初中17

spiny

1 : covered with spines : bearing several or many spines, prickles, or sharp processes 2 : abounding with difficulties, obstacles, or annoyances : nettlesome, thorny <a spiny problem — A. C. Fisher> 3 : slender and pointed like a spine 多刺的；麻烦的；尖刺状的 具刺的

spanking

1 : remarkable of its kind : unusual or distinctive in some manner <rode the noble animal over the spanking leap — Samuel Lover> <her smocked ... cotton brought up behind with a spanking bow — Mademoiselle> 2 a : moving or capable of moving with a quick lively pace <drove ... by buckboard behind a spanking pair of the little mules — J. H. Allen> b : dashing, merry <passed our house ... at a spanking three miles an hour — Ben Riker> <like to be towed astern, riding surfboard ... at a spanking clip — Jerome Ellison> c : being fresh and strong : brisk — usually used of a breeze <small boats dance on the clear blue waters in the spanking breeze — Bentz Plagemann> 强烈的；疾行的，疾驰的 n. 打屁股；拍击 adv. 显著地 v. 拍打；严厉斥责

solitude

1 : the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : solitariness, isolation, seclusion 2 : a solitary or lonely place (such as a desert or wilderness) <living in these solitudes> 3 a obsolete : soleness, uniqueness b archaic : complete lack : dearth 孤独；隐居；荒僻的地方

spontaneity

1 : the quality or state of being spontaneous <the apparent spontaneity with which a new ... type of art arose — Herbert Read> <spontaneity of his laughter> 2 : the source of spontaneous action or expression : the quality, innate power, or influence that determines the character <the free play of passion and thought, the graces and arts of life, all that springs from the spontaneity of nature — G. L. Dickinson> 自发性；自然发生

stardom

1 : the status or position of a star <a number ... reached stardom in the various fields of entertainment — Current Biography> 2 : a body of stars <a select body of guest soloists gathered from the stardom of European music centers — P. V. R. Key> 演员们；明星界；明星身份

squirt

: to eject liquid in a thin spurt 2 : to dart suddenly or quickly : move briskly 3 : to come forth in a sudden rapid stream from a narrow orifice : spurt transitive verb 1 : to drive, eject, or inject in a fluid or gaseous stream <squirted carbonated water into a glass — Erle Stanley Gardner> 2 : to sprinkle, spatter, splash, or soak by squirting : force a stream of liquid upon <load the hose attachment with soap powder and squirt your dirty car — New Yorker> 3 : to cause to squirt a liquid, fluid, or gaseous substance <merrily squirting his seltzer bottle — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union> 喷射；注射 vt. 喷湿 vi. 喷出

smuggle

: to import or export secretly contrary to the law : bring into or take out of a country (merchandise, forbidden articles, or persons) contrary to law and with a fraudulent intent <smuggle Chinese laborers> specifically : to import or export without paying the duties imposed by law <by various ruses liquors were smuggled past the inspecting officers — W. M. Babcock> 2 : to convey or introduce in a surreptitious manner <escaped with his life by being smuggled out in a policeman's uniform — S. P. B. Mais> <smuggle a normative judgment into what purports to be a statement of fact — A. J. Ayer> intransitive verb : to import or export anything in violation of the customs laws 走私；偷运 vi. 走私，私运；偷带

spray

plural -s 1 a : a cluster or mass of small twiggy branches : small brushwood <birch spray> b sprays plural, dialectal, England : twisted willow or hazel for thatching 2 a : a usually slim branch or shoot : sprig <a spray of apple blossoms> b : a bunch or cluster of cut flowers arranged for decorative effect (as on a dress, dinner table, or coffin) <shoulder spray> c : something (such as a decorative design, ornament, or brooch) resembling a spray <a spray of brilliants> <rhinestone-set shoulder spray — Fashion Digest> 3 : a very light bluish green that is duller and slightly greener than average ice green 4 a : an auxiliary gate, runner, or side channel in a founder's mold b : a group of castings made together and connected by sprues and not yet separated and trimmed n. 喷雾；喷雾器；水沫 vt. 喷射 vi. 喷

