Monday 30 September 2024

I need it yesterday; I want it done yesterday; bottle shop, liquor store, off-license; weave 植发; Marionette lines 法令纹

用法学习: 1. bad part of town (informal) A dilapidated area of a city where many people live in a state of poverty and in which crime is more common than in other portions of the city. the wrong/other side of the tracks a part of a town that is considered poor and dangerous: Her boyfriend came from the wrong side of the tracks. plucky 勇敢的 [journalism, approval] If someone, for example a sick child, is described as plucky, it means that although they are weak, they face their difficulties with courage. It was plucky of you to chase after the burglar. The plucky five-year-old was determined to overcome her fear and hand-feed a donkey. gumption 勇气, 才能, 能力 I. If someone has gumption, they are able to think what it would be sensible to do in a particular situation, and they do it. Surely anyone with marketing gumption should be able to sell good books at any time of year. II. If someone has the gumption to do something, they are brave enough to do it the ability to decide what is the best thing to do in a particular situation, and to do it with energy and determination: have the gumption to She had the gumption to write directly to the company manager and persuade him to give her a job. He suspected that deep down, she admired him for having the gumption to disagree with her. We felt that here's a chance, it's the right moment, and if we are successful … people will thank us for actually having the gumption to get up and have a go and to provide competition to Qantas. batting average Cricket Baseball I. in cricket, the average number of runs scored by a batsman in each innings: He finishes the one-day series with the highest batting average of his team. In test matches at home, their top batsman has a batting average of 60. II. in baseball, the average number of hits by a batter each time he or she is at bat In the past, batting average, home runs, and RBI were the only statistics most fans cared about. He has a batting average of .305 with 27 home runs this season. I would say that certainly, I've made some bad decisions, but I think the batting average is not too bad in the lead-up to COVID. 2. long in the tooth 太老了, 年纪大了 [informal, disapproval] If you describe someone as long in the tooth, you are saying unkindly or humorously that they are old or getting old. to be old, often too old to do something: Aren't I a bit long in the tooth to start being an undergraduate? He's a little long in the tooth to be wearing shorts, don't you think? dispensary 药房, 取药处 is an office in a school, hospital, industrial plant, or other organization that dispenses medications, medical supplies, and in some cases even medical and dental treatment. In a traditional dispensary set-up, a pharmacist dispenses medication per the prescription or order form. a place where medicines are prepared and given out, often in a hospital. A dispensary is a place, for example in a hospital, where medicines are prepared and given out. She opened a dispensary. "Tall, dark, and handsome" is a phrase that refers to an appealing man. It originates from cheap romantic fiction produced in the early 1900s. (of a potential romantic partner) Mysterious and physically appealing. The stereotypical traits of an attractive man, as are often found in the heroes of romance novels and films. Supposedly what a woman wants in a man's appearance. This standard description of the romantic hero found in women's fiction of the first half of the 1900s was given further currency by the 1941 film, Tall, Dark, and Handsome. It starred dark-haired, good-looking Cesar Romero as an underworld boss who is really a softie at heart. She kept waiting for someone tall, dark, and handsome to come into her life and sweep her off her feet. Tom was wealthy and mysterious. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He was, in short, totally dreamy. Usage notes: This phrase is a well-known cliché in romantic fiction aimed at women, and in fortune-telling where a person's future partner is described. See also strong silent type. currency 接受度 If a custom, idea, or word has currency, it is used and accepted by a lot of people at a particular time. the state of being commonly known or accepted, or of being used in many places: wide currency 广泛接受 His ideas enjoyed wide currency during the last century. gain currency 获得认可 Many informal expressions are gaining currency in serious newspapers. His theory of the social contract had wide currency in America. 'Loop' is one of those computer words that has gained currency in society. common currency 广泛认可 If you say that an idea or belief has become common currency, you mean it is widely used and accepted. The story that she was trapped in a loveless marriage became common currency. 3. be like chalk and cheese 天壤之别, 截然相反, 截然不同 If two people are like chalk and cheese, they are completely different from each other: My brother and I are like chalk and cheese. itinerant [ʌɪˈtɪnərənt] adj. An itinerant worker 打一枪换一个地方, 流动工人, 北漂, 外地打工人 travels around a region, working for short periods in different places. travelling from one place to another, usually to work for a short period: an itinerant journalist/labourer/preacher. ...the author's experiences as an itinerant musician. noun. An itinerant is someone whose way of life involves travelling around, usually someone who is poor and homeless. a person who travels from one place to another, usually to work for a short period: Itinerants worked in the salt marshes and shrimp farms. He lived as an itinerant, earning or begging his bread as he went. twirl 转圈 (fire twirling 火舞) I. 缠绕. to turn something quickly several times: He twirled the ribbon around the stick. He twirled his umbrella as he walked. She twirled her baton high in the air as she led the parade. II. to give a sudden quick turn or set of turns in a circle: She danced and twirled across the room. The dancers hopped and wiggled and twirled around the stage. noun. the act of giving something a quick turn or set of turns, or of suddenly turning quickly: She did a twirl in her new skirt. He gave a twirl of his cane. She does a twirl 转个圈  to show off her pretty dress. Fire performance is a group of performance arts or skills that involve the manipulation of fire. Fire performance typically involves equipment or other objects made with one or more wicks which are designed to sustain a large enough flame to create a visual effect. Fire performance includes skills based on juggling, baton twirling 棍舞, poi spinning, and other forms of object manipulation. It also includes skills such as fire breathing, fire eating, and body burning; sometimes called fakir skills. Fire performance has various styles of performance including fire dancing; the use of fire as a finale in an otherwise non-fire performance; and the use of fire skills as 'dangerous' stunts. Performances can be done as choreographed routines to music (this type being related to dance or rhythmic gymnastics); as freestyle (performed to music or not) performances; or performed with vocal interaction with the audience. Some aspect of fire performance can be found in a wide variety of cultural traditions and rituals from around the world. 4. "I want it done yesterday" is a common dictum designed to both task a specific work effort and give emphasis to its importance. If you never heard this said by your boss, then you're new to the workplace. When a leader gives a directive, it needs to be clear, concise, logical, and convincing. Factiousness, sarcasm, joking, subtleties, or in any way could lend itself to the wrong idea is an unforced error on the part of a leader.  Simple leadership advice … don't resort to methods that are easily distorted or misinterpreted. Earlier this month I wrote about a line I'd heard in a movie. "Take care of it," was said by Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) in a classic Vietnam War movie, Apocalypse Now (1970).  He was trying to tell his men to scare off the Viet Cong enemy so they could quickly get back on their original mission. Things didn't go well in the movie for Captain Willard and it will not go well for leaders when they give bad advice. Leaders are often quick to give these directives so it is imperative that if we are on the receiving end, we should ask for additional clarification and specificity. If we have given this advice in the past, don't repeat it. Leader guidance 领导的意思,上面的旨意 is frequently misinterpreted either inadvertently or sometimes purposefully. Don't take the risk by telling anyone you want something done yesterday. used to describe that you want something quick done right away...waving a magic wand anytime u want, something done right away, as soon as possible, see open sesame. And I need it yesterday There are many instances when the characters talk about needing something done yesterday and that yesterday does not come for a week sometimes, lol. I liked the way it's used to show urgency in a subtle way. Anyone else feels the same? need (something) yesterday To need, require, or desire something very urgently or as soon as possible. James, I need those expense reports yesterday! We can't start the meeting without them! I had a look at your car. Its engine needs a total overhaul, like, yesterday. Inf. an answer to the question "When do you need this?" (Indicates that the need is urgent.) Bob: When do you need that urgent survey? Bill: I need it yesterday. Mary: Where's the Wilson contract? Sue: Do you need it now? Mary: I need it yesterday! Where is it? 5. fiddler I. 小提琴手 a violin player. A fiddler is someone who plays the violin, especially one who plays folk music. And the fiddler played another little tune. II. A fiddler is someone who lies or dishonestly alters financial documents in order to get money for themselves. fiddler on the roof: The film centers on Tevye, a Jewish milkman, and his family, who live in the small village. Tevye is poor despite working hard, as most other Jews in Anatevka. He and his wife, Golde, have five daughters, and cannot afford a dowry to marry them off. Tevye explains that the lot of the Jews in Russia is as precarious as a fiddler on a roof, trying to eke out a pleasant tune while not breaking their necks. What keeps them alive is the balance they achieve through obedience to their ancient traditions. The fiddler appears throughout the film as a metaphoric reminder of the Jews' ever-present fears and danger. empath [ˈɛmpæθ] a person who possesses the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person's feelings; empathist. (especially in science fiction stories) a person who has an unusually strong ability to feel other people's emotional or mental states: I think Barry is actually an empath, one of those people who is able to absorb and reflect the feelings of others. Be home safe 一路安全, 路上小心(送别时说的话). 