; full of back-door plays and finding the open route to the basket. backdoor play Basketball an offensive tactic whereby a player breaks away from a defender to receive a pass near the baseline in order to make a quick layup. backdoor pass: I can't do my job if the locals don't trust me. Allowing you a backstage pass was… stupid rookie shit. You gotta go home now, alright? I can handle this on my own. a tower of strength = a pillar of strength 力量源泉, 支柱 someone or something that remains strong and gives a lot of support in a difficult situation: Andrea was a tower of strength to me when I was ill. Although she is softly spoken and gentle, she is a pillar of strength for her family. In later life, his early religious and philosophical ideas proved a tower of strength. At that time, Europe was seen as a much-needed pillar of strength in a global economy. mime [maɪm] 默剧 noun. the theatrical technique of expressing an idea or mood or portraying a character entirely by gesture and bodily movement without the use of words. Also calledmime artist a performer specializing in such a technique, esp a comic actor. a dramatic presentation using such a technique. in the classical theatre. Mime is the use of movements and gestures in order to express something or tell a story without using speech. Music, mime and strong visual imagery play a strong part in the productions. Pupils presented a mime and puppet show. ...a mime artist. verb. I. If you mime something, you describe or express it using mime rather than speech. It featured a solo dance in which a woman in a short overall mimed a lot of dainty housework. I remember asking her to mime getting up in the morning. II. If you mime, you pretend to be singing or playing an instrument, although the music is in fact coming from something like a CD. Richey's not miming, he's playing very quiet guitar. In concerts, the group mime their songs. The waiters mime to records playing on the jukebox. Pop star Dua Lipa yesterday defiantly told The Mail on Sunday: 'I don't mime', after fans accused her of lip-synching during her headline Glastonbury set. 5. eponymous [ɪˈpɒnɪməs] 同名的, 以名字命名的 I. (of a person) giving their name to something. "the eponymous hero of the novel". II. (of a thing) named after a particular person or group. "their eponymous debut LP". The business, headed by eponymous fashion designer Dion Lee who grew up in Sydney, had dressed the likes of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa. dam break = dam failure = dam burst 大坝决堤, 闸口大开 The situation where water breaks through a dam that is supposed to hold it back. The reaction to the video was like a dam bursting. Before long the five-man dam burst. The dam burst just before the hour. The try was the moment when the Australian dam burst. Thanks to this report, those seeking justice will have a head start when finally the dam breaks. When the dam breaks, that changes the whole landscape. It's a bold, heartrending two-person episode that stretches, pauses, twists and turns before the dam breaks. So that one comes closer and closer to the sound itself until the moment when the dam breaks and the music of the opening bars spills out over the paper. 6. the brink 悬崖边缘 the edge at the top of a steep cliff. usually used figuratively to refer to a point that is very close to the occurrence of something very bad or (less commonly) very good. He nearly lost everything because of his drug addiction, but his friends helped to pull him back from the brink. The two nations are on the brink of war. Doctors may be on the brink of finding a cure for this disease. an animal that has been brought/pulled back from the brink of extinction. come back from the brink (of something) = bring (someone or something) back from the brink (of something) To return to a state of stability or well-being after being on the verge of utter ruin, failure, or destruction. The company has come back from the brink of bankruptcy after the massive success of its newest product. I was in a really dark, hopeless place, but the support and love of my family helped me come back from the brink. A: "Do you think the country will really be able to come back from the brink of civil war?" B: "Yes, but it'll take calm words and serious negotiations." The French have said it again: they do not want the far right in power. They gave them a big win in the European elections; they gave them a big win in the first round of this parliamentary election. But when it came to a vote that really counted, just as in the presidentials, they drew back from the brink 悬崖勒马. 7. legible (书写或者印刷) 认得出的, 看得清, 认得出来的 (illegible) adj Legible writing or print can be read easily. (of writing or print) able to be read easily. used to describe writing or text that you can read because the letters are clear, the text is printed well, etc.: Her handwriting was barely legible. The