stern

plural -s dialectal, British : tern 船尾；末端 adj. 严厉的；坚定的

spectra

plural of spectrum 光谱；范围（spectrum的复数形式）

sovereign

1 a (1) : the supreme repository of power in a political state <the sovereign ... is not himself bound by the law since the law is what he declares it to be — J. H. Hallowell> (2) : the person wielding or exercising supreme political power in a political state <While in Europe, I often amused myself with contemplating the characters of the then reigning sovereigns of Europe. — Thomas Jefferson, letter, 5 Mar. 1810> — compare dictator, monarch, ruler (3) : a political unit possessing or held to possess sovereignty <a controversy between two sovereigns ... the United States on the one hand and the state of California on the other — U.S. Code> <Each state and the United States constitute separate sovereigns, and no double jeopardy results if each draws its authority to punish an offender from distinct sources of power. — Vincent A. Sikora, The Journal of Environmental Health, April 2004> b : one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere : chief, master c : an acknowledged leader : arbiter, superior < ... cupid ... the anointed sovereign of sighs and groans ... — William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost, 1595> <the true sovereigns of a country are those who determine ... its modes of thinking — Van Wyck Brooks> <the rose, sovereign among flowers> <It was a bold move, to crown yourself sovereign of an entire genre, but you did and your record sales proved that we believed you. — Rosalind Bentley, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8 July 2009> 2 a (1) : a gold coin of Great Britain worth 1 pound sterling or 20 shillings that was issued from Henry VII (late 15th century) to James I (early 17th century) and as a coin having 123.274 grains of gold .9166 fine from George III (early 19th century) (2) : a coin issued for use in Gibraltar (3) : a coin issued for use in the Isle of Man (4) : a coin issued for use in South Africa prior to independence in 1961 b : a gold coin of Saudi Arabia equivalent to 40 riyals that was minted in the mid 20th century 至高无上的；有主权的；拥有最高统治权的；不折不扣的；极好的 n. 君主；独立国；最高统治者

snowdrift

1 a : a bank of drifted snow b : drifting snow 2 : sweet alyssum 随风飘飞的雪；被风刮在一起的雪堆

steadfast

1 a : firmly established : fixed in place or position : immovable <a castle, steadfast among storms — Sinclair Lewis> b : not subject to change : immutable <the most steadfast of primitive environments, the ocean — Lewis Mumford> <the steadfast doctrine of original sin — Ellen Glasgow> 2 : marked by unwavering steadiness : firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal, unswerving <our steadfast friend, in peace or war, for many years — H. G. Doyle> <narrow of vision but steadfast to principles — Agnes Repplier> 坚定的；不变的

stiff

1 a : incapable of or resistant to being flexed or bent : rigid <wears a stiff collar> <sitting ... on the edge of a stiff chair — Scott Fitzgerald> <a palace guardsman, stiff as a poker in his tall busby, stands sentinel> <knots in the gaskets were stiff with frost — C. B. Nordhoff & J. N. Hall> b : exhibiting rigor mortis <still unburied, lay ... stiff and stark — R. L. Stevenson> c : lacking in suppleness — used especially of the muscles and joints <my body was stiff from exertion as well as from cold — Jack London> <tried to smile ... but her face felt stiff — Margaret Deland> d obsolete : tightly stretched : taut <another arrow forth from his stiff string he sent — George Chapman> e : impeded in movement (as by friction) — used of a mechanism <clocks whose mannikins went through ... stiff and elegant movements — Lewis Mumford> f : slowed or immobilized by intoxication : drunk <after drinking ... in that bar for two hours, I was pretty stiff — W. R. Hecox> 2 a : characterized by moral courage : firm, resolute <has taken a stiff position that it has the power to forbid its contractors to bargain with unions — R. S. Brown> <kept a stiff upper lip for the term of his ordeal — Bruce Dearing> b : characterized by obstinacy : stubborn, unyielding <took a rather stiff ... stand in defense of his handiwork — Dexter Perkins> c : characterized by independence or self-esteem : proud <passeth by with stiff unbowed knee — Shakespeare> <too poor to go and too stiff to tell her the reason — Time> d (1) : marked by reserve, decorum, or respect for ceremony : formal, punctilious <the easy warmth you knew has given place to a stiff courtesy — H. J. Laski> <brought his hand ... to the visor of his cap in a stiff salute — Wirt Williams> (2) : lacking in ease or grade : stilted, unbending <a style which is lofty but not stiff — C. D. Lewis> <too arid and stiff a melody for song — M. F. Bukofger> 3 : hard fought : pugnacious, sharp <salmon give a stiff fight until landed — American Guide Series: Maine> <she had driven a stiff bargain — Ann F. Wolfe> <heading into a year of stiff competition — Herbert Koshetz> 4 a obsolete : solidly constructed : sturdy, stalwart <make you ready your stiff bats and clubs — Shakespeare> b (1) : exerting great force : strong, violent <a stiff west wind was whooping in off the prairies — F. B. Gipson> (2) : of an energetic or powerful nature : forceful, vigorous <follow ... on a stiff lope — Bruce Siberts> <landed ... a stiff left to the head — Ring> c : containing a relatively large amount of the main ingredient (such as alcohol or a medicine) : potent <a couple of stiff cocktails relaxed him completely> <a stiff dose of cod liver oil> 5 a : of a dense or glutinous consistency : thick, viscous <the concrete is allowed to stand until it is quite stiff but still workable — Building Estimating & Contracting> <a stiff grease that does a good job of protecting metal — Monsanto Magazine> <beat the egg whites until stiff — Ruth Hutchison> b : consisting of or abounding in clay : heavy <soils ... that are wet and stiff — F. D. Smith & Barbara Wilcox> c : thickly covered or completely filled : crowded, pervaded <an audience stiff with academic dignitaries — Mollie Panter-Downes> <something in the air, intangible, yet stiff with meaning, struck my senses — Edna S. V. Millay> 6 a : harsh or disagreeable in character : severe, tough <get a stiff fine for disorderly conduct — S. H. Holbrook> <Nicaragua objected and stiff notes were exchanged — Newsweek> b : demanding physical exertion : arduous, rugged <stiff terrain> <a stiff ... hike up the trail, among jagged boulders and through crevasses — American Guide Series: Arkansas> <leading an orchestra is stiff work — Robert Rice> c : requiring strenuous mental effort : difficult, exacting <the examination was so stiff that none below the highest grades of university honors men ... could hope to be selected — W. T. Stace> <the casual reader will find certain parts of this book stiff going — Ralph Linton> 7 : inherently stable : not easily heeled over by an external force (such as the wind) : righting itself quickly when tipped — used of a ship — compare 9crank, steady 1c 8 a : excessive in amount : expensive, steep <the rent is a stiff $500 a week — Henry Hewes> <satellite goods paid a stiff duty to enter France — Stringfellow Barr> b : maintaining a high level : tending to rise : bullish, unyielding <a stiff market> <buyers ... find sellers stiff — London Daily News> 9 : unguarded — used in a card game of a high honor that is a singleton 呆板的；坚硬的；僵硬的；严厉的；拘谨的；稠的；（价格）高昂的；（酒）烈性的 adv. 极其；僵硬地；彻底地 n. 死尸；令人讨厌者；流通票据；劳动者 vt. 诈骗；失信

