好词典

needle

UK //ˈniː.dəl//US //ˈniː.dəl//

词源

源自古英语nǣdl,源自原始日耳曼语*nēdlą,与荷兰语naald、德语Nadel同源。

noun

❶ 一种细长尖锐的工具,通常用于缝纫或医疗注射,由金属制成,一端有孔可穿线。

“She threaded the needle to sew the button back on.”

(她穿针引线,把纽扣重新缝上。)

“The doctor used a sterile needle for the injection.”

(医生使用无菌针头进行注射。)

❶ 比喻令人感到不适或刺激的事物,常用来形容言语或行为的尖锐。

“There was a needle of sarcasm in his voice.”

(他话里带着讽刺的锋芒。)

“Her comments were like needles poking at my confidence.”

(她的评论像针一样刺痛我的信心。)

同义词:pin, hypodermic, lance, thorn, spike

verb

❶ 用言语或行为故意刺激或激怒某人,通常带有挑衅意味。

“He kept needling his brother about the lost game.”

(他不断用输掉比赛的事刺激他弟弟。)

“Stop needling me with your sarcastic remarks!”

(别再用你那些讽刺的话来刺激我了!)

同义词:provoke, irritate, annoy, goad, taunt

常见短语

like looking for a needle in a haystack — 形容寻找某物极其困难,就像在干草堆里找一根针,比喻大海捞针。

“Finding my earring in this messy room is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

(在这个乱糟糟的房间里找我的耳环简直是大海捞针。)

needle in a haystack — 指极难找到的东西或人,强调其隐蔽性或稀少性。

“The missing document was a needle in a haystack among thousands of files.”

(那份丢失的文件在成千上万份档案中如同大海捞针。)