6. spiral noun & adj. A spiral is a shape which winds round and round, with each curve above or outside the previous one. shaped in a series of curves, each one above or wider than the one before: a spiral galaxy. ...a spiral staircase 旋转楼梯. New playground equipment includes a large spiral slide 旋转滑梯. downward spiral a situation in which a price, etc. becomes lower, or a situation gets worse and is difficult to control because one bad event causes another. Roy was bitter about the downward spiral of his life (= it was becoming continuously worse). This year's downward spiral of house prices has depressed the market. in American football, a kick or throw of the ball that spins on its long axis (= imaginary straight line going through the centre of an object that is spinning) as it is thrown in the air: The quarterback threw a perfect spiral into the hands of the wide receiver. spiral-shaped A corkscrew is spiral-shaped. verb. I. If something spirals or is spiralled somewhere, it grows or moves in a spiral curve. Vines spiraled upward toward the roof. ...a bullet spiralling out of a gun barrel. Did you notice whether the roots were spiralled round the pot? Larks were rising in spirals from the ridge. II. If an amount or level spirals, it rises quickly and at an increasing rate. Production costs began to spiral. ...a spiralling trend of violence. The unemployment rate is spiralling upwards. ...an inflationary spiral...a spiral of debt. III. If an amount or level spirals downwards, it falls quickly and at an increasing rate. spiral downwards UK =  US usually spiral downward (of prices, etc.) to become less, at a faster and faster rate: Employees were demanding higher wages at a time when productivity was spiralling downwards. House prices will continue to spiral downwards. IV. If a situation spirals, it quickly gets worse in a way that becomes more and more difficult to control: spiral out of control Violence in the country is threatening to spiral out of control. spiral into The housing slump has spiralled into a credit crisis. V. If a person spirals, their mental health becomes worse: He has learnt to recognize when he is spiralling. spiral into She spiralled into depression after the death of her brother. a spiral of sth The world's two biggest economies are caught in a spiral of borrowing. This year's downward spiral of house prices has depressed the market. My former colleagues have been stuck in a spiral that continues to say, the only way we can continue our profit margins is to cut good journalism, and that is to me a death spiral. 7. simp (desperate for affections especially from girls): Urban Dictionary's top definition of a simp is "someone who does way too much for a person they like." Other definitions on the crowdsourced online dictionary include "a guy that is overly desperate for women, especially if she is a bad person, or has expressed her disinterest in him whom which he continues to obsess over." "'Simp' is slang for a person (typically a man) who is desperate for the attention and affection of someone else (typically a woman)," said Connor Howlett, then a digital strategist in New York City in 2021, in an email to CNN. "Think the energy of puppy dog eyes but manifested in a romantic, human form," Howlett said. "It's used in an insulting manner. Though typically playful, there are definitely undertones of toxic masculinity since it's related to showing too much emotion." 8. Oryx ( [ˈɒrɪks] 剑羚羊) is a genus consisting of four large antelope 羚羊 ( Tibetan antelope 藏羚羊) species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which lacks dark markings on the legs, only has faint dark markings on the head, has an ochre neck, and has horns that are clearly decurved 向下弯的, 弧状的, 弧度的 ( (especially of a bird's bill) bent or curved downwards. curved downward a decurved bill. decurved petals. ). The oryx is the national animal of Namibia, the State of Qatar, and the company Qatar Airways has an oryx as its logo. first things first 第一要着, 最重要的事, 第一个要看的 used to tell someone that more important things should be done before less important things. important matters should be dealt with before other things. You say 'first things first' when you are talking about something that should be done or dealt with before anything else because it is the most important. Let's see if we can't find something to set the mood. First things first; some music. "I suggest we get our priorities right—first things first". First things first, let's have something to eat. 9. the best things in life are free Often the things that have the most value or quality cost nothing; the price of something does not always properly indicate its value. Experiencing the love of a baby is really life-changing. It's so true that the best things in life are free. My mom always tries to buy me all of these fancy gifts, but I try to remind her that the best things in life are free. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? This idiom is usually used to refer to men who don't want to get married, when they can get all the benefits of marriage without getting married. Do not expect somebody to make a costly commitment if it will give them nothing they do not already have; used especially as a warning against having sexual intercourse before marriage. a. If someone is already able to obtain some commodity or benefit freely or easily, then they won't be inclined to pay for the source of it. The ability to read the news for free from countless websites on the Internet has dealt a huge blow to the newspaper industry. After all, why buy a cow when you can get milk for free? I don't have a car because someone always gives me a ride to work. Why buy a cow when you can get milk for free? Mary told her daughter, "You may think that boy will marry you because you're willing to sleep with him, but why should he buy a cow if he can get milk for free?" b. If a man is already having sexual intercourse with his partner, then he won't be inclined to commit to marriage. There are myriad reasons why I don't want to get married, but my girlfriend thinks my stance boils down to "Why buy a cow when you can get the milk for free?" why buy a book when you can join a library? (humorous) Being available for sexual relationships with various people is preferable to committing oneself to a single partner. 10. bottle shop AU = liquor store, package store in US 酒庄, 酒铺 a store that sells wines, liquor, etc., by the bottle; liquor store. off-licence = offie = offy in UK British I. a shop that sells mainly alcoholic drinks to be taken away and drunk at home. a shop selling alcoholic drink for consumption elsewhere. I'm going to the off-licence to buy some snacks. II. a licence permitting the sale of alcoholic drink by a shop for consumption elsewhere. 6. Category 5 cable (Cat 5) is a twisted pair cable for computer networks. Since 2001, the variant commonly in use is the Category 5e specification (Cat 5e). The cable standard provides performance of up to 100 MHz and is suitable for most varieties of Ethernet over twisted pair up to 2.5GBASE-T but more commonly runs at 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) speeds. Cat 5 is also used to carry other signals such as telephone and video. The cable is available in both stranded 一缕一缕的线 and solid conductor 实心线 forms. The stranded form is more flexible and withstands more bending without breaking. Patch cables 接口线(A patch cable, patch cord or patch lead is an electrical or fiber-optic cable used to connect ("patch in") one electronic or optical device to another for signal routing. Devices of different types (e.g., a switch connected to a computer, or a switch to a router) are connected with patch cords. Patch cords are usually produced in many different colors so as to be easily distinguishable from each other. ) are stranded. Permanent wiring used in structured cabling is solid. The category and type of cable can be identified by the printing on the jacket 外壳. Category 6 cable (Cat 6) is a standardized twisted pair cable for Ethernet and other network physical layers that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards. Cat 6 must meet more stringent specifications for crosstalk and system noise than Cat 5 and Cat 5e. The cable standard specifies performance of up to 250 MHz, compared to 100 MHz for Cat 5 and Cat 5e. Whereas Category 6 cable has a reduced maximum length of 55 metres (180 ft) when used for 10GBASE-T, Category 6A cable is characterized to 500 MHz and has improved alien crosstalk characteristics, allowing 10GBASE-T to be run for the same 100-metre (330 ft) maximum distance as previous Ethernet variants. Cat 6 cable can be identified by the printing on the side of the cable sheath. If Cat 6-rated patch cables, jacks and connectors are not used with Cat 6 wiring, overall performance is degraded and may not meet Cat 6 performance specifications. 11. The president also got defensive when asked how he was in command ( in command of someone/something 管事, 掌管 If you are in command of someone or something, you control them and have responsibility for them: Ronnie found himself in command of 250 men. The captain had been in command of the ship for about six months.) while spending the weekend at his Rehoboth Beach vacation home while the hurricane was devastating parts of the South. 'I was commanding 掌控一切, I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday, and the day before, as well. I commanded, it's called a telephone,' he said. As of Monday afternoon 600 people were still missing as a result of the tremendous hurricane. 'I've told the governor of North Carolina I'll go down and I expect to be down there by Wednesday or Thursday when it is clear for me,' he told reporters at the White House. 'I'm committed to traveling to impacted areas as soon as possible, but I've been told that it would be disruptive if I did it right now,' he noted. 12. weave [wiːv] 编织 (weaved, weaved or wove, woven [ˈwəʊvn] ) I. [intransitive/transitive] to make cloth by crossing long threads over and under each other on a machine called a loom. The women shut themselves behind closed doors to weave their cloth. They spend some of the time weaving. a. [intransitive/transitive] to make clothes or other material by weaving cloth. They spend their days weaving prayer rugs. b. [transitive] to create an object by weaving. weave something together We were shown how to roughly weave ferns and grass together to make a temporary shelter. weave something from/out of something It takes great skill to weave a basket from/out of rushes. Fresh or dried flowers can be woven into a garland. noun. the way in which cloth has been woven, for example with the threads pulled firmly together, or the pattern produced by this process: a tight weave. a striped/traditional weave. II. [transitive] to create a story or plan with many complicated details. to form something from several different things or to combine several different things, in a complicated or skilled way: be woven from The biography is woven from the many accounts which exist of things she did. Grisham's new novel weaves 打造, 编织 a tale of mystery and suspense. weave something into something to include something in a story, plan, etc. The sound of his cello is woven into my childhood memories. hair weave 植头发, 植发(hair extension 头发加长 a long piece of hair that is added to a person's own hair in order to make the hair longer.) false hair that is woven into someone's own hair so that it looks natural. a piece of hair that is added to a person's own hair in order to make the hair thicker or longer: To recreate Alexander the Great's mane of hair, the actor had blonde dye and a weave. duck and weave (UK) = US usually bob and weave 左闪右躲, 闪转腾挪 to move quickly up and down and from side to side, usually in order to avoid hitting or being hit by something: The boy began to duck and weave, running hard until he reached the edge of the field and disappeared into the woods. They ducked and weaved through the tangled forest. to repeatedly avoid answering questions or dealing with a situation. to go or make a path by moving quickly and changing direction often, especially to avoid hitting things: weave through/between/in and out of The boy weaved through/between/in and out of stationary traffic on a bicycle. The Senator ducked and weaved and did anything but give a straight answer. Politicans will turn a blind eye to environmental destruction, they will duck and weave and remain in power. get weaving UK old-fashioned informal If you tell someone to get weaving, you either want them to start something or to do something quickly: We'd better get weaving - we've got a lot to do today. 