stellar

1 a : of, relating to, or derived from the stars : astral <an object of stellar size> <stellar light> <stellar spectrum> b : composed of stars <stellar ornamentation> 2 : of, relating to, or characteristic of a theatrical, operatic, or film star <building or acquiring stellar names — W. J. Fadiman> 3 a : chief, leading, principal <given a stellar role> b : outstanding, preeminent, first-rate <a stellar production> 星球（构成）的 星球的 恒星的

stark

1 a : strongly constructed : sturdy, stout b : possessing physical strength : robust, vigorous c chiefly Scottish, of liquor : strong, intoxicating 2 a : lacking in flexibility or suppleness : rigid in or as if in death <still unburied, lay along the wall, stiff and stark — R. L. Stevenson> <stark with unbearable wet cold — Helen Rich> b : conforming completely to pattern, precept, or doctrine : firm, unbending, strict <military strength, based of necessity on stark discipline — H. J. Mackinder> <had a faith in law that was too stark and literal — Irving Babbitt> 3 : pure, sheer, utter <stark brutality unredeemed by their tigerish grace — Miriam Allott> <stark denial was his plain course — Arthur Morrison> <stark nonsense> 4 : violently stormy or windy : extremely inclement 5 a [by shortening] : stark-naked <boys stark except for breechclouts — Hervey Allen> b : bleak, barren, desolate <the terrain has been rendered even more stark by deforestation and consequent erosion — American Guide Series: Minnesota> c (1) : having few or no ornaments, attachments, or appurtenances : appearing stripped : bare, empty <rooms that were as stark as the rooms of the white cottage had been crowded — D. B. Doner> <winter white offset by stark branches — Constance Foster> (2) : consisting of or presenting a simple, harsh, or blunt unadorned style or treatment <critics and readers alike have commented on the stark realism ... of the torture scenes — Lionel Trilling> <a stark description of a very graceful movement — Warwick Braithwaite> 6 a : furnishing or being furnished with an appearance of marked contrast from visual surroundings through outline, color, or texture <crags in stark outline against the sky> b : sharply delineated : glaringly obvious <there is one stark antithesis which embraces ... science, politics and philosophy — Hugh Ross Williamson> <the stark facts of power politics — John Mason Brown> 完全的；荒凉的；刻板的；光秃秃的；朴实的 adv. 完全；明显地；突出地；质朴地

