日志
40个“自相矛盾”的英语单词（真的吗？）
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你大概也注意到了，有些英文单词有点精神分裂……
它们可以有互相矛盾的两个意思，让背单词的小伙伴也感到很分裂。
不过如果联系上下文语境，它们想表达的意思似乎也不那么难理解了呢。
双语君给大家整理出40个这样的英语单词，大家体会体会。
“制裁”vs“批准”
▷Economic sanctions will only be lifted when the aggressor nation withdraws its troops.
只有侵略国撤回其军队，经济制裁才会解除。
▷They tried to get official sanction for the scheme.
他们想使计划获得正式批准。
“检查；监视”vs“忽视；忽略”
▷I am overlooking her work.
我正在监督她的工作。
▷I think there is one key fact that you have overlooked.
我认为你忽略了一个重要的事实。
“完成的”vs“失败的”
▷Are you finished with that drill?
你的那个练习做完了吗？
▷This financial crisis means that the government's economic policy is finished.
这次金融危机意味着政府的经济政策失败了。
“擦去……的灰尘”vs“在……上撒粉末”
▷I was dusting the mantelpiece when I noticed a crack.
我在擦壁炉台的时候发现了一道裂纹。
▷Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar.
在蛋糕上撒些糖霜。
“留下”vs“离开”
▷He left the house by the back door.
他从房子的后门离开了。
▷His shoes left muddy marks on the floor.
他的鞋在地板上留下了泥印。
“添加，装饰”vs“修剪，剪枝”
▷The children are trimming up a Christmas tree with ribbons, laces.
孩子们正在往圣诞树上挂彩带和蕾丝。
▷He trimmed dead branches off a tree.
他从树上剪掉枯枝。
“劈开；分开”vs“粘住；紧贴”
▷With one blow of the knight's axe, he clove the rock in twain (= into two pieces).
武士大斧一挥，将石头劈成了两半。
▷The ancient ivy cleaved to the ruined castle walls.
古老的常春藤紧紧攀附在破败的城堡墙上。
注意：表“粘住；紧贴”时，cleave通常与to连用。
“细看，审视”vs“粗略地看”
▷She anxiously scanned the faces of the men leaving the train.
她焦急地盯着一张张下火车的人的脸。
▷I scanned through the booklet but couldn't find the address.
我很快地翻阅了一遍小册子，但没有找到那个地址。
“快速的”vs“固定的”
▷Computers are getting faster all the time.
计算机一直在提速。
▷She made her end of the rope fast to a tree.
她把绳子的一头牢牢地绑在树上。
“关掉”vs“响起”
▷She turned off the TV.
她关掉了电视。
▷The alarm went off.
闹铃响了起来。
“经受住”vs“受侵蚀”
▷The company weathered the recession.
这家公司挺过了经济衰退。
▷The rock was weathered.
岩石风化了。
“放映；播出”vs“遮掩；遮蔽”
▷The programme was not screened on British television.
这个节目没有在英国电视上播出过。
▷She raised her hand to screen her eyes from the bright light.
她抬手遮住耀眼的亮光。
“帮助”vs“抑制”
▷How can I help you?
我如何才能帮你呢？
▷I couldn't help laughing.
我忍不住大笑起来。
“剪下来”vs“别上去”
▷I clipped his picture from the newspaper.
我把他的照片从报纸上剪了下来。
▷He clipped his flashlight to his belt.
他把手电筒别在腰间。
“糟糕的；不合时宜的”vs“优秀的；极好的”
▷He picked a fine time to leave us.
在那个时候扔下我们走了，他可真是会挑时间。
▷This building is the finest example of its type.
这幢建筑是同类建筑中最杰出的代表。
“鞭笞，棒打”vs“推销，出售”
▷Soldiers used to be flogged for disobedience.
过去士兵们常常因不守军令而遭鞭笞。
▷He tried to flog his old car, but no one would buy it.
他想快点儿卖掉他的旧车，但没人愿意买。
“使纠缠；使错综复杂”vs“弄清；解开”
▷Mark's interference merely ravelled things further.
马克的掺和只是让情况进一步复杂化了。
▷It took Daisy a long time to ravel out all the wool.
黛西花了很长时间才把毛线解开。
“吝啬的，小气的”vs“极好的，出色的”
▷He's too mean to buy her a ring.
他太吝啬了，舍不得给她买一枚戒指。
▷She's a mean piano player.
她是个出色的钢琴演奏家。
“丢弃”vs“提出”
▷She tossed out my old chair.
她把我的旧椅子扔了。
▷I decided to toss out the idea.
我决定提出这个想法。
注意：第二个例句在特定情况下也可以指“抛弃”那个想法，要根据上下文而定。
“坍塌，垮掉”vs“系牢”
▷My knees buckled with fear.