13. collapse/fall in a heap 摔得很惨, 摔个狗吃屎 to fall down heavily and lie on the ground without moving. to fall down and lie without moving. If someone collapses in a heap, they fall heavily and untidily and do not move. The young footballer collapsed in a heap after a heavy tackle. They finally collapsed in a heap on the grass. The woman staggered and collapsed in a heap. wet adj. I. covered in water or another liquid: a wet floor. a wet umbrella. wet hair. get wet My bike got wet in the rain. soaking wet 湿透, 水湿 I had to ride my bike in the rain and got soaking (= very) wet. all wet informal You poor thing - you're all (= very) wet. II. Wet paint, ink, or a similar substance has not had time to dry and become hard: The paint's still wet. a notice saying "Wet paint!" III. used to describe weather or periods of time when rain falls: We've had wet weather all week. This is the first wet day for two months. it is wet The presentation will take place indoors if it's wet. be wet through to be completely wet: Come in quickly - you're wet through. IV. used to describe someone who has a weak character and does not express any forceful opinions 软弱无能的人. someone who has a weak character and does not express any forceful opinions: Come on Tom, don't be such a wet! Don't be so wet. a wet weekend a very boring and disappointing experience or person: as much fun as a wet weekend He sounds about as much fun as a wet weekend in Carmarthenshire. be wet behind the ears 乳臭未干 to be young and without experience. noun. I. liquid, especially water: Don't put your newspaper down in the wet. II. wet weather: Don't leave it out there in the wet. 14. dissolve [dɪ'zɒlv] (dissolving swim shorts 水溶性的游泳裤, 见水就溶化的裤子,) I. 水溶. 遇水溶解. If a substance dissolves in liquid or if you dissolve it, it becomes mixed with the liquid and disappears. (of a solid) to be absorbed by a liquid, especially when mixed, or (of a liquid) to absorb a solid: dissolve something in something Dissolve two spoons of powder in warm water. Nitric acid will dissolve most animal tissue. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Dissolve the salt in a little boiled water. II. When an organization or institution is dissolved, it is officially ended or broken up. The committee has been dissolved. The King agreed to dissolve the present commission. III. When a parliament is dissolved, it is formally ended, so that elections for a new parliament can be held. The present assembly will be dissolved on April 30th. Kaifu threatened to dissolve the Parliament and call an election. IV. Whenishin a marriage or business arrangement is dissolved, it is officially ended. The marriage was dissolved in 1976. V. If something such as a problem or feeling dissolves or is dissolved, it becomes weaker and disappears. His new-found optimism dissolved. Lenny still could not dissolve the nagging lump of tension in his chest. dissolve into 潸然泪下, 失声痛哭, 开怀大笑 If you dissolve into or dissolve in tears or laughter, you begin to cry or laugh, because you cannot control yourself. She dissolved into tears at the mention of Munya's name. 15. supranational A supranational organization or authority involves or relates to more than one country. beyond the authority or jurisdiction of one national government. involving more than one country, or having power or authority that is greater than that of single countries. involving more than one country: the WTO, and other supranational organizations. A large percentage of the fund's assets will be invested in securities of supranational entities. NATO is a supranational organization. the supranational institutions of the EU. The liberal position holds that supranational bodies are as important as nation states. wiki: A supranational union is a type of international organization and political union that is empowered to directly exercise some of the powers and functions otherwise reserved to states. A supranational organization involves a greater transfer of or limitation of state sovereignty than other kinds of international organizations. The European Union (EU) has been described as a paradigmatic case of a supranational organization, as it has deep political, economic and social integration, which includes a common market, joint border control, a supreme court, and regular popular elections. Another method of decision-making in international organisations is intergovernmentalism, in which state governments play a more prominent role. encapsulate [ɪnˈkapsjʊleɪt] 概括 To encapsulate particular facts or ideas means to represent all their most important aspects in a very small space or in a single object or event. to express or show the most important facts about something: encapsulate something in something It was very difficult to encapsulate the story of the revolution in a single one-hour documentary. She encapsulates the stereotyped image that the British have of Americans. A Wall Street Journal editorial encapsulated the views of many conservatives. His ideas were encapsulated in a book called 'Democratic Ideals and Reality'. ...a witty encapsulation of modern America. encompass [ɪnˈkʌmpəs] 囊括, 涵盖 I. If something encompasses particular things, it includes them. to include different types of things: The festival is to encompass everything from music, theatre, and ballet to literature, cinema, and the visual arts. The extra services encompass a wide range of special interests. His repertoire encompassed everything from Bach to Schoenberg. II. To encompass a place means to completely surround or cover it. Encompassing over a million square miles, this remote and mountainous domain presides over the rest of Asia. The map shows the rest of the western region, encompassing nine states. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has says the Albanese government has signed up for a dangerous crackdown on free speech by voting to support the United Nations' 'Pact for the Future'.: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has says the Albanese government has signed up for a dangerous crackdown on free speech by voting to support the United Nations' 'Pact for the Future'. Argentina's libertarian president Javier Milei spoke against the pact in his appearance at the UN, describing it as a 'supranational program of a socialist nature'. He said the UN was a 'multi-tentacled Leviathan ( leviathan [lɪˈvʌɪəθn] 代表混乱的水怪 A leviathan is something which is extremely large and difficult to control, and which you find rather frightening. something or someone that is extremely large and powerful: The US is seen as an economic leviathan. Democracy survived the Civil War and the developing industrial leviathan and struggled on into the twentieth century. wiki: The Leviathan is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. The Leviathan is often an embodiment of chaos, threatening to eat the damned when their lives are over. In the end, it is annihilated ( annihilate [əˈnʌɪəleɪt] 彻底摧毁 I. To annihilate something means to destroy it completely. to destroy something completely so that nothing is left: a city annihilated by an atomic bomb. There are lots of ways of annihilating the planet. The Army was annihilated. ...the threat of nuclear war and annihilation of the human race. II. If you annihilate someone in a contest or argument, you totally defeat them. The Dutch annihilated the European champions 5-0.). Christian theologians identified Leviathan with the demon of the deadly sin envy. According to Ophite diagrams, the Leviathan encapsulates the space of the material world. In Gnosis, it encompasses the world like a sphere and incorporates the souls of those who are too attached to material things, so they cannot reach the realm of God's fullness beyond, from which all good emanates. In Hobbes, who draws on Job 41:24, the Leviathan becomes a metaphor for the omnipotence of the state, which maintains itself by educating all children in its favour, generation after generation. This idea of an eternal power that 'feeds' on its constantly growing citizens is based on a concept of education that mechanically shapes memory. It too is based on a good–evil dualism: a hypothetical natural law according to which man is a wolf to man, and the pedagogically mediated laws of the state as Leviathan for the purpose of containing such frightening conditions. Homo homini lupus, or in its unabridged form Homo homini lupus est, is a Latin proverb meaning literally "Man to man is wolf". It is used to refer to situations where a person has behaved comparably to a wolf. In this case, the wolf represents predatory, cruel, and generally inhuman qualities. ) that seeks to decide what each nation state should do and how the citizens of the world should live'. 16. Free-range parenting [ˈpɛːrəntɪŋ] 放养式教育 is the concept of raising children in the spirit of encouraging them to function independently and with limited parental supervision, in accordance with their age of development and with a reasonable acceptance of realistic personal risks. It is seen as the opposite of helicopter parenting. In the United States, free-range parenting is limited by laws in many states restricting children's autonomy, such as how old a child must be to walk to school alone. In Massachusetts, such issues are generally addressed on a case-by-case basis. Some states, such as Delaware, or Colorado, based on states' child labor laws, will investigate reports of any child under the age of 12 being left alone, whereas other states, like North Carolina, have firm laws that stipulate a child under 8 should not be left home alone. Only two states specify a minimum age for leaving a child home alone. 17. Butt chin ( = A cleft chin, bum chin)(An anatomical genetic trait in which a fissure in the lower jaw causes a visible dimple in the center of the chin.). Widow's peak 美人尖. Hangnail. Eye bag 眼袋. Crow's feet 鱼尾纹. Dimple 酒窝. Adam's apple. Love handle. Goosebumps 鸡皮疙瘩. Marionette [ˌmarɪəˈnɛt] lines ( = melomental folds 法令纹 are long vertical lines that laterally circumscribe the chin. They are important landmarks for the general impression of the face. Marionette lines appear with advancing age, but some people never get them, depending on facial structure and anatomy. They tend to appear as the ligaments around the mouth and chin relax and begin to loosen and sag, and fatty tissues of the cheek deflate and descend during the aging process. It can be difficult to get rid of them, but they can be minimized with facelifts that lift cheek tissue away from the area of the mouth combined with synthetic facial fillers, or with facial fillers alone.). 18. jean-shorts = jorts: Meaning Let's start off by stating the obvious, the term jorts is a shortened down word for 'jean-shorts'. And even though it's not in the dictionary, it's probably been the most prominent word going around the fashion scene over the last year.

打开的各样动词: twist off 扭开 (a lid) 比如纯净水的盖子. crack open 比如罐装可乐的拉环. Tear off 比如撕下cereal盒子上的密封条 or  tear open. peel off 比如撕下杯装方便面的盖子. lift off 揭下盖子, 揭开盖子, 比如垃圾桶的盖子, 咖啡杯的盖子. Pry open 撬开, cut open 比如罐头盖子用开罐头器打开. flip up 比如儿童水杯的盖子. pop out 摁出来, 比如药片从一板药里弄出来. Pop open 比如香槟盖子. pump out 比如洗手液和洗洁精. snap open 比如扣开饭盒的盖子.