sophistication

1 a : the use or employment of sophistry : sophistical reasoning : misrepresentation or falsification in argument b : sophism, quibble 2 : an act of sophisticating : the quality or state of being sophisticated: such as a : adulteration, adulterant; also : something adulterated b : the quality or the character of being intellectually sophisticated (as through cultivation, experience, or disillusionment) <the text is simple and requires no scientific sophistication to be understood — D. L. Wolfle> 复杂；诡辩；老于世故；有教养

stately

1 a obsolete : showing consciousness of high birth or rank : haughty, unapproachable b : marked by lofty or imposing dignity : impressively formal : courtly, ceremonious <contrasts of a stately old order and a somewhat bumptious new — V. L. Parrington> <his wife looks on in stately aloofness — H. J. Laski> <a stately pace> <rising in the most stately manner to open the door — W. M. Thackeray> <the stately language of old worship — W. L. Sullivan> 2 a : impressive in size or proportions : majestic <houses with stately porticoes — American Guide Series: Virginia> b : erect and imposing in outline or overall shape <stately old elms> 庄严的；堂皇的，宏伟的

snug

1 a of a ship : manifesting seaworthiness (as in design, compactness, or arrangements) : adequately prepared for a voyage or especially for riding a storm : taut <soon all was snug aloft, and we were allowed to go below — R. H. Dana> <a comparatively snug rigged vessel that could leave her three lower sails set in most weather — Rudder> b : trim, neat, tidy — used especially of a person <a snug gentleman> c : fitting closely but not tightly or uncomfortably : not loose or baggy <a snug coat> <a snug fit> <install bearing retainer by pressing it on until it is snug — H. F. Blanchard & Ralph Ritchen> 2 a : enjoying or affording warm secure shelter, safety from intrusion, and opportunity for placid ease and quiet contentment often in unpretentious quarters or quiet ways <his home ... the snug haven to which his adventurous forebears retired at the end of their voyages — American Guide Series: Maine> <a town that seems especially snug in winter — Richard Joseph> <sit in the snug little parlor — Irish Digest> b : at rest, warmly covered, and safe from cold <snug and warm under blankets and comforters — Willa Cather> <the fisherfolk were all under thatch — G. W. Russell> c : affording safe or protected anchorage <the sailboat enthusiast's paradise of snug harbors — R. W. Hatch> d : compact, neat, orderly, and affording or suggesting comfortable sheltered ease or safe smoothness <snug little shops that once offered Cornhill the best soups and jellies — Rebecca West> <a snug little commune intent on its own affairs — John Buchan> <the street level was broken by three snug doorways — Harriet LaBarre> e : marked by pleasant ease, conviviality, friendly intimacy or cordiality, and secure privacy <snug little dinners with old friends> 3 a : assuring or affording a degree of comfort and ease ranging from modest adequacy to gratifying ampleness <a snug little benefice, worth a hundred gold florins a year — Alan Moorehead> <family influence had installed him in a snug ecclesiastical berth — H. O. Taylor> <his brother made a snug fortune — Julian Dana> b chiefly Irish : in comfortable financial circumstances : fairly well-to-do 4 a : resorting to or offering safe concealment or a safe retreat <lie snug until the chase stops> <a snug hideout> b dialectal : marked by or given to secretiveness or taciturn reticence <staying snug about the arrangement> 舒适的；温暖的；紧身的；隐藏的 vt. 使变得温暖舒适；隐藏 vi. 偎依；舒适地蜷伏 n. 舒适温暖的地方；雅室

