sheer
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++sheer1 /ʃɪə $ ʃɪr/ ●●○ adjective 1 the sheer weight/size etc EMPHASIZEused to emphasize that something is very heavy, large etc 〔某物〕之重/之大等〔用于强调〕the sheer weight/size etc of The sheer size of the country makes communications difficult. 该国幅员辽阔,造成了通信的困难。2 sheer luck/happiness/stupidity etc VERYluck, happiness etc with no other feeling or quality mixed with it 纯粹的运气/快乐/愚蠢等 SYN pure I’ll never forget the look of sheer joy on her face. 我永远也不会忘记她满脸喜悦的神情。 sheer hypocrisy 十足的虚伪3. VERTICALa sheer drop, cliff, slope etc is very steep and almost vertical 〔悬崖、斜坡等〕陡峭的,近乎垂直的4 TIMSEEsheer nylon, silk etc is very thin and fine, so that it is almost transparent 〔尼龙、丝绸等〕很薄的,几乎透明的 sheer stockings 透明的女式长筒袜
Examples from the Corpus
sheer• For sheer cleverness she could run rings around them all.• Teetering on the sheer cliff, Tallis peered down at the river.• The coastguard duties included patrolling paths at the top of high and sheer cliffs - not a job for the faint-hearted.• The coastguard patrols paths at the top of high and sheer cliffs.• sheer curtains• Tennis courts lit pointlessly except to inform the driver of the sheer dimension of the leisure complex burst into life.• I stood at the edge of the old chalk quarry, with a sheer drop of ten or twenty metres below me.• What he lacked in aesthetic grace Bob Willis made up in speed, determination and sheer guts.• For the rest of the programme was sheer hagiography.• Immense and sheer, the mountains emerge from a fog of silk.sheer2 adverb VERTICALstraight up or down in an almost vertical line 陡峭地,近乎垂直地 SYN steeply cliffs which rose sheer from the sea 从海面垂直拔起的悬崖Examples from the Corpus
sheer• On their left it sloped gently away and on the right it fell sheer, in steep crags.sheer3 verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid something 突然转向〔尤指为了避开某物〕 SYN swervesheer off/away The boat sheered away and headed out to sea. 这艘小船突然转向朝大海驶去。→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
sheer• Rimmed by a waist-high balustrade, the garden sheers down some twenty feet.• I checked the needles more thoroughly and discovered that the very tip of the latch of a needle was sheered off.• Finally on the fourth day one of the anchor ropes sheered through and we lost that anchor to the gale.sheer off/away• I checked the needles more thoroughly and discovered that the very tip of the latch of a needle was sheered off.Origin sheer (1500-1600) Probably from Old Norse skærr “pure”is something used emphasize Corpus to that very
sheer
sheer1 /ʃɪə $ ʃɪr/
adjective
the sheer weight/size etc of
The sheer size of the country makes communications difficult.
2. sheer luck/happiness/stupidity etc luck, happiness etc with no other feeling or quality mixed with it
SYN pure:
I’ll never forget the look of sheer joy on her face.
sheer hypocrisy
3. a sheer drop, cliff, slope etc is very steep and almost vertical
4. sheer nylon, silk etc is very thin and fine, so that it is almost transparent:
sheer stockings
sheer2
adverb
straight up or down in an almost vertical line
SYN steeply:
cliffs which rose sheer from the sea
sheer3
verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
to change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid something
SYN swerve
sheer off/away
The boat sheered away and headed out to sea.