Wednesday 25 September 2024

can't help 用法; a master's student, a doctoral student; 餐馆抱怨

用法学习: 1. somebody can't help (doing) something (also somebody can't help but do something) used to say that someone is unable to change their behaviour or feelings, or to prevent themselves from doing something She couldn't help it if she was being irrational. 'Stop biting your nails.' 'I can't help it.' I can't help the way I feel about you.  Lee could not help but agree with her. somebody can't help feeling/thinking/wondering etc something I can't help feeling that there has been a mistake. I couldn't help thinking about the past. cannot help oneself = I couldn't help myself/she couldn't help herself etc to be the victim of circumstances, a habit, etc. to be unable to stop yourself from doing something you should not do She knew she sounded just like her mother but she couldn't help herself. 2. If it 'runs small 尺码小, 号小, 码小' you will need to size up and if it runs large (run narrow) then the reverse. It describes the difference between the 'standard' and the actual physical shoe. It's got nothing to do with how to size up or down because it's a running shoe that's irrelevant. The phrase "run small" in this context means that they tend to be smaller than most brands with the same label size. Clothing sizes tend to depend on the brand. A pair of Levi jeans labeled as medium will most likely not be the same size as a pair of Wrangler jeans that are also labeled medium. "Running small" refers more to the entire brand or type of clothing. say: "I just got this shirt at the mall but the brand runs small, so it's a little tight." or something along the lines of that. "I am usually a medium but this brand runs small, so I got a large." "You may want to go up a couple sizes; shoes in this store run small." 'True to size 正常尺码的' means that if you wear, for example, a UK10 in a running shoe then a 'true to size' UK1a0 shoe will fit you perfectly. If it 'runs small' you will need to size up and if it runs large then the reverse. Basically it means "fits like the average shoe." However, the average shoe can be hard to define, so "running big" or "running small" is a bit subjective. Wearing a shoe that is larger than your foot length is not uncommon. There was a guy who came into the store where I work today. He originally asked for a size 10.5, but ended up buying a size 12. A lot of men tend to be in shoes that are too small because they’ve always worn that size and never bothered to get re-measured, but also because they have short toes, which means that their flex point and arch length are farther up relative to their length, so they will fit better in a larger shoe, and just have more room in the front. 3. sequester [sɪˈkwestə(r)] 隔离, 切断联系, 封闭 I. legal to keep a person or group of people, especially a jury in a court trial, apart from other people. If someone is sequestered somewhere, they are isolated from other people. This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. The judge told jurors that they would be sequestered in a local hotel. There's more to research than sequestering yourself in a lab. According to her lawsuit, Diddy and Sherman 'sequestered her' and gave her a drink that was 'likely laced with a drug that eventually caused her briefly to lose consciousness.' II. to collect carbon dioxide that is produced by burning coal or oil and store it to stop it getting into the atmosphere. to separate and store a harmful substance such as carbon dioxide in a way that keeps it safe: He said all coal plants should be closed until they find a way to sequester the carbon dioxide they emit. A growing forest sequesters carbon and gives off oxygen. Mangroves can sequester up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests. III. ​legal to take someone's property away from them until they pay the money that they owe. The more usual term is sequestrate. No money can be drawn from these sequestered accounts. vocabulary: The word sequester describes being kept away from others. If your sister tells you to stay out of the way so she can cook dinner for her new boyfriend, you might sequester yourself in your room. Legal types may be familiar with the word sequester since it's often used in relation to a jury for an important trial. In that case, members of the jury are sequestered, meaning they aren't allowed to watch the news or read articles that could influence their judgment. However, sequester can describe anyone who is isolated or hidden away from others, like a pop star sequestered in a hotel room, protected from fans' mania below. sequestrate [ˈsiːkwəˌstreɪt] 扣押, 查封 ( = sequester) I. to take someone's property away from them until they pay the money that they owe. When property is sequestrated, it is taken officially from someone who has debts, usually after a decision in a court of law. If the debts are paid off, the property is returned to its owner. He tried to prevent union money from being sequestrated by the courts. ...the sequestration of large areas of land. Some were fined, others had their possessions sequestrated. II. to collect carbon dioxide that is produced by burning coal or oil and store it to stop it getting into the atmosphere. The more usual term is sequester. Good management of soil can sequestrate carbon dioxide, locking it up in the soil in the form of humus. 4. oblique [əˈbliːk] I. If you describe a statement as oblique, you mean that is not expressed directly or openly, making it difficult to understand. Oblique remarks are not direct, so that the real meaning is not immediately clear: She made several oblique references to the current financial situation. It was an oblique reference 间接的 to his mother. Mr Golding delivered an oblique warning, talking of the danger of sudden action. He obliquely referred to the U.S., Britain and Saudi Arabia. having a sloping direction, angle, or position: Through the window came the last few oblique rays of evening sunshine. He gave her an oblique glance. II. An oblique line is a straight line that is not horizontal or vertical. An oblique angle is any angle other than a right angle. It lies between the plain and the sea at an oblique angle to the coastline. This muscle runs obliquely downwards inside the abdominal cavity. doctorate [dɒktərət] = doctor's degree A doctorate is the highest degree awarded by a university. She has a doctorate in physics from Yale. He earned a doctorate at the University of Chicago. He obtained his doctorate 取得博士学位 in Social Psychology. Dr Norwitz has a PhD in human brain metabolism from the University of Oxford and is completing his medical doctorate 攻读学位, 攻读博士学位 at Harvard University. doctoral adj. mainly US relating to a doctorate (= the highest degree from a university): a doctoral dissertation. She is a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics. She's a doctoral student 在读博士生 in geology. Nick Norwitz, a doctorate student at Harvard University, found that contrary to the beliefs of many experts, his cholesterol levels actually dropped. A doctoral thesis or piece of research 博士论文 is written or done in order to obtain a doctor's degree. He is a mentor of many doctoral students today.  The title of these degree qualifications is "Master of Arts/Science/Engineering" and the general title is "master's degrees 硕士学位", so a student of a master's degree is a master's student 硕士在读, 在读硕士生. Regarding the capital, if you are writing about a specific degree use a capital (e.g. "Master of Natural Sciences from Cambridge University"), if writing generally there's no capital (e.g. "applicants should have a master's degree in engineering"). I ate 700 eggs in a month as an experiment - what happened to my health went against everything I'd been told: They're regarded by many gym goers and health gurus as a super-food. Yet ask a doctor about eggs, and they might tell you they raise your cholesterol levels and cause heart problems. Eggs have been demonized for decades because their yolks are high in cholesterol, the fatty substance that builds up and damages blood vessels supplying the heart. Nick Norwitz, a doctorate student at Harvard University, found that contrary to the beliefs of many experts, his cholesterol levels actually dropped. After the month-long experiment that saw him eat the equivalent of 24 eggs per day his low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, or 'bad' cholesterol, fell by 18 percent. LDL is considered to be 'bad cholesterol' because it can build up as plaque in arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The other type of cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or 'good' cholesterol, has the reverse effect however by helping to remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and transporting it to the liver. Experts warn that having too much LDL could raise the risk of heart disease and other conditions. Dr Norwitz has a PhD in human brain metabolism from the University of Oxford and is completing his medical doctorate at Harvard University. During the experiment, which has been viewed more than 160,000 times on YouTube, Dr Norwitz said he ate the eggs alongside his normal ketogenic diet of meat, fish, olive oil, nuts, dark chocolate, cheese and yogurt. A ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that aims to shift the body from a state of using sugar as its primary energy source to fat. 5. My food is cold, could you heat it up 热一下? This soup is way too bland, can I get some chilly oil? I've been waiting for ages, when will my dessert be ready 我的菜什么时候好? I'm allergic to sweetcorn, can I have this without it please? Can you take off 去掉 the service charge please? 关于鸡蛋: After the month-long experiment that saw him eat the equivalent of 24 eggs per day his low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, or 'bad' cholesterol, fell by 18 percent. LDL is considered to be 'bad cholesterol' because it can build up as plaque in arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The other type of cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or 'good' cholesterol, has the reverse effect 相反的效果 however by helping to remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and transporting it to the liver. Experts have demonized cholesterol in eggs for decades, warning that eating them may cause a surge in LDL levels and raise the risk of complications. In the video, which has been viewed more than 160,000 times on YouTube, he said he aimed to show that eating eggs did not cause cholesterol levels to surge. Dr Norwitz said: 'I hypothesized that eating 720 eggs in one month, which alone amounts to 133,200mg of cholesterol, would not increase my cholesterol. Specifically, it would not increase my LDL cholesterol. 'And, indeed, it didn't, not a smidge.' 