spill

1 archaic a : kill, destroy <bade her command my life to save or spill — Edmund Spenser> b : to use or spend wastefully : waste, squander c : to make useless : ruin, spoil 2 : to cause (blood) to be lost by wounding <rushed into battle eager to spill their enemies' blood> 3 : to cause or allow to pour, splash, or fall out (as over the edge of a container) and be wasted, lost, or scattered <fill your wine cup exactly full with a single toss of the bottle and without spilling a drop — Lafcadio Hearn> <dropped the bag and spilled sugar all over the floor> <felt of it and spilled the cool tea on the brick floor and filled the bowl again — Pearl Buck> <2,000 plastic balloons spilled out 2,000,000 leaflets — Time> 4 a : to relieve (a sail) from the pressure of the wind so that it can be more easily reefed or furled or to avoid capsizing or carrying away something b : to relieve the pressure of (wind) on a sail by coming about or by adjusting it with lines 5 : to cause to fall from one's place (as on a horse or in a vehicle) : throw off, out, or down <a bucking horse that spilled everyone who tried to ride it> 6 : to give forth in an overflowing manner : pour freely <a mockingbird ... was spilling his wild song over the moonlit woods — Rebecca Caudill> 7 : to let out (secret information) : divulge <would double-cross me and spill some of the things I had told him — Polly Adler> intransitive verb 1 obsolete a (1) : to cause death or destruction (2) : perish, die b : deteriorate, spoil 2 a : to flow, run, or fall out, over, or off with waste, loss, or scattering as the result <don't shake the table or the coffee will spill> <light spilled out through the windows — Frances & Richard Lockridge> b : to cause or allow something to spill : waste a substance by letting it pour or fall out <ate his ice cream, careful not to spill on his new clothes> 3 a : to spread beyond bounds <more than 1000 persons had filled the main ballroom and spilled over into adjacent parlors — Newsweek> <they allow their private thoughts to spill over into public statements — Norman Cousins> b : to come, go, or pass with a turbulent rush : pour in an unrestrained, profuse, or disorderly manner : tumble <wave after wave of shouting crowds spilled into ... streets — Time> <the shelves of plays, pamphlets, preface, novels, and critical works which ... spilled from his pen — John Mason Brown> c : to extend downward in precipitous or profuse disorder : descend as if overflowing <the town spills down a hillside and spreads into a valley — W. R. Moore> <great swags of lilac and laburnum spill over ancient, weathered walls — advertisement> d : to be full to overflowing <the sidewalks ... were soon spilling over with workers — Facts about Trailer Coaches> 4 : to tell secrets : betray confidences <would spill in spite of the gang's threats> 5 : to fall from one's place (as on a horse or in a vehicle) : fall off, out, or down <saw the motorcycle skid and the driver spill in the dust> — spill the beans 1 : to cause embarrassment by indiscreetly divulging information 2 : to upset a plan or arrangement 使溢出，使流出；使摔下 vi. 溢出，流出；摔下；涌流 n. 溢出，溅出；溢出量；摔下；小塞子

stash

1 chiefly British : to put an end to : break up : stop, quit <stash the business> <stash it> <could stash up any golden age ... in about five minutes — H. G. Wells> 2 : to store in a usually secret place for future use : put away : hide, cache <had stashed the money thinking to come back later and get it — Mickey Spillane> — usually used with away <began systematically to stash away her treasures — Truman Capote> 藏匿处；藏匿物 vt. 存放；贮藏 vi. 存放；藏起来

staggering

: serving to stagger : astonishing, overwhelming <in a few years proved an immediate and staggering problem — A. A. Berle> <represents a staggering investment in time, in skilled labor — Charlton Laird> — stag·ger·ing·ly adverb 惊人的，令人震惊的

solidify

: to make solid or compact or hard: such as a : to alter (a fluid) to a solid state <solidify concrete> b : to give a feeling of reality to <details that solidified the composition> c : to cause to take on strength and assurance <solidifying one's knowledge> : make secure, substantial, or firmly fixed <factors that solidify public opinion> intransitive verb : to become solid : harden <hot paraffin solidifies as it cools> 团结；凝固 vi. 团结；凝固

sparingly

1 : in a sparing manner : meagerly, scantily <sparingly seasoned food> <sparingly soluble in water> 2 : with restraint : infrequently 节俭地；保守地；爱惜地

spectator

1 : one that looks on or beholds; especially : one witnessing an exhibition (such as a sports event) 2 or spectator pump : a woman's pump designed for casual wear with a medium to high heel and a leather upper often with contrasting color at the toe and heel 观众；旁观者

solicitor

1 : one that solicits; especially : a person that acts as an agent in the soliciting of something (such as contributions to charity, subscriptions to periodicals, or business for a firm) 2 a (1) : a person formerly admitted to practice law in an English court of chancery or equity (2) : a person currently admitted to practice law and conduct litigation in any English court including the officers formerly called attorney-at-law and proctor but distinguished from the barrister in not having the right to plead in open court except in a few minor courts b : a law officer of a city, town, department, or government <the city solicitor> <the solicitor of the Interior Department> 律师；法务官；募捐者；掮客

softwood

1 : the wood of a coniferous tree known originally from soft European woods but including both soft and hard woods 2 [2softwood] : a tree that yields softwood : an arborescent conifer 软木材；针叶树材

solely

1 : without an associate (such as a companion or assistant) : singly, alone <go solely on one's way> 2 : to the exclusion of alternate or competing things (such as persons, purposes, duties) <done solely for money> <a privilege granted solely to him> <rely solely on oneself> 单独地，唯一地

