用法学习: 1. shortfall 不足, 不够, 缺口 I. an amount that is less than the level that was expected or needed: The drought caused serious shortfalls in the food supply. The county had to close three of its four libraries because of a budget shortfall. II. the difference between the amount of something, especially money, that you have and the amount that you need: a shortfall of sth The state is facing a budget shortfall of $1.75 billion for the fiscal year. But, despite the shortfall in numbers, they never allowed the slightly younger kids to play with them, no matter how much they pleaded with the older boys. a shortfall in sth The organization is grappling with a major shortfall in its final salary pension scheme. a shortfall on sth I recently received notification of a potential shortfall on my low-cost endowment. make up/cover/meet a shortfall 填补缺口. a pension/funding/budget shortfall. 2. It was record chills in NY [like ONE degrees], and record numbers of crowds as everyone bundled together for hours on end, waiting for the festivities to begin! There was a full slate of performers [singers, dancers, comedians, musicians] on the roster to keep us amused. I was bundled in layers 穿了厚厚的衣服, 裹着厚厚的衣服 of clothes. We were standing on the sidewalk, my waist pressed against the metal gate divider aligning the streets at the front of the crowd. 3. flotsam [ˈflɒt.səm] I. 浮木. 漂浮的垃圾. 飘浮的垃圾. pieces of broken wood and other waste materials found on the beach or floating on the sea. Flotsam is rubbish, for example bits of wood and plastic, that is floating on the sea or has been left by the sea on the shore. The water was full of flotsam and refuse. We wandered along the shore, stepping over the flotsam that had washed up in the night. Without realizing what I was doing until it was done, I slipped out of my clothes. Naked, I was drawn into the shower-room like a piece of flotsam caught in a whirlpool. II. anything or anyone that is not wanted or not considered to be important or useful. You can use flotsam to refer to people who do not have homes or jobs and perhaps have had to leave their own country. He was another of the city's flotsam. The homeless sleep in doorways and stations - we step over their bodies like so much human flotsam. flotsam [ˈflɒt.səm] and jetsam [ˈdʒet.səm](In maritime law, flotsam, jetsam, lagan, and derelict are terms for various types of property lost or abandoned at sea. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the remains of a ship that has been wrecked, whether it has sunk or is floating on the surface of the water.) You can use flotsam and jetsam to refer to small or unimportant items that are found together, especially ones that have no connection with each other. ...cornflake packets, bottles, and all the flotsam and jetsam of the kitchen. ...flotsam and jetsam on the beach. Flotsam is debris from a shipwreck that floats on the water, while jetsam is cargo that is deliberately thrown overboard from a ship in distress. The key difference is that flotsam is from an accident, whereas jetsam is intentionally discarded to lighten the load. The terms can also be used colloquially to describe miscellaneous, discarded items or even a person's life or career. 4. slosh [slɒʃ] 摇晃, 摇荡, 晃荡, 游荡 (of a liquid) to move around noisily in the bottom of a container, or to cause liquid to move around in this way by making rough movements. (of a liquid) to hit against the inside of a container, or to cause liquid to move around in this way: I could hear you sloshing around in the bath. We sloshed through the puddles. She sloshed (= poured without care) some more brandy into her glass. Water sloshed over the sides of the pool as the children jumped in. John sloshed juice on his jacket by pouring too fast. The following February, I looked out the window of the bus as it sloshed through puddles of warm rain that had accumulated on the surface of interstate 10. Limp hair (no volume, no life, no body, no bounce, droopy, lifeless) 贴头皮的, 太贴的, 软哒哒的头发, 塌塌的头发, 平平的头发, 没有生气的头发(voluminous: full, bouncy, airy, and lifted, Voluminous hair = Full-bodied hair = Thick-looking hair = Bouncy hair = Lifted hair = Lively hair. ) ( limp adj. 