6. wrinkle 麻烦, 问题 informal a problem, usually a small one: iron out wrinkles There are still a few wrinkles to iron out (= solve) before the agreement can be signed. A fault, imperfection or bug especially in a new system or product; typically, they will need to be ironed out. Three months later, we're still discovering new wrinkles. We don't have to kill him. It's all right. But we do need to keep him close. We need to keep seeing him. We need to make sure that he doesn't fսcking rat us out, because this is a serious fսcking wrinkle, Erik. I know. No more confessions, okay? Or else I may have to fսcking end up killing you. wrinkle your brow to make folds appear on your face above your eyes to show that you are surprised or confused: She wrinkled her brow and laughed. wrinkle (up) your nose 皱鼻子 to show that you dislike something or that you disapprove of something by tightening the muscles in your nose so that small lines appear in the skin: She wrinkled up her nose at the strange smell coming from the kitchen. wrinkle your nose to show surprise, uncertainty, or disgust at something. When you wrinkle your nose or forehead, or when it wrinkles, you tighten the muscles in your face so that the skin folds. Frannie wrinkled her nose at her daughter. Ellen's face wrinkles as if she is about to sneeze. "Oooh, yuck!" 7-year-old Pamela says, wrinkling her nose as she wipes gooey paste from her fingers onto her sweat pants. wrinkle verb If cloth wrinkles, or if someone or something wrinkles it, it gets folds or lines in it. Her stockings wrinkled at the ankles. I wrinkled the velvet. wrinkled adjective His suit was wrinkled and he looked very tired. 7. What's done is done 已经是这样了, 事已至此, 木已成舟. I can't believe we didn't check their hands for gunshot residue the night of the murders. Talk about a fuck-up. What's done is done. But if we want to make an arrest, we need proof. We need to find something because it's not gonna magically fall into our laps. We don't have enough to make the charges stick! They don't even want to talk with us unless it is through their attorney. Come on. Does this strike you as the behavior of someone who's innocent?. 8. Oh. Hello, Leslie. Odd seeing you here. It's true, it's not my usual scene. The ladies who lunch crowd, that's much more your thing. I read your client Rick Sanders' appeal motion got denied again. Looks like he's not getting off death row anytime soon. I'm sure Dominick has been entertaining you ladies. You know, apart from being a failed movie producer, he's quite the raconteur ( raconteur [ˌrakɒnˈtəː] a person who excels in telling anecdotes. A raconteur is someone who can tell stories in an interesting or amusing way. someone who tells funny or interesting stories: He was a brilliant raconteur. He spoke eight languages and was a noted raconteur. ). Just don't believe everything he says. He's prone to exaggeration 惯于. Well, don't let us keep you, Leslie. I'm sure somewhere there's a murderer in need of your assistance. 9. The show delights in showing the brothers buddying-it-up in Speedos with their six packs on full display. Of course, some of that is just par for the course( par for the course 平常事, 常有的事, 稀松平常的事, 正常, 常态 what is normal or expected in any given circumstances. If a type of behaviour, event, or situation is par for the course, it is not good but it is normal or as you would expect. If you say that something that happens is par for the course, you mean that you are not pleased with it but it is what you expected to happen. He said long hours are par for the course. The school budget is going to be cut again this year, but then that's par for the course. "looking gorgeous is par for the course with her". ) in the twink-laden Murphyverse. I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous 毁灭性的 [ˈruːɪnəs] ( I. If you describe the cost of something as ruinous, you mean that it costs far more money than you can afford or than is reasonable. Many Britons will still fear the potentially ruinous costs of their legal system. ...a ruinously expensive court case. II. A ruinous process or course of action is one that is likely to lead to ruin. The economy of the state is experiencing the ruinous effects of the conflict. ...cities ruinously choked by uncontrolled traffic. causing great harm or destruction: The bank had capital to spare, which they lost in a series of ruinous takeovers. be ruinous to sth The proposed bill is ruinous to the home building industry. ) character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show," the statement reads. "I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent." 8. bubble brain (slang, derogatory) An incredibly unintelligent person. People will scoff and say "BAnGkoK iS sOoPeR sAfE". These people are bubble brains. bubblehead a foolish or stupid person. millipede [ˈmɪlɪpiːd] 马陆, 千足虫, 千腳虫, 馬蠲, 馬䗃, 馬蚿, 馬𧏿 (蚰蜒是) a myriapod invertebrate with an elongated body composed of many segments, most of which bear two pairs of legs. Most kinds are herbivorous and shun light, living in the soil or under stones and logs. A millipede is a small creature with a long narrow body and a lot of legs. To defend themselves from predators the millipedes have glands that produce cyanide. centipede [sentɪpiːd] 蜈蚣 A centipede is a long, thin creature with a lot of legs. The giant desert centipede was the only creature that has put him in hospital. Scutigeromorpha is an order of centipedes also known as house centipedes 蚰蜒. These centipedes are found in the temperate and tropical parts of every continent except Antarctica, with their distribution significantly expanded by the introduction of the Mediterranean species Scutigera coleoptrata throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. 9. Penny (entering): Leonard, congratulations. Leonard: What for? Penny: Your facebook status update. Leonard Hofstadter is in a relationship. Leonard: What? no. no, that's not right. Howard: Oh, man, did you switch your status 状态, 状况 before she did? Speaking as an expert, way to look needy. Penny: Seriously? You went first, after only two weeks? That‘s bold. Leonard: It's not bold, it‘s a mistake. I didn't change my status. Penny: Well, then who did? Sheldon: I had no choice, he cried in front of her. Leonard: You hacked my facebook account?Sheldon: Oh, it's hardly hacking when you use the same password for everything, Kal-el. Leonard: Are you insane? Now she's going to think I'm desperate. You've destroyed this relationship! And you want to know what the worst part is? You don't even understand what you did wrong because you can't conceive of something that you are not an expert in! Sheldon: In which I am not an expert. Leonard: Don't even! I don't want to hear another word out of you. 10. Lyle, I had a conversation with Erik. He told me some things I wanna get your side of 听听你的说法. Lyle, he told me you abused him sexually, and that your father did the same thing to you. You're just, um... you're trying to pin this all on me? No, no. Lyle, it's true. Leslie is Erik's counsel. I am yours. But this is just typical in trials such as these. We both need to hear this story from both of you. No, I know what you're doing! You're painting a picture of my dad as evil, and that's just not true. That's not who he was. My father was a great man. I loved him a great deal. I don't know if the two of you can understand that. Maybe you can't. But I loved him, and he loved me. He wanted so much for us. This is what no one could understand, is that he held us to this higher standard, right? And then you two bring me in here to talk about how fսcking terrible he was, and... I'm just not going to do that, okay? He loved me. 11. Seriously, Nick, how were you able to get a tour of the Menendez house? Now, now, Carrie, a Vanity Fair reporter never reveals his sources, but let's just say it always pays to know a good realtor in Beverly Hills. Carrie: So what was it like? Well, for one, the house has quite a royal pedigree. Its previous occupants include Prince, the theater director Hal Prince, a Saudi prince, and even one princess. Princess Di? Elton John. Now, once you're inside, you can't help but notice the appallingly second-rate furniture. But once you move past the tacky furnishings, your attention is immediately drawn to the television room. At first glance, you'd have no inkling as to what took place there. Dominick: But if you look long enough... 12. churlish 粗鲁的, 不礼貌的, 臭脾气的 rude, unfriendly, and unpleasant. rude in a mean-spirited and surly way. Someone who is churlish is unfriendly, bad-tempered, or impolite. She would think him churlish if he refused. The room was so lovely it seemed churlish to argue. "it seems churlish to complain". They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be churlish to refuse. I churlishly told him to go bother someone else. They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be churlish to refuse. A marine layer 湿气, 水汽, 水气 ( 'Normally out there you can see the Beverley Hills and Los Angeles area but the marine layer is still quite thick,' he said, pointing out the mist obstructing the view. ) is an air mass that develops over the surface of a large body of water, such as an ocean or large lake, in the presence of a temperature inversion. The inversion ( I. When there is an inversion of something, it is changed into its opposite. a situation in which something is changed so that it is the opposite of what it was before, or in which something is turned upside down: ...a scandalous inversion of the truth. ...a strange inversion of priorities. inversion of 完全的反面, 正相反, 大相反, 大相径庭 Her account of the case was an inversion of the facts (= it said the opposite of what really happened). II. medical specialized a situation in which an organ, or part of an organ, is turned inside out. III. music specialized the act or result of changing the positions of the notes in a musical interval (= amount by which one note is higher or lower than another) or chord (= three or more musical notes played at the same time): Students were asked to work out different inversions of known chords. Notes from semitone groups may be spread by inversions. A first inversion of a chord is made by raising the root note of the chord one octave higher, while leaving the other notes in their original position. Inversion 倒装 happens when we reverse (invert) the normal word order of a structure, most commonly the subject-verb word order. For example, a statement has the subject (s) before the verb (v), but to make question word order, we invert the subject and the verb, with an auxiliary (aux) or modal verb (m) before the subject (s): [S]She [V]sings. [AUX]Does [S]she [V]sing? [S]They [AUX]are [V]working. [AUX] [S]Are they [V]working? [S]Joe [M]can [V]swim. [M]Can [S]Joe [V]swim? When does inversion happen? The most common type of inversion is question word order (see above). Inversion also happens in other situations. Negative adverbs: In formal styles, when we use an adverb with negative meaning (e.g. never, seldom, rarely, scarcely, hardly) in front position for emphasis, we invert the subject (s) and auxiliary (aux)/modal verb: Never [AUX]have [S]we witnessed such cruel behaviour by one child to another. (or We have never witnessed …) Seldom does one hear a politician say ‘sorry’. (or One seldom hears …) Expressions beginning with not: We also invert the subject and verb after not + a prepositional phrase or a clause in initial position: Not for a moment did I think I would be offered the job, so I was amazed when I got it. Not till I got home did I realise my wallet was missing. Here and there: Inversion can happen after here, and after there when it is as an adverb of place. After here and there, we can use a main verb without an auxiliary verb or modal verb: Here comes the bus! Here’s your coffee. I opened the door and there stood Michael, all covered in mud. She looked out and there was Pamela, walking along arm in arm with Goldie. ) itself is usually initiated by the cooling effect of the water on the surface layer of an otherwise warm air mass. It is not unusual to hear media weather reporters discuss the marine layer as if it were synonymous with the fog or stratus it may contain, but this is erroneous. In fact, a marine layer can exist with virtually no cloudiness of any kind, although it usually does contain some. The marine layer is a medium within which clouds may form under the right conditions; it is not the layers of clouds themselves. 