好词典

tangle

UK //ˈtæŋ.ɡəl//US //ˈtæŋ.ɡəl//

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。)

同义词:knot, jumble, mess, snarl, web

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。)

同义词:entangle, twist, snarl, complicate, embroil

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。)