软哒哒的. soft and neither firm nor stiff: The salad consisted of a few limp lettuce leaves. limp 没劲的 handshake. She took my hand and gave me a limp handshake. limp salad. noun. a way of walking slowly and with difficulty because of having an injured or painful leg or foot: slight limp I noticed for the first time that she had a slight limp. walk with a limp He walks with a limp due to an accident when he was younger. I suffered damage to my knee which left me with a permanent limp. ) refers to hair that lacks volume, looks flat, and has a lifeless or droopy appearance. It may be difficult to style, lacks bounce, and tends to lie close to the scalp. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including fine hair texture 发质太细, natural oils weighing it down, incorrect product use, and harsh chemical treatments. Limp hair is flat, lifeless, and lacks body, often lying close to the scalp, while voluminous hair 蓬松的, 发量多的(luxuriant hair 秀发, 浓密的头发) has fullness, bounce, and lift, appearing airy and full of movement. Limp hair can be caused by excess oil, heavy products, or genetics, whereas voluminous hair is a result of good haircuts, styling techniques, and product choice that support and lift the hair from the roots. "Limp hair" is hair that just kind of hangs straight down. It doesn't have "body." It is usually considered unattractive. "Floppy hair" is a description that is usually used for teenage boys in boy bands, tv shows, and movies. When it's used to describe someone older, it means that they still have a kind of boyish charm. It's part of what makes them cute. I've never heard a woman described as having floppy hair. Limp hair is like hair when it is wet or oily and flat. Floppy hair would be bouncy and maybe even curly. "Floppy hair" refers to hair that is soft, loose, and hangs down loosely, often with a relaxed, soft, and wavy style, characterized by a lack of stiffness and a tendency to be styled in a messy or tousled ( tousled [ˈtaʊ.zəld] 乱蓬蓬的头发 having hair that looks untidy, as if it has been rubbed. If you have tousled hair, it is untidy and looks as if it has not been brushed or combed. He invariably dressed in crumpled clothes and his thatch of blond hair was often tousled. Naomi stood in front of them, her face flushed, her hair tousled. He came to breakfast, all tousled, in last night's clothes. ) way. It is a style popular in the past (e.g., 1990s boy bands) and currently see popularity through trends like "mop top" or "eBoy" haircuts, which are achieved through specific cuts, styling techniques, and products that create volume and texture. 5. know from a bar of soap (UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, idiomatic, informal) To know; to be acquainted with (a person). After she won the lottery, Marge had long-lost relatives she didn't know from a bar of soap come up to her to ask for money. Usage notes: This expression is more commonly used in its negative form. not know (someone) from a bar of soap 完全不认识 To be completely unaware of or know nothing about someone; to have never met the person indicated. My girlfriend got really excited when a movie star apparently walked past us, but I wouldn't know him from a bar of soap. Someone I wouldn't know from a bar of soap just contacted me online, claiming to be a distant relative. stodgy [ˈstɒdʒ.i] 热量高的, 饱腹感强的 informal disapproving Stodgy food is heavy and unhealthy, sometimes in an unpleasant way. (of food) heavy, filling, and high in carbohydrates. Stodgy food is very solid and heavy. It makes you feel very full, and is difficult to digest. He was disgusted with the stodgy pizzas on sale in London. "he loves stodgy puddings". I've been eating too many stodgy puddings. II. If you describe someone or something as stodgy, you dislike them or are bored by them because they are very old-fashioned or serious. They're not cultured or interesting, they are boring stodgy old things. "Furfy = furphy" I. 麻烦 (throw sb a furfy) Australian slang for an inconvenient, awkward, or bothersome situation; a hassle or fuss. It can also describe a person who is being difficult or making trouble. Common usages and nuances. Refers to a mildly annoying problem or complication: "We had a bit of a furfy with the bookings." II. Tone is informal and mildly pejorative; not strongly offensive. Describes someone causing friction or being obstructive: "He caused a furfy at the meeting." Etymology and related terms: Likely derived from British/Australian colloquial roots; similar in sense to "to-do," "hassle," or "stitch-up" depending on context. Regionally used in Australia and New Zealand; frequency has declined but still understood in informal speech. III. a rumour (= unofficial interesting story or piece of news that might be either true or invented). a rumour or story, especially one that is untrue or absurd. "I remembered the schoolyard furphies about sewer gangs". In Australian slang, a "furphy" is a false rumor, a tall tale, or an absurd story. The term originated during World War I when soldiers gathered around water carts made by the Furphy family in Victoria, where they would share gossip. These water carts became meeting points for exchanging rumors, and the stories told at these carts eventually became known as "furphies". 