
tangle
词源
源自中古英语 tanglen,可能与古挪威语 þǫngull(海草)有关,原指海草缠绕的状态。
noun
❶ 指线、头发等物体纠缠在一起形成的混乱状态,难以分开或理清。
“Her hair was in a terrible tangle after the windy day.”
(大风天后,她的头发乱成一团。)
“The fishing lines were in a hopeless tangle.”
(钓鱼线乱得完全解不开。)
❶ 指复杂难解的情况或问题,常带有混乱或冲突的含义。
“Their relationship was a tangle of misunderstandings.”
(他们的关系充满了误解。)
“The legal case became a tangle of conflicting evidence.”
(这个法律案件变成了相互矛盾证据的乱局。)
verb
❶ 使(线、头发等)缠结在一起,或变得混乱难以分开。
“The wind tangled her long hair.”
(风把她的长发吹得缠在一起。)
“Be careful not to tangle the Christmas lights.”
(小心别把圣诞灯饰弄乱了。)
❶ 使陷入复杂或困难的境地,通常指问题或冲突。
“He didn't want to tangle with the angry customer.”
(他不想和生气的顾客纠缠。)
“The two companies got tangled in a legal dispute.”
(两家公司陷入了法律纠纷。)
常见短语
tangle with — 与某人发生争执或冲突,尤指肢体或言语上的对抗。
“He's not afraid to tangle with anyone who insults his family.”
(他不怕和任何侮辱他家人的人对抗。)
tangle up — 使某物完全缠结或混乱,也用于比喻陷入困境。
“The cat managed to tangle up all the knitting yarn.”
(猫把所有的针织毛线都弄乱了。)