201412 Flashcards
caitiff
caitiff (a.)卑劣的卑鄙男人
coward
noun [C] /ˈkaʊ.əd/ US /ˈkaʊ.ɚd/ disapproving › a person who is too eager to avoid danger, difficulty or pain 膽小鬼，懦夫 They branded her a coward for informing on her colleagues during the interrogation. 她在審訊中告發了同事，因此被視為懦夫。 cowardly /ˈkaʊ.əd.li/ US /-ɚd-/ adjective › This was a particularly brutal and cowardly attack. 這種攻擊特別殘忍卑劣。 They are guilty of a cowardly failure to address the problem. 他們懦弱膽小，致使這個問題沒有處理好。 cowardice /ˈkaʊ.ə.dɪs/ US /-ɚ-/ noun [U] › You can accuse me of cowardice, but I still wouldn’t volunteer to fight in a war. 你可以指責我膽小，但我還是不會自願上戰場的。
despicable
adjective /dɪˈspɪk.ə.bl̩/ › very unpleasant or bad, causing strong feelings of dislike 令人厭惡的，可憎的 despicable behaviour 令人厭惡的行為 He’s a despicable human being! 他是個令人厭惡的人！ It was despicable of her to lie about her friend. 她就朋友的事說謊實在可憎。 despicably /dɪˈspɪk.ə.bli/ adverb › I think you behaved despicably. 我覺得你的行為令人討厭。
wretch
noun [C] (UNHAPPY PERSON) 不快樂的人 /retʃ/ › a person who experiences something unpleasant 可憐的人；不幸的人 a poor/miserable wretch 可憐的／悲慘的人
smother
verb [T] (COVER) 悶死 /ˈsmʌð.ər/ US /-ɚ/ › to kill someone by covering their face so that they cannot breathe 悶死，使窒息 They threatened to smother the animals with plastic bags. 他們威脅要用塑膠袋把這些動物悶死。 › to kill something by covering it and preventing it from receiving the substances and conditions it needs for life 摧殘，扼殺 Snow soon smothered the last of the blooms. 不久大雪便扼殺了最後的花朵。 figurative I tried desperately to smother a sneeze (= I tried not to sneeze) during his speech. 他發言的時候，我努力控制自己不打噴嚏。 › to stop a fire from burning by covering it with something which prevents air from reaching it 把（火）悶熄 I threw a blanket over the cooker to smother the flames. 我丟了一條毯子蓋在爐子上，把火悶熄。
tittle-tattle
noun [U] /ˈtɪt.l̩ˌtæt.l̩/ US /ˈtɪt̬.l̩ˌtæt̬-/ old-fashioned informal › talk about other people’s lives that is usually unkind, disapproving or not true; gossip noun 閒聊；閒言碎語
inform on
inform someone on someone to tattle (on someone) (to someone). I will inform the teacher on you! Billy informed his mother on Bobby. See also: inform inform on someone to tell the authorities about someone; to tattle on someone. I am going to have to inform on you. Liz informed on Ken to their mother.
