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    gnat

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    gnat

    Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++
    Related topics: Insects
    gnat /næt/ noun [countable]  HBIa small flying insect that bites 叮人小虫，蠓，蚋
    Examples from the Corpus
    gnat• In five hours she'd be marking Miguel O'Brien - a gnat trying to curb an elephant.• And, little by little, the utterly unprecedented thought began buzzing around my cortex, like a gnat in a jar.• Vanessa could shoot the eye out of a gnat at fifty paces.• Milk, sticky and sour on her dress, attracted every small flying thing from gnats to grasshoppers.• The last two weeks had been damp and little gnats thickened the air like a living dust.• The heat and the gnats were the next burden.• As was suggested in argument, that would indeed be to swallow the elephant and strain at the gnat.    Origin gnat Old English gnætt
    gnat nounChinese
    flying Corpus that insect bites a small


    gnat
    gnat /næt/ noun [countable]
     Language: Old English
     Origin: gnætt
    a small flying insect that bites


    gnatBrE /næt/ 🔊NAmE /næt/ 🔊 nouna small fly with two wings, that bites 叮人小虫；蚋；蠓<titled tranID="29" status="1">shine</titled>gleam ◇ glow ◇ sparkle ◇ glisten ◇ shimmer ◇ glitter ◇ twinkle ◇ glint

    These words all mean to produce or reflect light. 以上各词均含发光、反光之义。

    • shine to produce or reflect light, especially brightly 指发光、反光、照耀：◆The sun was shining and the sky was blue. 阳光灿烂，天空一片蓝。
    • gleam to shine with a clear bright or pale light, especially a reflected light 指闪烁、隐约闪光、微光反射：◆Moonlight gleamed on the water. 月光照在水面上泛起粼粼波光。
    • glow (often of sth hot or warm) to produce a dull steady light 常指热的物体发出微弱而稳定的光：◆The end of his cigarette glowed red. 他的烟头发着微弱的红光。
    • sparkle to shine brightly with small flashes of light 指闪烁、闪耀：◆The diamonds sparkled in the light. 钻石在灯光下闪闪发亮。
    • glisten (of sth wet) to shine 指湿物闪光、闪亮：◆The road glistened wet after the rain. 雨后的道路润泽闪亮。
    • shimmer to shine with a soft light that seems to shake slightly 指发出微弱的闪光、闪烁：◆Everything seemed to shimmer in the heat. 在高温下所有的东西都好像在闪光。
    • glitter to shine brightly with small flashes of reflected light 指闪亮、闪耀：◆The ceiling of the cathedral glittered with gold. 大教堂的天花板金光闪闪。

    sparkle or glitter? 用 sparkle 还是 glitter？

    There is very little difference in meaning between these two words. Glitter can sometimes suggest a lack of depth, but this is more frequent in the figurative use of glitter as a noun. 以上两词在意义上几乎没有差别。glitter 有时暗指缺乏深度，但这较常在 glitter 作名词时作比喻义时用：◆the superficial glitter of show business 表面上光彩迷人的演艺业 Sparkle is also often used to talk about light reflected off a surface, but things that produce light can also sparkle. * sparkle 亦常用以指物体表面反光，但物体发出亮光也可用 sparkle：◆Stars sparkled in the sky. 星星在天空中闪烁。

    • twinkle to shine with a light that changes rapidly from bright to faint to bright again 指一明一暗地闪耀、闪烁：◆Stars twinkled in the sky. 星星在天空中闪烁。
    • glint to give small bright flashes of reflected light 指微微闪光、闪亮、反光：◆The blade of the knife glinted in the darkness. 刀刃在黑暗中亮了亮。

    Patterns

    • to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint on sth
    • to shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/twinkle/glint with sth
    • to shine/gleam/sparkle/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the sunlight
    • to shine/gleam/glisten/shimmer/glitter/glint in the moonlight
    • the stars shine/sparkle/glitter/twinkle
    • sb's eyes shine/gleam/glow/sparkle/glisten/glitter/twinkle/glint
    • to shine/gleam/glow/glitter brightly
    • to shine/gleam/glow/shimmer softly