我因为害怕而膝盖瘫软。
▷Buckle your seat belt.
请系好安全带。
“和解，让步”vs“危害，损害”
▷In the end I agreed to compromise.
最终我同意让步。
▷The virus will compromise our immune system.
这种病毒会损害我们的免疫系统。
“逃跑”vs“锁住”
▷The horse bolted at the sound of the shot.
那匹马听到枪声后跑走了。
▷You'd better bolt your doors.
你最好锁上门。
“旅行”vs“绊倒”
▷The trip from York to Newcastle takes about an hour by train.
乘火车从约克到纽卡斯尔大约要花1个小时。
▷She had a nasty trip on the stairs.
她在楼梯上重重地绊了一跤。
“道歉，谢罪”vs“辩解，解释”
▷Please accept my apology.
请接受我的道歉。
▷The consequence of those measures will be the best apology for my conduct.
这些措施产生的后果将成为我所作所为的最佳辩解。
“寻求咨询”vs“提供咨询”
▷If you have any questions, consult an attorney.
你有任何问题，都可以咨询律师。
▷The retired executive consults for several large companies.
这位退休高管为好几家大公司提供咨询。
“惯常，习惯”vs“特殊的，定制的”
▷He left the house at nine exactly, as is his custom.
他照常9点准时离开了家。
▷Justin Bieber looks suave in his custom suit.
穿上了定制西装的贾斯汀·比伯展现了儒雅风范。
“最低级”vs“最高级”
▷first-degree burn
一度烧伤（处于烧伤级别的低级）
▷first-degree murder
一级谋杀（处于谋杀级别的高级）
“嘱咐”vs“禁止”
▷He enjoined caution.
他嘱咐要谨慎行事。
▷The government enjoined the publication of the book.
当局禁止出版这本书。
“去往，前往”vs“束缚，绑缚”
▷She was on a plane bound for Moscow.
她在前往莫斯科的飞机上。
▷We found the girl bound.
我们发现女孩被绑起来了。
“播撒种子”vs“去掉种子”
▷He is seeding the fields with wheat.
他在地里种小麦。
▷Wash, seed and cut the pepper into small pieces.
将辣椒洗净，去籽，切成小片。
“（固态的）一团，一块”vs“（液态的）一点，少许”
▷a dollop of whipped cream
一团生奶油
▷a dollop of whiskey
少量威士忌
“增添配菜”vs“扣钱”
▷Garnish the dish with parsley before serving.
这道菜端上桌之前，可以在上面配些欧芹点缀一下。
▷His employer garnished his wages in order to pay his debt.
雇主扣除了他的一部分工资用于支付他所欠的债务。
“（房东）出租”vs“（租客）租用”
▷It was agreed they would lease him the flat.
按照约定他们要把公寓租给他。
▷He went to Toronto, where he leased an apartment.
他去了多伦多，在那儿租下一间公寓。
“在外”vs“在内”
▷I hardly get out of the house because I work out of my home.
我几乎不出屋，因为我在家里办公。
注意：第一个out of表示“在……之外”，第二个out of表示“在……之内”。
“榜样的，优于别人的”vs“按原样复制的模型”
▷She really is a model student.
她真是个模范学生。
▷There is a model of a wooden house.
这儿有一个木屋模型。
“现在”vs“不久之后”
▷Of 200 boats, only 20 are presently operational.
200条船中，目前只有20条可用。
▷The room was hot and presently her eyes grew heavy and she began to feel sleepy.
屋子里很热，不一会儿她就觉得眼皮发沉，昏昏欲睡。
“亮了”vs“灭了”
▷It's a good thing the full moon was out when the lights went out.
熄灯之后，满月出来了。很好。
注意：第一个out表示“出来”，第二个out表示“灭掉”。
“辞职”vs“重新签署”
▷She resigned as director.
她辞去了董事职务。
▷Athletes who renew their contracts resign with their teams.
想要续签的运动员都与各自的队重新签署了合约。
注意：第二句里的resign也可以写作re-sign [ri'sain]，发音不同于“辞职”的resign。
“与……打架”vs“与……并肩战斗”
▷He fought with his mother-in-law.
他和岳母吵架了。
▷He fought with his mother-in-law.
他和岳母并肩战斗。
注意：还是这句英文，意思也可以理解为“他以岳母为武器进行战斗”。
“倔强的；坚定的”vs“放松，随意”
▷He has earned a reputation as a stern and unbending politician.
作为政治家，他以强硬和不妥协而闻名。
▷After a glass or two of wine she began unbending a little.
一两杯酒下肚后她开始放松了一点儿。