13. magnanimity Magnanimity is kindness and generosity towards someone, especially after defeating them or being treated badly by them. kindness and generosity, especially towards an enemy or someone you have defeated: She is a person of great magnanimity and vision. They were embarrassed into magnanimity by their all-out victory. We will have to show magnanimity in victory. The father of one victim spoke with remarkable magnanimity. magnanimous [mæg 'nænɪməs] 慷慨的, 大方的 If you are magnanimous, you behave kindly and generously towards someone, especially after defeating them or being treated badly by them. very kind and generous towards an enemy or someone you have defeated. generous and kind, esp. toward a competitor or enemy: The Yankees' manager was magnanimous in defeat, praising Seattle for its fine play. The team's manager was magnanimous in victory, and praised the losing team. I was prepared to be magnanimous, prepared to feel compassion for him. He was a man capable of magnanimous gestures. 'You were right, and we were wrong,' he said magnanimously. A handful of her friends were more magnanimous, suggesting maybe Edouard was busy, perhaps she should wait and see if he called. 14. Holiday romance: "I said, 'Is that invitation to come back still open( standing/open invitation an invitation that says one is always welcome. You have a standing/open invitation to visit us any time. )?' And there was a long pause and he said, 'Yes.'" In the past, she'd deprioritized ( deprioritize 降低优先级 (transitive) To reduce the level of priority of. To treat something as being of the lowest importance. "Theresa May had plan to 'deprioritise' illegal migrant pupils". Do you want me to deprioritize my current report to get this done? ) her own well-being. But in the lead up to that trip, I‘d been working on myself a lot. With this new mantra in mind, Nana had decided to fly out to Ibiza a few days early “for some me time, just to relax." "I was on holiday, I'd spent all year trying to work on myself a little bit, to put myself in a better headspace," says Nana. "Now I'd met this guy who I found very attractive. I had no idea what was going to happen at the time – I just thought he was a handsome guy working in the hotel where I was staying. But that in itself was excitement enough." The next day at midday, Nana and Edouard reconvened 重聚 in the lobby. The conversation started with discussions of Ibiza and Edouard's recommendations of the island and segued into something more flirtatious and inquisitive. 15. swallow I. to cause food, drink, pills, etc. to move from your mouth into your stomach by using the muscles of your throat: My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow. He put a grape into his mouth and swallowed it whole. Jan lifted her glass and took a quick swallow. II.吞声. 咽口唾沫, 吞口唾沫. to use the muscles of your throat, as if moving something from your mouth into your stomach, because you are nervous or frightened, or are about to say something. If you swallow, you make a movement in your throat as if you are swallowing something, often because you are nervous or frightened. Nancy swallowed hard and shook her head. He swallowed hard and said, "Dad, I have something to tell you." III. 鲸吞. 吞下. 吃下. If something large swallows (up) another thing, it makes it disappear or stop existing separately by making it part of itself: An increasing amount of the countryside is being swallowed (up) by the town. Many small businesses have been swallowed (up) by large companies. IV. to use or take away a large part of something valuable: Taxes have swallowed up nearly half of my pay increase. V. 全盘相信. to accept something without question or without expressing disagreement. If someone swallows a story or a statement, they believe it completely. It was vital that he swallowed the story about Juanita being in that motel room that night. I too found this story a little hard to swallow. Not surprisingly, this excuse was too much for them to swallow. He swallowed her story whole. She swallowed his sales pitch hook, line, and sinker (= believed it completely). VI. 忍气吞声. to not express or show something. If you swallow your feelings, you do not express them, although you want to very much. Gordon has swallowed the anger he felt. He flashed me a quick grin but rapidly swallowed it when he saw my expression. She swallowed her disappointment, saying, "That's OK, it doesn't matter." swallow up something/someone to take someone or something in so that it is destroyed or no longer independent: The company was swallowed up by a competitor. A house in Florida disappeared Thursday, as a 40-foot-wide sinkhole began swallowing it up. like the cat that ate the canary = like the cat that swallowed the canary = like the cat that got the cream extremely happy or satisfied, or in a very happy or satisfied way: When he asked her on a date she was like the cat that ate the canary. They were smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary. swallow your words = swallow one's pride to be forced to admit that something you have said has been shown to be wrong: I had to swallow my words when the project turned out to be a great success. swallow the bait If you swallow the bait, you completely accept something, especially an offer that is a trick or way of getting something from you. noun. A swallow is a kind of small bird with pointed wings and a forked tail.

Wednesday 18 September 2024

vacuous, fatuous; innocuous, anodyne, insidious;

用法学习: 1. carouse [kəˈraʊz] 饮酒作乐 to enjoy yourself by drinking alcohol and speaking and laughing loudly in a group of people. If you say that people are carousing, you mean that they are behaving very noisily and drinking a lot of alcohol as they enjoy themselves. He's now more likely to be seen tending his garden than carousing with the stars. The singing and carousing did not end until after midnight. We'd been up carousing till the early hours and were exhausted. Mom's brothers would come
up and want to go carousing with Dad. They'd go drinking and chasing women
. nadir [ˈneɪdɪə] 最低点. 低潮, 低峰期. I. The nadir of something such as someone's career or the history of an organization is its worst time. the worst moment, or the moment of least hope and least achievement: The defeat was the nadir of her career. 1945 to 1946 was the nadir of Truman's presidency. If Jimmy's youth shielded him from the signs of their deteriorating marriage for a bit, the problem soon reached an obvious nadir.  II. 最低点. In astronomy, the nadir is the point at which the sun or moon is directly below you, on the other side of the earth. The point directly below a particular place, or the lowest point reached by a heavenly body (= any object existing in space, especially a planet, or the sun) as it travels around, or appears to travel around, another body: The sun, or any celestial body, is said to be at its nadir when at its lowest point. The opposite, highest point is said to be its zenith. III. the point at which something is at its lowest value or level: At its nadir in the mid-1980s, the pound was almost at parity with the dollar. zenith [zɛnɪθ] 最高点, 高潮期. 高峰期 I. The zenith of something is the time when it is most successful or powerful. the best or most successful point or time: In the 1860s, Tolstoy was at the zenith of his achievement. His career reached its zenith in the 1960s. His career is now at its zenith. The zenith of Perugia's influence came with the defeat of Siena in 1358. II. The zenith is the point at which the sun or moon is directly above you and seems to be at its highest. The highest point reached by a heavenly body (= any object existing in space, especially a planet, or the sun) as it travels around, or appears to travel around, another body: The summer sun was at its zenith in a cloudless sky. The sun is well past its zenith when we cross paths with a mini-flotilla. The sun rises, reaches its zenith and sets. III. the point in the sky directly above you: The centre of the map is the zenith (straight overhead). A pall of cloud muffled the whole expanse of sky from zenith to horizon. fanfare I. A fanfare is a short, loud tune played on trumpets or other similar instruments to announce a special event. The ceremony opened with a fanfare of trumpets. II. If something happens with a fanfare, it happens or is announced with a lot of publicity. If something happens without a fanfare, it happens without a lot of fuss or publicity. great attention to and interest in something: much fanfare 张扬的, 大张旗鼓的, 大阵仗的 The new laws were passed after much fanfare. little fanfare 悄无声息的, 悄悄的, 神不知鬼不觉的 Riordan and his staff receive little fanfare for their work. The company was privatised with a fanfare of publicity. The departure of the South Korean prime minister was marked with little fanfare. Papaw quit drinking in 1983, a decision accompanied by no medical intervention and not much fanfare. 2. in the course of 期间, 在...时间里 I. undergoing the specified process. while doing a particular activity. in the course of doing something: Your job description outlines the main duties that you will be carrying out in the course of your work. In the course of writing this essay, I was tempted many times to veer off the subject. "a new textbook was in the course of preparation". II. during the specified period or activity. during an event or period of time. If something happens in the course of a particular period of time, it happens during that period of time. In the course of the 1930s, steel production in Britain approximately doubled. We struck up a conversation, in the course of which it emerged that he was a sailing man. The subpoena was issued in the course of a routine inquiry. How many really important calls do you get in the course of a day? "he was a friend to many people in the course of his life". I learned that our neighborhood had "gone downhill" after two bikes were stolen in the course of the week. in/within the space of six weeks, three hours, etc. 仅仅用了, 仅仅花了, 极言时间之短 before the end of (a stated time). in (a stated time) or less. during a period of six weeks, three hours, etc.: It all happened in the space of ten minutes. Within the space of three weeks, we've had four burglaries on this street. They started building in February and in the space of six months, the building was complete. Their shares have risen by 20 percent in the space of two weeks. Basically, I've had three bosses within the space of eight months. They finished in/within the space of an hour. refrain [rɪˈfreɪn] I. 常说的话. A refrain is a comment or saying that people often repeat. a phrase that is often repeated: "Every vote counts" is a familiar refrain in politics. Rosa's constant refrain is that she doesn't have a life. But it's obvious if you know where to look, and a common refrain for those of us who return intermittently is "Geez, Middletown is not looking good." II. A refrain is a short, simple part of a song, which is repeated many times. a short part of a song or poem that is repeated, especially between the verses (= the separate parts) ...a refrain from an old song. verb. If you refrain from doing something, you deliberately do not do it. We refrained from talking until we knew that it was safe. The sign on the wall said "Please refrain from smoking." Mrs Hardie refrained from making any comment. He appealed to all factions to refrain from violence. 