6. get some tail 勾搭女人, 四处调情, 四处发骚 slang Typically of a man, to have sex or engage in sexual activity with (usually) a woman. I'm a little bit tired of going to parties with Steve—he just spends the entire night trying to get some tail. How'd the date go last night? Did you get some tail? He's not a relationship-type of guy. He's clearly just looking to get some tail. chase [some] tail To be on the hunt for a (usually sexual) partner. Let's go out clubbing tonight and chase some tail. be chasing your [own] tail 瞎忙活, 白忙, 徒劳无功 to be busy doing a lot of things but achieving very little. to spend a lot of time and energy doing something, but achieving nothing. It feels great to be making some progress on this project at last, and not just chasing my own tail. get (one's) tail (somewhere) = get one's tail somewhere fast! = and get one's tail somewhere now! = and get one's tail somewhere immediately! slang To move to some place or thing quickly. You better get your tail in there—Mom's looking for you. I heard the bell ring and got my tail inside immediately. Sorry, I can't talk now—I need to get my tail to a budget meeting. get some tail slang Typically of a man, to have sex or engage in sexual activity with (usually) a woman. I'm a little bit tired of going to parties with Steve—he just spends the entire night trying to get some tail. How'd the date go last night? Did you get some tail? He's not a relationship-type of guy. He's clearly just looking to get some tail. slinky I. (女士服装)线条优美的, 紧身而性感的, (音乐或舞蹈)舒缓而有性挑逗的, 柔媚的 (of women's clothes) made of delicate cloth and fitting the body closely in a way that is sexually attractive. Slinky clothes fit very closely to a woman's body in a way that makes her look sexually attractive. She's wearing a slinky black mini-skirt. a slinky black dress. II. (of music or dancing) slow and suggesting sex: There's some very slinky dancing going on tonight! Donny was replaced by Sean [a tall/slinky doofus for brains]! His cock was as long and slinky 细长的 as his body, as he slipped his 10" cock into my well seeded hole. saunter [ˈsɔːn.tər] 闲走, 闲庭信步, 悠闲地走 verb. to walk in a slow and relaxed way, often in no particular direction. If you saunter somewhere, you walk there in a slow, casual way. We watched our fellow students saunter into the building. He sauntered along the river to the mill. She began a slow saunter toward the bonfires. He sauntered by, looking very pleased with himself. noun. a slow and relaxed walk, often in no particular direction: I took a little saunter through the town. It was just an idle saunter in a lovely English lane. 7. luscious [ˈlʌʃəs] I. 鲜嫩多汁的. (of food or drink) having a pleasingly rich, sweet taste. Luscious food is juicy and very good to eat. ...a small apricot tree which bore luscious fruit. "a luscious and fragrant dessert wine". II. 茂盛的. 丰茂的appealing strongly to the senses; pleasingly rich. "the luscious brush strokes and warm colours of these late masterpieces". Robertson has brought her dog, Mac, a huge, luscious brown flat-coated retriever who she keeps under control using a rope lead, gentle commands, a whistle and a pungent bum bag of sprats 一种鱼 from which she occasionally feeds him. Sprat is the common name applied to a group of forage fish belonging to the genus Sprattus in the family Clupeidae. III. sexually attractive. If you describe a person or something about them as luscious, you mean that you find them or this thing sexually attractive. ...a luscious 性感, 丰乳肥臀的 young blonde. What I like most about Gabby is her luscious lips! "he'll fall for a luscious Spanish girl who can match him in passion". lascivious [ləˈsɪviəs] 色欲的, 淫秽的, 淫荡的 [disapproval] feeling or revealing an overt sexual interest or desire. expressing a strong desire for sexual activity. If you describe someone as lascivious, you disapprove of them because they show a very strong interest in sex. The man was lascivious, sexually perverted and insatiable. ...their lewd and lascivious talk. a lascivious smile "he gave her a lascivious wink". Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense, "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", "unchaste", "licentious", "libidinous" or "lustful". imperceptibly [ˌɪmpəˈsɛptɪbli] 让人注意不到的, 微微的, 些微的, 不易察觉的 in a way that is so slight, gradual, or subtle as not to be perceived. in a very slight way that a person is unable to notice or feel: Gradually, almost imperceptibly, her condition had worsened. The glacier is an imperceptibly slow-moving river of jagged ice. "the corners of her mouth rose almost imperceptibly". When they brought her in to the emergency room, her breathing was imperceptible. Imperceptibly, the day grew darker. Finally, just holding the sperm-wet cock still as it almost imperceptibly lost its hardness, Peter asked, "Well? Was that nice an' sexy then? You really shot a lot you know!" And, as Peter didn't tell the boy, he had shot it all quite a way as well! 8. stallion (mare [mɛː]: 母马, brood mare. stud 也有种马农场的意思 ) 没有去势的公马. an adult male horse that is used for breeding. A stallion is a male horse, especially one kept for breeding. His first crop as a stallion won three of the five juvenile races. stud [stʌd] I. 公马. 种马. a group of animals, especially high-quality horses, kept for breeding: She works at a stud in Kentucky that breeds Thoroughbreds." (Here, "stud" means the farm). "He is the top stallion at the stud. David Grenfell runs a 170-acre stud farm in Co. Wexford, Ireland. put (out) to stud kept for breeding: The Derby winner Generous will be put to stud at the end of the season. II. a man who is considered to be attractive and skilled sexually: He thinks he's a real stud. III. 门上等用于装饰性的金属凸出. 门钉. a small nail or piece of metal, with a large, rounded top, that is attached to the surface of something, usually for decoration. IV. a small piece of metal jewellery that is put through a part of your body such as your ear or nose: gold studs. a nose stud. IV. = US cleat 鞋钉 any of the small, pointed objects that stick out from the bottom of some boots and shoes used in particular sports, for example football. studs showing/up with the studs of your football boots pointing at a player's leg when you tackle them: A sliding tackle with the studs up is illegal in most leagues. V. a fastener made from two small flat parts joined together by a short bar, used for clothing, for example to fix collars onto shirts. press stud 摁扣, 按扣 (snap fastener, snap US): a small piece of metal or plastic used to fasten clothes with two usually round parts, one of which is pushed into the other. VI. a small piece of metal, many of which are attached to special tyres used for driving in the snow. 9. mileage I. Mileage refers to the distance that you have travelled, measured in miles. Most of their mileage is in and around town. II. 里程. The mileage of a vehicle is the number of miles that it can travel using one gallon or litre of fuel. They are willing to pay up to $500 more for cars that get better mileage. III. 益处. 作用. 优势, 用处, 重要性, 好处. The mileage in a particular course of action is its usefulness in getting you what you want. the advantage that you can get from a situation: There's no mileage in complaining to the director - she'll just ignore you. political mileage. It's obviously important to get as much mileage out of the convention as possible. The administration clearly decided there was no mileage in provoking a huge row with Congress. get/gain mileage from sth The prime minister's critics have accused him of trying to gain political mileage from the disaster. mileage in (doing) sth There's no mileage in complaining to the Director - she'll just ignore you. IV. (mileage allowance) the amount of money that you are paid or that you must pay for each mile you travel: The car costs £70 a day to rent, but you get unlimited mileage (= no charge for the miles travelled). V. the amount of money that you are paid for each mile you travel: It emerged that he had claimed for mileage on two days when he was on holiday. (your) mileage may vary used for saying that someone might have a different experience in a particular situation. I actually love working from home, but your mileage may vary. I know mileage may vary but I did feel very tired and achy after my second shot. 10. gatekeep 控制资源, 控制信息 the practice of controlling access to information, advanced levels of study, elite sections of society, etc. to try to control who gets particular resources, power, or opportunities, and who does not: The system gatekeeps quite well. A key task of the