attrition
noun [U] /əˈtrɪʃ.ən/ › slightly formal gradually making something weaker and destroying it, especially the strength or confidence of an enemy by repeatedly attacking it （尤指給敵人的力量或自信造成的）消耗，損耗，削弱 Terrorist groups and the government have been engaged in a costly war of attrition since 1968. 自1968年以來，恐怖主義組織和政府之間一直在進行兩敗俱傷的消耗戰。 › US for natural wastage 自然減員 1. the act of wearing away or the state of being worn away, as by friction 2. constant wearing down to weaken or destroy (often in the phrase war of attrition) 3. (Industrial Relations & HR Terms) Also called: natural wastage a decrease in the size of the workforce of an organization achieved by not replacing employees who retire or resign 4. (Physical Geography) geography the grinding down of rock particles by friction during transportation by water, wind, or ice. Compare abrasion3, corrasion 5. (Theology) theol sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation, esp as contrasted with contrition, which arises purely from love of God
gradual
adjective /ˈɡræd.jʊ.əl/ /ˈɡrædʒ.ʊ.əl/ › happening or changing slowly over a long period of time or distance 逐步的，逐漸的；平緩的 There has been a gradual improvement in our sales figures over the last two years. 在過去的兩年裡，我們的銷售額一直在逐步上升。 As you go further south, you will notice a gradual change of climate. 當你一路往南走下去的時候，你就會注意到氣候的細微變化。
rubbing away
因摩擦而減低/因自然因素而慢慢降低 = wearing down wear away (穿過) ex: Water can wear away rocks after a long time, even though the rock is harder
friction
noun [U] (FORCE) 作用力 /ˈfrɪk.ʃən/ › the force which makes it difficult for one object to slide along the surface of another or to move through a liquid or gas 摩擦力；摩擦 When you rub your hands together the friction produces heat. 揉搓雙手時，摩擦會産生熱量。 frictional /ˈfrɪk.ʃən.əl/ adjective
diminution
noun [C or U] /ˌdɪm.ɪˈnjuː.ʃən/ US /-əˈnuː-/ formal › reduction in size or importance （大小或重要性）減少；降低 Regular exercise can result in a general diminution in stress levels. 經常鍛煉可以全面緩解精神壓力。 The company suffered a diminution in profits. 該公司處於利潤萎縮的境況。
repent
verb [I] /rɪˈpent/ formal › to be very sorry for something bad you have done in the past and wish that you had not done it 後悔；悔過，懺悔 He repented (of his sins) just hours before he died. 在臨死前數小時，他才（對自己的罪孽）做了懺悔。 repentance /rɪˈpen.tənts/ noun [U] › This was an extremely violent crime, for which the boy showed no repentance. 這是樁極其殘暴的罪行，但那個男孩子對此卻毫無悔意 Repentance for sin motivated by fear of punishment rather than by love of God.
protagonist
noun [C] (SUPPORTER) 角色/支持者 /prəˈtæɡ.ən.ɪst/ › an important supporter of an idea or political system （某一想法或政治制度的）主要支持者，主要擁護者 Key protagonists of the revolution were hunted down and executed. 這次革命的主要發起人被捕並被處決。
omniscient
/ɒmˈnɪs.i.ənt/ US /ɑːmˈnɪʃ.ənt/ formal › having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge 無所不知的，全知的 the omniscient narrator 全知敘述者
robin (redbreast)
/ˈrɒb.ɪn/ US /ˈrɑː.bɪn/ (literary robin redbreast) › a small brown European bird with a red front, or a similar but slightly larger brown bird of North America （産於歐洲的）鴝，知更鳥；（産於北美的）旅鶇，美洲知更鳥 Robins mostly appear in the winter and are commonly pictured on Christmas cards. 知更鳥在冬季最常見，經常被畫在聖誕咭上。
portrait
/ˈpɔː.trət/ /-treɪt/ US /ˈpɔːr.trɪt/ › a painting, photograph, drawing, etc. of a person or, less commonly, of a group of people 肖像，畫像；人像照片 She’s commissioned an artist to paint her portrait/paint a portrait of her. 她委託一位畫家為她畫一幅肖像。 a portrait gallery 肖像畫廊 a portrait painter 肖像畫家 › A film or book which is a portrait of something is a detailed description or representation of it 電影或書中的描寫，描述；表現 Her latest novel paints a very vivid portrait of the aristocracy in the 1920s. 她最新的一部小說生動地描繪了20世紀20年代的貴族生活。
motif
noun [C] (PATTERN) 主題/圖案 /məʊˈtiːf/ US /moʊ-/ › a pattern or design 圖案，式樣 We chose some curtains with a flower motif. 我們選擇了一些帶花卉圖案的窗簾。