3. A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. Many of them face major traffic arterials and tend to be self-contained with few pedestrian connections to surrounding neighborhoods. Smaller strip malls may be called mini-malls, while larger ones may be called power centers or big box centers. In Australia, "strip shops" or "shopping centre" describes a line of independent shops and buildings along the principal streets of a city or suburban area, which are not set back from the pavement (footpath) and do not have dedicated car parking spaces. long-forgotten belonging to the past; no longer remembered a long-forgotten episode. It feels like now people have long forgotten all of the s--- she had to go through. long since = have long since did something 很长时间了 If you say that something has long since happened, you mean that it happened a long time ago. I've long since forgiven her for what she did. Even though her parents have long since died, she still talks about them in the present tense. a.  long ago. Long ago; in the (distant) past. I don't know why he asked me to do that, when I had long since finished it. The building has long since been demolished. promises long since forgotten. b. for a long time. has long since been a devoted friend. Richie's pawnshop has long since closed, though a hideous yellow and green sign still marks the site, so far as I know. 4. earth-shattering = earth-shaking adj. (in hyperbolic use) very important, shocking, or traumatic. extremely important, interesting, or surprising. Something that is earth-shattering is very surprising or shocking. ...earth-shattering news. This is hardly earth-shattering news to anyone who's been following the debate. an earth-shattering discovery. "tell me this earth-shattering news of yours". 3. trial by fire A test in which a person is exposed to flames in order to assess their truthfulness, commitment, courage etc. A situation in which one is placed under extreme pressure or stress and expected as a means of testing one's ability to learn or perform. I was thrown right in the middle of a huge project as soon as I was hired, so it was a bit of a trial by fire. The master's program is something of a trial by fire compared to the relatively lax structure of my bachelor's degree. poor: impoverished 赤贫的, beggared 极度穷困的, destitute 一贫如洗的. lazy: lethargic 萎靡不振的, languorous 倦怠的, indolent 懒惰的. boom town a small town that grows quickly as a result of a sudden increase in local economic activity. a town or city that experiences a sudden increase in size and business activity: In many of India's boomtowns, a car is an important part of the middle-class dream, a symbol of status and comfort. an oil/a mining boomtown. And there's suddenly a great clamour of charities all 'raising awareness' of adult ADHD and a boom town of clinics in the W1 area of London offering private Ritalin prescriptions – with (almost) no questions asked. scatty 健忘的, 粗心大意的, 好忘的 If you describe someone as scatty, you mean that they often forget things or behave in a silly way. silly and often forgetting things: a scatty child. scatty behaviour. Her mother is scatty and absent-minded. But it's nonsense, all of it, isn't it? Yes, some adults are disorganised and distracted. We work, we have children, some of us are scatty, but that's character, not disease. Our short-term memories have been boiled alive by Apple Inc, but that doesn't mean we have ADHD. Not so long ago ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to give it its full name) was a childhood disorder – something gone a touch awry in the brains of those boys in class who couldn't focus and bounced about on their chairs. Now there's a great crush of perfectly normal adults bullying meds out of their GPs, with none left for the poor bouncing boys. worried well 疑心病的, 整天疑神疑鬼的 people who are healthy but see a doctor because they think that they may have a disease or medical problem: Too much money is spent treating the worried well rather than people who are actually sick. Nearly 500 people died of the disease and more than 6,600 were "worried well", concerned that they, too, were infected. The worried well have cash to burn on meds and personalised brain training plans. Just enter the letters 'ADHD' into a search box and you'll see for yourself. It's like spilling blood into the water around Amity Island. The sharks begin to circle almost instantly. wiki: The worried well is a term that describes persons who are in relatively good health but believe themselves to be ill or likely to get an illness based on a current circumstance. As a collective noun, the term is typically used for groups of patients, not clearly defined, who are perceived to be using health services inappropriately or disproportionately. The phenomenon is also known as worried well syndrome. The worried well are within ICD-10 code Z71.1—"Person with feared complaint in whom no diagnosis is made." 4. litigious [lɪˈtɪdʒəs] 爱起诉的, 爱诉诸于法律的 I. tending or too ready to take legal action to settle disputes. Someone who is litigious often makes formal complaints about people to a civil court of law. too often taking arguments to a court of law for a decision, especially to win money in a lawsuit. too ready to take disagreements to a court of law so that a legal decision can be made about them: litigious society/culture. We live in an increasingly litigious society. The US is the most litigious society in the world. Many blame the current litigious climate for making doctors quicker to perform C-sections. Teachers were warned to avoid conflict with the parents, who were known to be litigious. At the same time patients were growing more and more litigious. "our increasingly litigious society". II. concerned with lawsuits or litigation. suitable to become the subject of a lawsuit. dressing gown 睡袍 a long, loose robe, typically worn after getting out of bed or bathing. a loose piece of clothing like a coat, worn informally inside the house, especially before getting dressed in the morning or after getting undressed in the evening. have a roving eye = wandering eye 色迷迷, 总找机会寻花问柳 old-fashioned humorous If you say that someone has a roving eye, you mean that they are always sexually interested in people other than their partner. If you say that someone has a roving eye, you are criticizing them for continually looking to start new sexual relationships. By his own admission he had a roving eye and was easily infatuated. Although he's going out with one of the world's most beautiful women, the actor still has a roving eye. roving You use roving to describe a person who travels around, rather than staying in a fixed place. ...a roving reporter. Left to raise themselves on the streets, these children form roving bands of delinquents. accountable Someone who is accountable is completely responsible for what they do and must be able to give a satisfactory reason for it: accountable to She is accountable only to the managing director. Politicians should be accountable to the public who elected them. accountable for The recent tax reforms have made government more accountable for its spending. hold someone accountable for something You have to hold your employees accountable for their actions, or else they will just do whatever they please. Riddle me this: RI. iddle me this is a stock phrase used to introduce a riddle, joke, observation, or question. a catchphrase used to introduce a joke, observation, question, or riddle. making a demand of a listener to note a situation about to be mentioned or a question, mostly ones that are hard to explain or solve. II. posing a challenge to a person to answer a question with no apparent answer. used to sarcastically or humorously pay emphasis to a question, undercutting the self-assuredness of another person. a rhetorical way of questioning conventional wisdom. pointing to hypocrisy or a contradiction or creating wry observations. Despite acting so confidently, riddle me this: how will we get all that money within a day? How will you pay for all your plans if you quit your job? Riddle me that. Riddle me this: why was such a talented collective so horrible in their work? note: Riddle me is an idiom whose use can be traced back to 1615. People use it as a way of presenting a brainteaser. A notable early use dates from 1693, when the English author John Dryden uses it in his translation of an ancient Roman satire, where the speaker says, "Riddle me this, and guess him if you can, who bears a nation in a single man." The phrase appears in another play acted in 1700 when a character in it uses it as an introduction to a  puzzle. The American Folklore Society, in 1924, has it that in Jamaica, the phrase occurred in a chant used before riddles; "riddle me this, riddle me that, and perhaps not." It established itself by the middle of the 1900s when a Broadway musical was staged in 1933 under the title Riddle Me This. A riddle book was also published in 1940 under the title Riddle Me This. encumbered prevented from making quick progress by having to carry heavy objects or deal with important duties and responsibilities: She was encumbered by concern over her husband's health. a. to weigh someone or something down, or to make it difficult for someone to do something: be encumbered with/by Today, thankfully, women tennis players are not encumbered with/by long, heavy skirts and high-necked blouses. b. weigh down, burden. tourists encumbered by heavy luggage. c. to impede or hamper the function or activity of. hinder negotiations encumbered by a lack of trust. d. to burden with a legal claim (such as a mortgage). encumber an estate. 5. Universal key = master key = passkey 万能钥匙 I. a key designed to open any of a set of similar locks (as on the doors of a building). "the night porter used a pass key for those rooms that were empty". The porter unlocked the door with his master key. … he borrowed the electronic master key …—a fob which unlocks all the bedrooms in the building—and used it to enter another resident's room. … the … idea of coordinating luggage inspection by providing locks that the TSA can open with a master key. II. something (such as a set of computer instructions or a specific sequence of characters) that provides digital access to a variety of systems, files, etc. III. a crucial means of understanding or attaining something. —usually used with to. That's when it clicked. I had trained my mind to think what I wanted. At that point, I knew mindset training was the master key to success. a man I thought might hold the master key to one of the strangest scholarly mysteries in recent decades. night porter 值夜的人 A night porter is a person whose job is to be on duty at the main reception desk of a hotel throughout the night. someone whose job is to take care of a building or hotel at night: The hotel reception had closed at midnight and did not have a night porter. He is now working as a night porter. A night porter is a porter who is on duty during the night. A hotel commonly has a night porter to attend to the needs of guests and other incidents during the night. Traditionally a night porter might also be required to perform sundry maintenance and cleaning tasks such as polishing boots, emptying spittoons and laying fires. distressing causing anxiety, sorrow or pain; upsetting. upsetting or worrying. If something is distressing, it upsets you or worries you. It is very distressing to see your baby attached to tubes and monitors. Tranquillizers help alleviate the