facilitator is to gatekeep group interaction so that more confident members are helped to learn how not to dominate quieter members. untapped 未开发的, 未利用的 (under-tapped) adj. Not tapped; not drawn on in terms of resources. If a supply of something valuable is untapped, it is not yet used or taken advantage of. not drawn upon or utilized as yet. of a supply of something valuable) not yet used or taken advantage of: The country's forests are largely untapped resources. untapped markets. untapped assets/resources/markets/talent. There is a wealth of untapped demand for their products. He sees a huge untapped market for cutting-edge green exports. The Gulf of Guinea has some of the world's greatest untapped oil reserves. untapped potential/resources/sources. tap I. to strike (something) lightly and usually repeatedly. I could hear him tapping his fingers on the desk. tap against The branches tapped against the window. tap your feet I was tapping my feet (= hitting the floor gently with my feet) to the music. tap someone on the shoulder Someone tapped me on the shoulder. to tap the table. to tap on the table. II. to produce by striking in this way. to tap a rhythm. III. (transitive) to strike lightly with (something) to tap one's finger on the desk. IV. to touch the screen of an electronic device as a means of inputting a command. to touch the screen of a phone, tablet computer, etc. in order to give an instruction for something to happen. You can manage the repeat and shuffle options by tapping the screen once and swiping to the left. tap on When I tapped on the update button, the screen went blank. V. (intransitive) to walk with a tapping sound. she tapped 得得的走 across the floor. VI. to attach metal or leather reinforcing pieces to (the toe or heel of a shoe). VII. informal (of a sports team or an employer) to make an illicit attempt to recruit (a player or employee bound by an existing contract). VIII. to write something by hitting the keys of a keyboard: Airline staff members hurriedly tapped keyboards and searched flight times. tap away He was quietly tapping away on his laptop. tap at His secretary answered the phone and tapped at her keyboard. IX. to touch a card gently against an electronic device, for example in order to pay for something or be allowed to go somewhere: Passengers pay for individual bus journeys by tapping their bank cards on a reader when they get on. They give you a special card and you have to tap to enter. X. to get or make use of something: For more than a century, Eastern cities have expanded their water supplies by tapping ever more remote sources. There is a rich vein of literary talent here just waiting to be tapped by publishers. XI. to use a small device attached to a phone in order to listen secretly to what people are saying: tap a phone He suspected that his phone had been tapped. XII. to choose someone to do a particular job: tap someone for something She was tapped for the job because she had a lot of relevant experience. tap someone to do something In June 1943, Kauffman was tapped to establish an underwater demolition school at Fort Pierce, Fla. XIII. to put a small tube into a hole made in the trunk of a tree and let the sap (= liquid) inside flow out through the tube: The new trees take about six years until they're ready to tap 抽树液. tap something from something Like syrup tapped from a maple tree, the liquid flows out into collection cups fixed to the base of each tree. XIV. to make a sound by moving the tongue to very quickly hit the alveolar ridge: In American English, the /t/ in "butter" is often tapped. Listen to how the tongue taps in the word "city". tap out I. in mixed martial arts and similar sports, to tap the floor to show that you accept that your competitor has beaten you: Suddenly he dropped to his knees and tapped out. II. to stop trying to do something: You can't tap out until you've given it your absolute best effort. After years of trying to keep the business afloat with no success, she decided it was time to tap out and sell everything. III. (= tap off) to touch a payment device against an electronic device as you get off a bus or other form of transport in order to complete payment for your travel: To pay your bus fare by card, you need to tap in and tap out. IV. If you forget to tap out you'll be charged to the last stop on that route, which may cost more than the fare to where you got off. They are considering introducing a system where passengers have to tap on and tap