stationary

1 a : fixed in a station, course, or mode : standing still : immobile <the shadow remained stationary — Jack London> <a stationary engine> <stationary machinery> b : not portable <a stationary gun> c : having no moving parts <a stationary transformer> 2 : unchanging in condition : stable, static <the patient ... remained relatively stationary — J. D. Teicher> <a stationary population> <a stationary period in philosophy> <no form of living speech can be stationary even though a standard be fixed — George Sampson> 3 archaic : of or relating to a military post or garrison <the stationary troops retired — Edward Gibbon> 固定的；静止的；定居的；常备军的 n. 不动的人；驻军

smother

1 a : thick stifling smoke : a suffocating smudge or smoky condition b : a state of being stifled or suppressed : a smoldering or dampened fire 2 : a dense cloud of fog, foam, spray, snow, or dust <logs ... rolled and tossed in a creamy smother — Kenneth Roberts> <come with her tail up in a smother of flying sand — Mary H. Vorse> 3 : a confused multitude or rush of things : welter <smother of flowering creepers and climbers — Jean Devanny> <in a smother of shoal-water waves that roll you down to leeward — S. E. Morison> 使窒息；抑制；（用灰等）闷熄；忍住 vi. 窒息；被抑制；闷死 n. 窒息状态；令人窒息的浓烟

split

1 a : to divide or separate from end to end or in a lengthwise direction especially sharply or suddenly or with force by cleaving or forcing apart usually along a grain or a seam or by separating layers <split a board> <split leather> <split logs for firewood> <shock split the wall along a stud> <his trousers had been split down one leg> <girls come down to split, clean, and pack the fish in barrels — Richard Joseph> <how to split clams on rocks — J. H. Wheelock> <split open a roll and butter it> <split a few sticks of kindling> : such as (1) : to cause (a sail) to tear or rip <a mainsail split by a gale> : have (a sail) torn <split our mainsail in the storm> (2) : to plough (a ridge) so as to cast the earth outward <the ridges were split over the potatoes — Adrian Bell> (3) : to divide (a pillar or post in a coal mine) by one or more roads (4) : to take (a rope) apart by separating the strands (5) : to cut (corrugated glass) to a desired width b : to affect as if by cleaving or forcing apart <the whole plain ... is gashed and torn and mauled and split — Thomas Wood †1950> <first bass of the season split the surface — Gertrude Schweitzer> <his face split by a huge yawn — John Wain> <the river splits the town in two> <gorges which split the divide — R. L. Neuberger> <cloud was split with a flash of flame — R. H. Davis> 2 a (1) : to break up <the wreck of a ship split upon a reef> (2) : to tear or rend apart : burst, rupture <warehouses splitting their sides with plunder — F. G. Slaughter> (3) : to subject (an atom or atomic nucleus) to artificial disintegration especially by fission b : to affect as if by breaking up or tearing apart : rend, shatter <a roar that split the air> <series of explosives split our ears — J. B. Shaw> disorder, disintegrate <mind is finally split asunder by her abnormal sexual jealousy — Saturday Review> 3 : to divide or separate into distinct parts or portions <splitting the county into twenty-nine ... rationing districts — Hal Burton> <scouts had been split into small detachments — Georg Meyers> <ornithologists have split these again into four more subspecies — Douglas Carruthers> — often used with up <splitting up the main colors into variants — C. W. H. Johnson> : such as a : to divide between two or more persons : share <split the loot> <split up the cost> <split the physics prize three ways> <split a bottle of wine at dinner> <this pernicious practice of splitting fees — Time> <a man has a right to split his inheritance — Edward Sapir> <split the pot at poker> b : to divide into opposing factions, parties, or groups <the solid South was split by internal revolt> <the issue split the village down the middle> <his candidacy split the labor vote> c : to mark (a ballot) or otherwise cast or register (a vote) so as to vote for candidates of different parties <usually split his ticket in national elections> d : to divide (an air current) into separate currents (as in mine ventilation) e : to separate or break down (a chemical compound) into constituents : effect the cleavage of (as by hydrolysis) : 1crack 8 <split a fat into glycerol and fatty acids> — sometimes used with up f : to remove by such separation — usually used with off or out <split off carbon dioxide> g : to divide (the stock of a corporation) by issuing a larger number of shares to existing shareholders usually without increase in aggregate par value of capitalization for corporations with par value stock h : to win and lose an equal number of (as games or contests) <split a doubleheader> <split the first four games> i : to discard (one pair from a two-pair hand or one card of a pair) in draw poker to increase one's chance of improving the hand in the draw j : to bisect (a stamp) especially into more than two pieces 4 : to separate (the parts of a whole) by interposing something <split an infinitive> <split the defense in hockey> 5 slang : to reveal (as information, secrets) intentionally or unintentionally : betray 6 : to dilute (liquor) by adding water or a nonalcoholic liquid : cut 7 : leave <split the scene> <split town> intransitive verb 1 a : to become divided or separated (as by cleaving, tearing) part from part or from end to end or in a lengthwise direction usually along a grain or a seam or by the separating of layers <the board split while he was driving the nail> <his coat had split at the seams> <fingernails showed a tendency to split> <this wood splits easily> <sails split in the storm> b : to break apart or into pieces : break up <ship splits on the rock — Shakespeare> burst, rupture <the jar split when the water froze> <fruit falls to the ground and splits open> c (1) : to part or open as if forced or torn apart by splitting <the sky suddenly split open in a flash of lightning> <his face split into a wide grin> (2) : to burst with laughter <thought he would split> 2 a (1) : to become divided up or separated off (as into parts, groups, parties, factions) <stream splits into numerous channels — G. R. Stewart> — often used with up <splitting up of a language into a number of dialects — Edward Sapir> <the group split up into two teams> (2) : to break up into divergent or opposing groups <began to split into left and right wings and then into smaller groupings — William Petersen> <court split four and four> <criticism, like religion, inevitably splits into sects and schisms — C. I. Glicksberg> <split into dissident groups — H. J. Laski> (3) of a suit of cards : to become divided evenly or as nearly so as possible b : to sever relations or connections especially because of disagreement : separate <they split after six years of marriage> — often used with with <had split with most of his former friends> or with from <has split from her husband> c : leave <the women split for New York on Tuesday — Linda Francke> 3 : to go very fast especially at a run 4 slang : to betray confidence : let out a secret : act as an informer <promised not to split> — often used with on <on the point of splitting on the gang — Dorothy Sayers> 5 : to split one's vote 6 : to apportion shares <we all split equal and that was that — W. L. Gresham> — often used with with <said he would split with the others> <unwilling to split with anyone else> 7 : to turn up in a split — used of two cards of the same denomination dealt in faro — split hairs : to make oversubtle or trivial distinctions : engage in hairsplitting — split one's sides : to laugh heartily or immoderately — split openers : to discard an essential part of the strength on which one has opened in jackpot — split straws : to argue or quarrel over trifling differences — split tacks : to tack while an accompanying boat keeps on her course — used of one of two boats or skippers that have been on the same tack — split the difference : to reach agreement by compromise involving equal concessions especially in a disagreement as to a price or to the conclusion of a contract 分离；使分离；劈开；离开；分解 vi. 离开；被劈开；断绝关系 n. 劈开；裂缝 adj. 劈开的