letter was faded and barely legible. Her handwriting is barely legible. intelligible [ɪntelɪdʒɪbəl] 听得清的, 听得懂的 (unintelligible) adj Something that is intelligible can be understood. (of speech and writing) clear enough to be understood: It was a poor telephone connection, and only some of his words were intelligible. She was so upset when she spoke that she was hardly intelligible. The language of Darwin was intelligible to experts and non-experts alike. The woman moaned faintly but made no intelligible response. comprehensible [kɒmprɪhensɪbəl] 听不懂的, 看得明白的, 看得清的 adj. Something that is comprehensible can be understood. able to be understood: It's written in clear, comprehensible English. Her writing is barely comprehensible to me. He spoke abruptly, in barely comprehensible Arabic. 8. groggy 迷迷糊糊的, 晕晕乎乎的, 意识不清的 weak and unable to think clearly or walk correctly, usually because of tiredness or illness, If you feel groggy, you feel weak and rather ill. dazed or staggering, as from exhaustion, blows, or drunkenness I felt a little bit groggy for a couple of days after the operation. She was feeling a bit groggy when I saw her. weak and unable to think clearly or walk correctly, usually because of tiredness or illness. Slowed or weakened, as by drink, sleepiness, etc. The medicine made him groggy and irritable. I felt a little bit groggy for a couple of days after the operation. segue [ˈseɡ.weɪ] 丝滑切入, 丝滑切换, 无缝切换 noun. to move easily and without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject, or situation to another: His performance of "Caroline" segued into a cover version of "My Tears". ...a neat segue into an arrangement of 'Eleanor Rigby'. verb. If something such as a piece of music or conversation segues into another piece of music or conversation, it changes into it or is followed by it without a break. The piece segues into his solo with the strings. ...his film's attempt, in its latter sections, to segue into comedy. II. To segue into something such as a new situation, job, or mood means to move into it. New year sales will segue into closing down sales. She segued from school plays to silver screen with terrifying alacrity. The trend gives her a segue into rock chick. "sling bag" 挎包 could refer to many things, but in current colloquial American English the term refers to a bag designed much like a backpack 背包 but with a single strap that is worn over one shoulder and across the front of the torso instead of a strap for each shoulder, or a variation on such a design. tote bag [ˈtoʊt ˌbæɡ] 提包 a bag, usually made of cloth, with handles and an open top. glow up 女大十八变 [US, informal] If you say that someone glows up, you mean that they become more mature, confident, and attractive. It's time to glow up! Glow up is an informal term for a positive personal transformation, typically one involving significant changes in appearance and style and often also growth in confidence and maturity (and sometimes aspects of personal or professional life). The term is especially applied to teens and young adults, often as a way to point out how they have "grown into themselves, 长大了, 长大成人" perhaps after an "awkward phase 尴尬的阶段." On social media, the term is often used when posting before and after photos, such as an old school photo and a current photo. Glow up is also used as a verb, as in I saw him glow up during high school. Less commonly, glow up is used in reference to more temporary transformations, such the application of makeup. The term is typically applied to people, but it's sometimes applied to things, often to be somewhat humorous, as in This model is a major glow up from the last release. It's been amazing to witness Grace's glow up as she has transformed from an awkward tween into a TikTok trendsetter. 9. put a face to the name 想不起来长什么样子, 知道长什么样样子, 知道长相, 见到本人 To meet someone in person whom one has only heard about or interacted with via other means (such email or phone). Susan has told me so much about you, so it's great to put a face to the name. John Miller? Oh, it's so nice to finally put a face to the name after all of our calls! Come on in, please. put a name to (someone or something) 叫不上名字, 说不好, 说不出来, 说不上 to think of and say the name of (someone or something) Can you put a name to the face in this photograph? I couldn't put a name to the emotion I was feeling. engender cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition). If someone or something engenders a particular feeling, atmosphere, or situation, they cause it to occur. to make people have a particular feeling or make a situation start to exist: Her latest book has engendered a lot of controversy. The vice-president's speech did not engender confidence in his judgment. It helps engender a sense of common humanity. Mr Bowles could engender delight in students and musicians alike. "the issue engendered continuing controversy". Some experts on Sunday questioned whether adding local units — who may not receive the same level of training as Secret Service agents — could create risks given the profile of Trump and the enmity 敌意 he has engendered among his detractors. wear out I. 