好词典

colt

UK //kəʊlt//US //koʊlt//

词源

源自古英语 'colt',原意即指年轻的马,与古诺斯语 'kultr'(小牛)同源。

noun

❶ 指未满四岁的年轻公马,尤其是指尚未被阉割的雄性马驹。常用于描述赛马或农场中的年轻马匹。

“The farmer is training a young colt for next year's races.”

(农夫正在训练一匹小公马,准备参加明年的比赛。)

“The colt pranced around the field, full of energy.”

(那匹小公马在田野里欢快地跳跃,充满活力。)

❶ 有时也用来比喻年轻、缺乏经验的男性,带有稚嫩或未经世事的含义。

“He's just a colt in the business world, still learning the ropes.”

(他在商界还是个新手,仍在学习基本规则。)

“The team recruited several colts straight out of college.”

(团队招募了几名刚从大学毕业的年轻新手。)

同义词:young horse, foal, yearling, filly (雌性对应词), greenhorn (比喻义)

常见短语

colt's tooth — 字面意思是“小马的牙齿”,实际指人上了年纪后长出的新牙,或比喻老年人保持的年轻心态。

“At seventy, he still has a colt's tooth for adventure.”

(七十岁的他仍保持着对冒险的年轻心态。)