
nip
词源
源自中古英语nippen,可能来自低地德语或荷兰语,原意为'夹住、捏住'。
verb
❶ 用牙齿或工具快速轻咬或夹住某物,常用于描述动物或人轻微咬的动作。
“The puppy nipped at my fingers playfully.”
(小狗顽皮地轻咬我的手指。)
“She nipped her brother's arm to get his attention.”
(她轻轻掐了一下弟弟的手臂以引起他的注意。)
❶ 快速地去某处做某事,通常指短暂的外出或匆忙的行程。
“I'll just nip to the store to grab some milk.”
(我这就去商店买点牛奶。)
“She nipped out for a quick coffee break.”
(她匆匆出去喝杯咖啡休息一下。)
noun
❶ 轻微的咬或夹的动作,或由此产生的轻微疼痛感。
“The dog gave me a friendly nip on the hand.”
(狗友好地轻咬了一下我的手。)
“There's a nip in the air this morning.”
(今天早晨空气中有一丝寒意。)
❶ 少量烈酒,尤指一小口或一小杯。
“He offered me a nip of whiskey to celebrate.”
(他给我倒了一小杯威士忌庆祝。)
“A quick nip helped calm her nerves.”
(一小口酒帮助她镇静下来。)
常见短语
nip and tuck — 形容竞争非常激烈,双方势均力敌,结果难以预料的情况。
“The race was nip and tuck until the final lap.”
(比赛直到最后一圈都难分胜负。)
nip something in the bud — 在问题或不良情况刚出现时就及时制止,防止其发展扩大。
“We need to nip this bad habit in the bud before it gets worse.”
(我们需要在这个坏习惯恶化之前就把它扼杀在萌芽状态。)