用废. 用烂. 操到死. be used until no longer in good condition or working order. When something wears out or when you wear it out, it is used so much that it becomes thin or weak and unable to be used any more. Every time she consulted her watch, she wondered if the batteries were wearing out. Horses used for long-distance riding tend to wear their shoes out more quickly. He wore out his shoes wandering around Mexico City. "the type was used again and again until it wore out". II. exhaust someone. If something wears you out, it makes you feel extremely tired. The past few days had really worn him out. The young people run around kicking a ball, wearing themselves out. The effect of the continuous attacks has been to wear out his troops. "an hour of this wandering wore him out". "Could there be a bigger threat profile than for President Biden and President Trump? That's as big as it gets," Chaffetz said. "They wear these agents out especially during the campaign. Part of what our report shows is they are spread too thin 疲于奔命. Now they are apparently relying heavily on local police. With all due respect to local law enforcement, they are just not trained up to do this." III. If someone wears out their welcome with you, or if it wears out, they spend a lot of time with you and you are no longer happy about it. You can also say that a feeling wears out or is worn out. 'Could you not stay with us?'—'Oh, we don't want to wear out our welcome.' His stubborn resistance eventually wore out the patience of his superiors. No matter how often they turn up, their welcome never wears out. worn out I. Something that is worn out is so old, damaged, or thin from use that it cannot be used any more. ...the car's worn out tyres. ...faded bits of worn-out clothing. II. Someone who is worn out is extremely tired after hard work or a difficult or unpleasant experience. Before the race, he is fine. But afterwards he is worn out. III. [disapproval] If you describe something such as an idea as worn out, you mean that it is no longer relevant or interesting because it is old and has been repeated many times. We must cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. 10. piffle [pɪfəl] 废话, 胡说八道 [informal, disapproval] If you describe what someone says as piffle, you think that it is nonsense. He talks such a load of piffle. Jo really does talk a lot of piffle sometimes. fantastical [fænˈtæstɪkəl] = fantastic 奇怪的, 怪异的, 莫名其妙的 adj I. strange and wonderful, like something out of a story: Fantastical Buddhist temples and medieval castles cling to Bhutan's misty valleys. II. so strange or extreme that it does not seem to be true or reasonable: Nobody knew what to make of the fantastical claims she had made to police. fantastic I. If you say that something is fantastic, you are emphasizing that you think it is very good or that you like it a lot. I have a fantastic social life. I thought she was fantastic. II. A fantastic amount or quantity is an extremely large one. ...fantastic amounts of money. ...a fantastically expensive restaurant. III. You describe something as fantastic or fantastical when it seems strange and wonderful or unlikely. Unlikely and fantastic legends grew up around a great many figures, both real and fictitious. The book has many fantastical aspects. Many of those mentions were expressions of sympathy for Trump or calls for unity. But many others made unfounded, fantastical claims. detractor 反对者, 批评者 The detractors of a person or thing are people who criticize that person or thing. someone who criticizes something or someone, often unfairly: His detractors claim that his fierce temper makes him unsuitable for leadership. This performance will silence many of his detractors. The news will have delighted detractors of the scheme. Videos of the shooting were quickly dissected in partisan echo chambers and Trump supporters and detractors looked for evidence to support their beliefs. 