splash

1 a : to strike and dash about a liquid or semiliquid substance : cause the spattering of a liquid or thinly viscous substance <the children splash> <splashed about in the bath — Elizabeth Goudge> b : to move through or into a liquid or semiliquid substance and cause splashing <splashed across the rich black loam of ... fields sodden with irrigation water — Rex Keating> <splashed overboard and swam ashore — Harriot B. Barbour> 2 a (1) : to become splashed or spattered about or upon : spray around or on in drops, columns, sheets, or masses of liquid or semiliquid matter <saw a drop of water splash down upon the violet script and spread — Willa Cather> <the water splashing out of the tubs upon the stones — Pearl Buck> <the road splashed muddily — Christopher Bloom> (2) : to become spread or scattered in the manner of a splashed liquid <the sunlight splashed over her deck and gear — Thomas Wood †1950> b : to fall, strike, or move with a splashing sound <kept awake by the splashing of water from the faucet> <a brook splashing over rocks> transitive verb 1 a (1) : to dash a liquid or thinly viscous substance upon or against : scatter liquid upon in large quantities <poured water into the basin and began to splash her face — Rumer Godden> — compare spatter (2) : to soil or stain by a splashed liquid <don't splash your dress — Margaret Kennedy> b : to cause to appear splashed or spattered : mark or overlay with patches of a different usually contrasting color or of a different texture <innumerable peaks, black and sharp, rose grandly into the dark blue sky ... their sides streaked and splashed with snow — John Muir †1914> <the white tulle is splashed with segments of Alençon-type lace — New Yorker> c : to cover (a plumbing joint) with melted solder d : to outline hastily or carelessly : draw, paint, write, or relate sketchily : sketch <the verbal farce ... splashed out for us — Listener> e : to place in a prominent position <insurrectionary proclamations were splashed on the walls of the capital — Bernard Frizell> f : to give very conspicuous display to <the papers splashed stories about the dapper little general — Newsweek> 2 a : to strike and dash about (as water or mud) : cause (a liquid or thinly viscous substance) to spatter or toss about especially with force <she puffed and chugged, splashing the brown waters behind her — Tom Marvel> <the pure bright colors which he confidently splashed onto his canvases without even bothering to mix on his palette — Time> b : to scatter in the manner of a splashed liquid <the sunset colors were splashed brilliantly across the skies — P. E. James> 3 : to move along (one's way) with splashing <a man, wearing a rubber raincoat which glistened in the headlights ... splashed his way over toward the car — Erle Stanley Gardner> 4 : to cause to splash a liquid or other substance <enjoy splashing waterproof boots into deep puddles — Arnold Bennett> 5 a : to drive (logs) by releasing a head of water confined by a flood dam b : to flood (as a shallow river) with a flush of water (as for driving logs) 6 : to shoot down (as an enemy airplane) 泼

