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rowel v. [ROWL]
用马刺前端踢;将插环打脓器插入
Definition
1: to goad with or as if with a pointed disk at the end of a spur.
1:用马刺刺激或者类似于用马刺刺激
2: vex, trouble
2:使恼火,烦扰,困扰,麻烦
注:goad:刺激,激烈,驱使;spur:马刺
Rowel Spur:
Did You Know?
If you’ve seen Western movies, you’ve seen rowels. The noun rowel names the circular, point-covered disk on the end of a spur that is used to urge powerful steeds to maximum speeds. But cowboys didn’t invent rowels; knights in shining armor were sporting them even before the 12th century. English speakers of yore picked up the noun rowel from the Anglo-Frech roele, meaning “small wheel.” It wasn’t until the 16th century that rowel began to be used as a verb for the act of spurring a horse with a rowel. By the 19th century, rowel was being used as a verb for any process of prodding or goading that was as irritating as being poked in the side with a rowel.
词源词根演化:roele (“small wheel”) —> rowel
如果你看过西部牛仔电影,你肯定看见过rowel (马刺末端的小齿轮)这个东西。名词rowel表示位于马刺末端的那个圆形的,有尖的圆盘,用于驱策马匹达到最大速度。但是牛仔们并不是rowel的发明者;甚至在12世纪之前,身着金盔甲的骑士们就已经开始使用这个东西了。那个时代的英语从Anglo-French的roele演化出了rowel,意思是“小齿轮”。直到16世纪这个词开始用作动词,表示用rowel来策马这个动作。到了19世纪,rowel这个动词有了引申意义,表示任何类似于被rowel刺激的这个行为。
注:steed:【文】马;yore【书】往昔,昔时;prod:刺激,激励
Examples
-
“He folded the book shut, touched his hat, moved to the wagon, and roweled the horses around.”
— Colum McCann, TransAtlantic, 2013
他合上书,压了压帽子,登上马车,策马前进。 -
“Then suddenly he found himself at the end of his money … Hunger rode him and roweled him. He was no longer well fed, comfortable.”
突然间,他发现他没有钱了。饥饿压着他,刺激着他。他不再吃得饱穿的暖,也不舒服了。
Bonus
prudence
审慎,深谋远虑,节俭
- [noncount]
- careful good judgement that allows someone to avoid danger or risks
- act with ordinary/reasonable prudence
- He always exercises prudence with his finance.
- wearing a helmet shows prudence