distressing symptoms of anxiety. The news reports about the famine were very distressing. deeply distressing It was deeply distressing for him to see his wife in such pain. "some very distressing news". stress I. to make a system, resource, etc. experience difficulties by needing or expecting too much from it: You can only stress the system so much before it starts to break down. Rural landscapes, stressed by drought, are turning brown. II. to pronounce a word or syllable with greater force than other words in the same sentence or other syllables in the same word, or to play a musical note with greater force than others in a group: In the word "engine" you should stress the first syllable. III. to give emphasis or special importance to something: He is careful to stress (that) the laboratory's safety standards are the best in the country. stress the importance of I'd just like to stress the importance of neatness and politeness in this job. 6. The Barnum [ˈbɑːnəm] effect, also called the Forer effect or, less commonly, the Barnum–Forer effect, is a common psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, yet which are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. This effect can provide a partial explanation for the widespread acceptance of some paranormal beliefs and practices, such as astrology, fortune telling, aura reading, and some types of personality tests. Psychologist Bertram Forer originally named it the "fallacy of personal validation". The term "Barnum effect" was coined in 1956 by psychologist Paul Meehl in his essay "Wanted – A Good Cookbook", because he relates the vague personality descriptions used in certain "pseudo-successful" psychological tests to those given by showman P. T. Barnum. The Barnum effect is manifested in response to statements that are called "Barnum statements"( 'If you don't like doing homework, you have ADHD.' Or 'if you zone out during meetings, you probably have ADHD'. These are known as Barnum statements, named after the showman P.T. Barnum whose catchphrase was: 'A sucker is born every minute.' ), meaning that general characterizations attributed to an individual are perceived to be true for them, even though the statements are such generalizations that they could apply to almost anyone. Such techniques are used by fortune tellers, astrologers, and other practitioners to convince customers that they, the practitioners, are in fact endowed with a paranormal gift. The effect is a specific example of the "acceptance phenomenon", which describes the general tendency of humans "to accept almost any bogus personality feedback". A related and more general phenomenon is that of subjective validation. 7. placement I. 放置. 摆放. 放位. the act of placing something in a particular position, or the position of something. the position of something, or the act of putting something in a particular position: We put a lot of thought into the placement of the furniture. The architecture and the placement of shops is not random: everything is minutely planned. The director gives instructions for the placement of the camera. Stent placement was successful for all patients. They were supervising the careful placement of the crate in the back of the truck. The placement of the furniture makes it hard to walk around. II. 排位赛. 排名赛. the rank someone or something has when compared to others: A bunch of new freshmen (= students in the first year of a program of study) are taking the university's math placement exam. III. (JOB/SCHOOL/HOME) the act of placing someone in a particular job, organization, school, or place where they can live. the act of officially putting someone in a particular home, institution (= a place such as a prison or hospital), school class, etc.: The state-run home is for children awaiting placement with a foster family or adoptive parents. Her research shows a big increase in the out-of-home placements for kids being taken from their family and being put in foster care. This is a temporary prison for inmates awaiting placement in the federal penal system. The frail and elderly may need placement in a long-term care facility. Placement in a self-contained classroom will mean that your child will be taken out of the mainstream classroom for all academic subjects. There are many dogs awaiting placement in suitable homes. There are students for whom this school is not the best possible placement. product placement a way of advertising a product by supplying it for use in films or television programmes. IV. a temporary position or job in an organization: I think we can find a placement for you in the sales department. The trainee teachers do a school placement in the summer term. Students then undertake a period of industrial placement. placement test 能力测试 a test that measures someone's ability in order to put that person in a particular class or group. work placement 工作实习 a limited period of time, usually forming part of a course of study, during which someone works for a company or organization in order to get work experience, which may be paid or not paid: All the students are undertaking work placements in local businesses one day a week for 12 weeks. Tallulah is a sociology student currently on work placement with a public relations company. In the two-hour-long interview, the woman said she first met the boy while she was completing her teaching placement. In the two-hour-long interview, the woman said she first met the boy while she was completing her teaching placement. She told police she declined the requests, but said the complainant was more persistent. The woman told police she declined friend requests from him multiple times, until he called her on Instagram. Advanced Placement in the US, courses offered to students at high school (= aged approximately 14 to 18) that are at the same level as college courses, and that give students college credits (= points for successfully completing an educational unit) if they pass a test at the end of the course: Increasing the number of minority students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes is a priority for us. Advanced Placement is increasingly important to success after high school, and should not be denied to any student. They are both 16 and juniors, and are preparing for Advanced Placement tests coming up soon.

vacuous VS fatuous; innocuous VS anodyne; insidious: vacuous [ˈvækjuəs] 没有营养的, 缺内容实质的, 没有内涵的, 愚蠢的, 缺大脑的, 无脑的 [disapproval] not expressing or showing intelligent thought or purpose. If you describe a person or their comments as vacuous, you are critical of them because they lack intelligent thought or ideas. completely lacking in intelligence or serious thought. a vacuous TV game show. vacuous minor celebrities. Models are not always as vacuous as they are made out to be. ...the usual vacuous comments by some faceless commentator. a vacuous remark/question/expression/smile. vocabulary: Reserved for the harmlessly stupid and truly meaningless, vacuous is a smart-sounding way to describe something dumb. Celebrity gossip and reality TV are usually pretty vacuous, even if they're fun. If someone smiles at you in a way that seems fake or empty, you could describe the smile as vacuous. An example of a vacuous comment would be a politician promising to make things better without explaining how. If something is vacuous, it's like a vacuum — hollow, empty, devoid of substance. fatuous [ˈfætjuəs] 愚蠢的, 没脑子的, 脑残的 [formal, disapproval] stupid. If you describe a person, action, or remark as fatuous, you think that they are extremely silly, showing a lack of intelligence or thought. The Chief was left speechless by this fatuous remark. vocabulary: Fatuous means lacking intelligence. When your mother outlaws calling your brother stupid, use fatuous instead. Fatuous derives from the Latin fatuus meaning "foolish." It sounds like it should have something to do with being fat, but it actually has no relation to size. Fatuus itself comes from a root that also gave us "debate" and this might be a good way to remember it. You want to debate someone who's fatuous, because they are unintelligent, silly and even a bit conceited, so they probably won't be very persuasive debaters. Just don't call them fatuous to their face. Even if they don't know what it means, it's just not nice! innocuous [iˈnokjuəs] 无公害的, 无毒无害的. 非常平常的. 无辜的. 人畜无害的 not likely to offend or upset anyone. completely harmless (= causing no harm): The interviewer only asked boring, innocuous questions. Some mushrooms look innocuous but are in fact poisonous. an innocuous remark/suggestion. a. not likely to harm or hurt anyone or anything. an innocuous substance found in some types of fungi. anodyne ['ænə,daɪn] 不会招致非议的, 人畜无害的, 无害的, 无聊的 [formal, disapproval] containing nothing that will offend anyone or cause disagreements, and therefore rather boring. expressed in a way that is unlikely to offend anyone anodyne topics of conversation. If you describe something as anodyne, you are criticizing it because it has no strong characteristics and is not likely to excite, interest, or upset anyone. intended to avoid causing offence or disagreement, especially by not expressing strong feelings or opinions: This is daytime television at its most anodyne. Somehow this avoids being just another silly pop song with anodyne lyrics about love and happiness. Their quarterly meetings were anodyne affairs. vocabulary: When your back is killing you from helping your friend move furniture into his new apartment, you need to take an anodyne, a painkiller. An anodyne doesn't have to be actual medicine. If the pure joy of helping your friend is soothing enough to make you forget your aching back, that counts as an anodyne too (though perhaps an unlikely one). Anodyne can also be used as an adjective to describe something that relieves pain, or is at least inoffensive. When you're stressed out or unhappy, try looking at anodyne pictures of kittens. Er, unless you had a bad experience with a cat once. insidious [ɪnˈsɪdɪəs] 貌似无害的, 貌似无辜的, 不容小觑的, 不可小看的, 不可忽视的, 不可小视的, 貌似无害实则危害很大的 something that is insidious is dangerous because it seems to be harmless or not important but in fact causes harm or damage. Something that is insidious is unpleasant or dangerous and develops gradually without being noticed. The changes are insidious, and will not produce a noticeable effect for 15 to 20 years. They focus on overt discrimination rather than insidious aspects of racism. the insidious effects of gossip. As head of the Arts Council, Lord Palumbo looks like the fox in charge of the henhouse. He has been possessed to build a "masterpiece," whether London wants it or not. He is like the Boy Scout intent on doing a good deed who drags an old lady across the street when she doesn't want to go. Why doesn't he simply put this paragon of design on already vacant land? This whole controversy arose because a former Secretary of the Environment allowed it on the premise that "perhaps the new design might be better than the old one." This is indeed an insidious thought, and should not be allowed to determine the life or death of already satisfactory structures. fox in the henhouse = fox guarding the henhouse 掌管鸡窝的狐狸 ( cock in the henhouse = wolf guarding the sheep) (idiomatic, figurative) Someone untrustworthy placed in a position of trust in which they will be harmful, damaging or detrimental for their own personal gain. cock in the henhouse (idiomatic, figurative) A man in a situation where he has access to many women, presumably intending to seduce them.