11. beholden 欠人情债的, 该你的, 该别人的, 欠人情的, 欠你的 adj. owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service. If you are beholden to someone, you are in debt to them in some way or you feel that you have a duty to them because they have helped you. He was made beholden to the Mafia. We feel really beholden to them for what they've done. "I don't like to be beholden to anybody". feeling you have a duty to someone because they have done something for you: They do not benefit from state subsidies and therefore are not beholden to the government. She wanted to be independent and beholden to no one. lo and behold [humorous, or literary, emphasis] Lo and behold or lo is used to emphasize a surprising event that is about to be mentioned, or to emphasize in a humorous way that something is not surprising at all. something that you say when you tell someone about something surprising that happened: I was in Vienna sitting quietly in a café when, lo and behold, my cousin walked in. He called the Minister of the Interior and, lo and behold, the prisoners were released. I looked and lo! every one of the men had disappeared. beholder a person who sees or looks at someone or something: Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. To the dismay and sorrow of the beholders, the building burned to the ground. in the eye of the beholder If you say that something such as beauty or art is in the eye of the beholder, you mean that it is a matter of personal opinion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 12. minuscule [mɪnɪskjuːl] 非常小的 adj. If you describe something as minuscule, you mean that it is very small. extremely small; tiny. "a minuscule fragment of DNA" The film was shot in 17 days, a minuscule amount of time. enormous [ɪˈnɔːməs] 超大的, 硕大的, 巨大的, 庞大的. 大量的 I. very large in size, quantity, or extent. Something that is enormous is extremely large in size or amount. The main bedroom is enormous. There is, of course, an enormous amount to see. "enormous sums of money". He ate an enormous helping of pasta 一大份的. The wealthy will get enormous tax cuts under the proposal. an enormous car/house. He earns an enormous salary. I was absolutely enormous when I was pregnant. You've been an enormous help. Some Americans take pride in their enormous Stanley cups and undertake water-related daily challenges, but others would always opt for soda if given the choice. II. 特别的. 非常的. You can use enormous to emphasize the great degree or extent of something. It was an enormous disappointment. This book was enormously influential. The new database will help horse breeders enormously. helping I. 一份的. an amount of food given to one person at one time. A helping of food is the amount of it that you get in a single serving. She gave them extra helpings of ice-cream. a small/large helping of pasta. II. You can refer to an amount of something, especially a quality, as a helping of that thing. It took a generous helping of entrepreneurial confidence to persevere during this incident. monolith [ˈmɒnəlɪθ] 冥顽不化, 顽石一块, 顽固不化 I. a large block of stone standing by itself that was put up by people in ancient times. A monolith is a very large, upright piece of stone, especially one that was put in place in ancient times. II. [disapproval] a large, powerful organization that is not willing to change and that does not seem interested in individual people. If you refer to an organization or system as a monolith, you are critical of it because it is very large and very slow to change, and it does not seem to have different parts with different characters. A deal between the two powerful institutions would have created a banking monolith. He said that the National Health Service had become a vast bureaucratic monolith. The US isn't a cultural monolith. Sure, some Americans take pride in their enormous Stanley cups and undertake water-related daily challenges, but others would always opt for soda if given the choice. plop noun. A plop is a soft, gentle sound, like the sound made by something dropping into water without disturbing the surface much. Another drop of water fell with a soft plop. The stone fell into the water with a plop. verb. I. If something plops somewhere, it drops there with a soft, gentle sound. to sit down or land heavily or without taking care, or to put something down without taking care. to sit down or land heavily, or to put something down heavily without taking care: He came over and plopped down next to me. He plopped the sandwich into the pan. He came and plopped down next to me. Lynn plopped a paper cup down beside her. I noticed drops of water plopping onto the carpet. The ice cream plopped to the ground. II. If you plop something somewhere, you drop it there gently and without making a loud noise. Just plop the noodles over the center of the sauce. She picked up the coffee pot, then plopped it down and went into the living room. In the US, you sit down at the table and you're given a huge glass of water with ice and it's not even a question – it's just plopped on the table. adv. with a soft sound like that of something solid dropping lightly into a liquid: Her earring went plop into the soup. The egg tumbled to the edge of the plate and fell plop to the floor. 13. dichotomy 不同, 差异 If there is a dichotomy between two things, there is a very great difference or opposition between them. a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things: dichotomy between There is often a dichotomy between what politicians say and what they do. There is a dichotomy between the academic world and the industrial world.
