倫倫的小blog

squalid   /ˋskwɑlɪd/

adj.骯髒的; 邋遢的 [very dirty and unpleasant (esp because of neglect or poverty)] 

  ex. The urban poor often lived and worked in squalid  and dangerous conditions.

  syn: dingy(p.148),  filthy (p.202)

squalor  /ˋskwɑlɚ/

n. [the quality or state of being squalid]

  ex. live in abject squalor.

squall  /skwɔl/

n.暴風 [a sudden, violent gust of wind, often accompanied by rain, snow, or sleet.]

   related word: blow, gust, windstorm

   ex. The boat was hit by a squall north of the island.

   note: If a person or animal squalls, they make a loud unpleasant noise like the noise made by a crying baby.

squander   /ˋskwɑndɚ/

v. [to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully] 

   ex. to squander time, chances.

   related word:

   note:    $QUANDER  是一種桌遊遊戲，1965年出版，它有點像大富翁的玩法，但是比的是誰先將錢花完，第一個破產的玩家就是winner.

   etymology: Shakespeare used it 1593 in "Merchant of Venice" with a sense of "to be scattered over a wide area." Squander-bug, a British symbol of reckless extravagance and waste during war-time shortages,

squash    /skwɑʃ/

v. [to press into a flat mass or pulp; crush] 

  ex. he squashed an orange by his hand. (爆橘神拳)

  ex. There's room for one more in the car if you squash in.

  note: 也指一種sport, or vegetable.

squeeze   /skwiz/

v.擠壓or搾  [press on sth from opposite sides or all sides]

  ex. to squeeze a tube of toothpaste

  ex. to squeeze money out of the poor...

squelch   /skwɛltʃ/

v. [to crush completely; squash]  

  ex. President wants to squelch the argument and let government get funding and work.

  note: scotch v. [to stop] (p.421)

  ps 也可指『如腳從黏泥中拔出時，發吧唧聲或撲哧聲』這個動作 [to walk laboriously through soft wet material or with wet shoes, making a sucking noise]

  etymology: squash + quell, quench

squat

v.蹲

squint    /skwɪnt/

v. [looking or tending to look obliquely or askance (as with envy or disdain) ]

  ex. The bright sunlight made me squint.

  ex. He squinted his eyes and looked at the floor.

  note: 斜視症

squirrel   /ˈskwɜːrəl/

n.松鼠

Drunk Squirrel Tries to Climb Tree

staccato    /stəˋkɑto/

n.斷音; 斷奏 [music  (of notes) short, clipped, and separate]

adj. 斷音的

  etymology: 1724, from It. staccato, lit. "detached, disconnected"

 Paul Gilbert. Lesson 4. Staccato.

stagnant    /ˋstæɡnənt/

adj. [not flowing or running, as water, air, etc.] 

  ps. 像是在地下室，或者是穀倉中空氣不流通那種感覺, 你可以說 The air here is stagnant.

  ex. Family incomes are stagnant , but tuition keeps going up.

  related word:

staid    /sted/

adj. [marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint]

  note: staid在許久之前是 stay (v.) 的過去分詞，其實就有固定的意思，不久之後又長出了穩重嚴肅、莊重保守的相關字義。我們可以形容一個人 staid，那們他具有看起來很拘謹的模樣，有點像是叫早期的日本人，有著保守的意思。

  related word:

   etymology: 1540s, "fixed, permanent," adj. use of stayed, pp. of stay (v.). Meaning "sober, sedate" first recorded 1550s.

stain    /sten/

n.污點 [a discoloration produced by foreign matter having penetrated into or chemically reacted with a material]  

  ex. Sin is not seen as a stain  on the soul, but rather a mistake that needs correction.

  related word: spot, smudge, smear

v. [leave or make colored patches or dirty marks on sth]

  ex. The juice stained their fingers.

  ex. The incident stained his career

stake

n.樁 [a stick or post pointed at one end for driving into the ground as a boundary mark, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc.]

n. 賭注

  note: 中世紀的人們在打賭的時候，會將錢掛在木樁上，後來就從原本的木樁變成賭注了

  ex. The game was usually played for high stakes between two large groups.

  ps. at stake  = being risked

  ex. The 200 houses near the sea are at stakes when the hurricane comes.