| I |
adjective Date: 1500-1600
Origin: Probably from Old Norse skærr 'pure'
1. the sheer weight/size etc used to emphasize that something is very heavy, large etcOrigin: Probably from Old Norse skærr 'pure'
the sheer weight/size etc of
2. sheer luck/happiness/stupidity etc luck, happiness etc with no other feeling or quality mixed with it
SYN pure:
3. a sheer drop, cliff, slope etc is very steep and almost vertical
4. sheer nylon, silk etc is very thin and fine, so that it is almost transparent:
| II |
adverbstraight up or down in an almost vertical line
SYN steeply:
| III |
verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]to change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid something
SYN swerve
sheer off/away
Ways of talking about men and women 表示男女的说法
When you are writing or speaking English it is important to use language that includes both men and women equally. Some people may be very offended if you do not. 说写英语时,重要的是用词要把男女都包括在内,否则可能会冒犯某些人。
The human race 人类
Man andmankind have traditionally been used to mean 'all men and women'. Many people now prefer to usehumanity ,the human race ,human beings orpeople .* man 和 mankind 传统上用以指所有男性和女性,不过,现在许多人喜欢用 humanity、the human race、human beings 或 people。
Jobs 职业
The suffix -ess in names of occupations such asactress ,hostess andwaitress shows that the person doing the job is a woman. Many people now avoid these. Instead you can useactor orhost (althoughactress andhostess are still very common), or a neutral word, such asserver forwaiter andwaitress .后缀 -ess 在职业的名称如 actress、hostess 和 waitress 中表明从事此职业的是女性。目前,许多人避免用这些词。取而代之的是 actor 或 host(尽管 actress 和 hostess 仍然很常见)或用中性词如 server 取代 waiter 和 waitress。 Neutral words like assistant ,worker ,person orofficer are now often used instead of-man or-woman in the names of jobs. For example, you can usepolice officer instead ofpoliceman orpolicewoman , andspokesperson instead ofspokesman orspokeswoman . Neutral words are very common in newspapers, on television and radio and in official writing, in both andBrE .NAmE 现在职业名称常用中性词如 assistant、worker、person 或 officer 取代 -man 或 -woman。例如可用 police officer 代替 policeman 或 policewoman,用 spokesperson 代替 spokesman 或 spokeswoman。在报刊、电视、广播和公文中,英式英语和美式英语都常用中性词。 When talking about jobs that are traditionally done by the other sex, some people say: a male secretary /nurse /model (NOTman ) ora woman /female doctor /barrister /driver . However this is now not usually used unless you need to emphasize which sex the person is, or it is still unusual for the job to be done by a man/woman.谈及传统上由另一性别干的工作时,有人用 male secretary/nurse/model(不用 man)或 woman/female doctor/barrister/driver 表示。不过现在这种用法不常见,除非要强调此人的性别,或由某性别干此工作仍然少见 :◆ My daughter prefers to see a woman doctor. 我的女儿喜欢让女医生看病。 ◆ They have a male nanny for their kids. 他们有个男保姆照料孩子。 ◆ a female racing driver 女赛车手
Pronouns 代词
He used to be considered to cover both men and women.* he 过去被认为既指男性也指女性 :◆ Everyone needs to feel he is loved. 人人都需要有被爱的感觉。 This is not now acceptable. Instead, after everybody ,everyone ,anybody ,anyone ,somebody ,someone , etc. one of the plural pronounsthey ,them , andtheir is often used.现在此用法不获认同。取而代之的是在 everybody、everyone、anybody、anyone、somebody、someone 等之后常用复数代词 they、them 和 their :◆ Does everybody know what they want? 人人都知道自己需要什么吗? ◆ Somebody's left their coat here. 有人把外衣落在这儿了。 ◆ I hope nobody's forgotten to bring their passport with them. 希望没人忘了随身带上护照。 Some people prefer to use he or she ,his or her , orhim or her in speech and writing.有人在口语和书面语中喜欢用 he or she、his or her 或 him or her :◆ Everyone knows what's best for him- or herself. 人人都知道对自己来说什么是最好的。 He/she or(s)he can also be used in writing.* he/she 或 (s)he 亦可用于书面语中 :◆ If in doubt, ask your doctor. He/she can give you more information. 如有疑问请向你的医生咨询,他/她会给你更多的信息。 (You may find that some writers just use 'she'.) 有些人只用 she。 :These uses can seem awkward when they are used a lot. It is better to try to change the sentence, using a plural noun. 这种说法用得太多可能显得别扭。最好尽量改动句子,用复数名词。 :Instead of saying 避免说 :◆ A baby cries when he or she is tired you can say 可以说 :◆ Babies cry when they are tired. 婴儿疲倦时会哭。