off. You will not be overcharged as long as you remember to tap off upon leaving the bus so we can work out the correct fare to charge you. 11. straitjacket = straightjacket 约束衣, 束缚, 桎梏 I. a special item of clothing like a coat that ties the arms to the body and limits the movement of a violent or mentally ill person. a strong piece of special clothing that ties the arms to the body and is used for limiting the movements of dangerous prisoners and mentally ill patients whose behaviour is violent: Brody was locked in a padded cell and forced to wear a straitjacket. II. disapproving something that severely limits development or activity in a way that is damaging: He refused to be fitted into any ideological straitjacket. Lou Haigh, a former Labour Cabinet minister, has called the OBR an "unelected institution dictating the limits of government ambition". And just last week the Trades Union Congress accused the "unaccountable OBR" of being a "straitjacket on growth". So, ahead of Wednesday's Budget, is the OBR really the tail wagging the Treasury dog - and if so, could this partly be at Labour's own hand for having changed the department's role in the first place? elective adj. I. (of a medical treatment) done at a time chosen by the patient, rather than needed urgently: elective surgery 可做可不做的手术 Medication should be stopped two days before elective surgery. This procedure was elective and non-urgent. She had her first child by an elective Caesarean section. II. An elective position or system is one that involves people voting. An elective post or committee is one to which people are appointed as a result of winning an election. Buchanan has never held elective office. elective office I am considering seeking elective office as a way to bring about change. At the beginning of the twelfth century, elective monarchy gradually gave way to hereditary monarchy in Europe. noun. an optional course of study. a subject that someone chooses to study, in addition to the subjects that they have to study. An elective is a subject which a student can choose to study as part of his or her course. Electives are offered in Tai Chi and advanced dance exercise. During the MBA you will choose ten to twelve electives 选修课 from a large and varied portfolio. curly 打着卷的, 打着弯的 I. Curly hair is full of curls. I've got naturally curly hair. Her hair was dark and curly. II. Curly is sometimes used to describe things that are curved or spiral in shape. ...cauliflowers with extra-long curly leaves. ...dragons with curly tails. ...spectacular curly water slides. III. Australian and New Zealand 难以反驳的. 难以回答的. difficult to counter or answer a curly question. Can I/we have the check? A literal request for the check at a restaurant so that one can pay and leave. We have to leave soon if we're going to make this train, so can we have the check, please? No, we're done eating. Can we have the check? Thanks so much. A: "Any coffee or dessert?" B: "No thanks, can I just have the check?" work with children check 和儿童工作许可: A Working With Children Check (WWCC) is a criminal history screening process to determine if an individual is suitable to work with children. It involves a national police check and a review of workplace misconduct, and if cleared, the person can work or volunteer in child-related roles. The check is a legal requirement in many Australian states and territories for those in child-related positions. 12. What is mammalian [məˈmeɪliən] meat allergy? The tick-induced condition, also known as alpha-gal syndrome, is a potentially life-threatening allergy to mammalian meats such as beef, pork and lamb, and sometimes in gelatine and fats. Professor van Nunen said if you have been bitten by a tick, "don't disturb it, because that's when it will squirt the allergen into you". "If you've got a tick, you freeze it — don't squeeze it." About a centimetre above the insect, Professor van Nunen recommends spraying 'Tick-off' — a freezing medication and then allowing it to drop off. If the tick does not fall off, the safest way to have it removed is by your general practitioner or by visiting an emergency department, unless you are confident about extracting yourself with fine tipped forceps 手术钳(Forceps are a type of hinged, handheld instrument used for grasping and holding objects, often in medical, dental, and laboratory settings. They function as an extension of the fingers, allowing for precise manipulation of small or delicate items that are difficult to hold by hand. ).