sparsely

: in a sparse manner : scantily, thinly <sparsely inhabited country> 稀疏地；贫乏地

snap

a : to make a snap of the jaws : seize something with a snap of the mouth <an ill-conditioned cur that snaps and snarls> — usually used with at <fish snapping at the bait> b : to grasp at something eagerly : make a pounce or snatch — usually used with at <snapped at the invitation> <ready to snap at any chance for improvement> 2 : to utter sharp biting words : bark out irritable or peevish retorts — often used with at 3 a : to break off or in two often with a short snapping sound : break suddenly (as under strain or tension) <the twig snapped> <the taut cable finally snapped> b : to give way under stress : suddenly yield usually to the cumulative effect of some strain <after three days of battle his nerve snapped> 4 a : to make a sound that is a snap : give out a sharp or crackling sound or a sudden report or click <the fire snapped and crackled on the hearth> <damp clothes snapping on the line> b of a firearm : to make a sharp sound by the falling of the hammer on an empty chamber or on a round that does not fire; also : misfire 5 : to move especially abruptly in a particular direction or manner usually in attaining a position of closure <the lid snapped down> <her eyes snapped shut> <the bolt snaps home with a click> 6 : to emit sparks or flashes (as of wit or sarcasm) <the conversation snapped back and forth> also : to appear to scintillate : sparkle <eyes snapping with fury> transitive verb 1 a : to seize with or as if with a snap of the jaws : grasp or snatch suddenly or unexpectedly <the dog snapped the meat from the table> <the wind snapped the scarf from her hand> b : to capture or take possession of suddenly : steal by adroitness <ready to snap the very shoes from our feet> 2 : to secure (something) to one's own use or possession by prompt decisive action — usually used with up <quick to snap up a bargain> <a prize to be snapped up cheaply> <snap up his offer> 3 a : to retort to or interrupt with a snappish, cutting, or crushing remark : speak to curtly and usually irritably <snapped him short with a curt acknowledgement> <snapped them a sharp reply> b : to utter (words) curtly, harshly, or abruptly <snapping out an answer without a moment's hesitation> 4 a : to break by snapping : break short or in two : break apart or into pieces <the blow snapped the bone> <wind snaps many branches from the trees> b : to harvest (as corn or cotton) by breaking from the stem 5 a : to cause to make a snapping sound usually in the course of some action or movement <wind snapping the sheets on the line> : cause to crack <snap a whip> b : to cause (as a handgun) to discharge by pulling the trigger c : to put into or remove from a particular position or state by a sudden movement or with a snapping sound <snap the lock shut> <snapped the top from the bottle> d : to make a snapping sound by moving (fingers) against one another 6 a : to project with a snap : fillip <snapped a spitball across the classroom> b : to make, present, or do without prolonged preparation or delay <snap into a performance or role> especially : to fire (a projectile) without chance for careful aim <snapped a shot at the fleeing bandit> c (1) : to catch (a cricket batsman) out sharply (as from a snicked ball) — often used with up <snapped up at the wicket> (2) : to put (a football) in play from a position on the ground with a quick continuous motion of the hands d (1) : to take (a photograph) with a handheld camera using an instantaneous exposure (2) : take a snapshot of <snapping the scenery> — snap off one's head also snap off one's nose : to speak to curtly, harshly, or discourteously by way of reply — snap one's fingers at : to give no heed to : treat with contempt or unconcern — snap out of it : to free oneself from something (such as a mood or habit) by an effort of will 突然折断，拉断；猛咬；啪地关上 vi. 咬；厉声说；咯嗒一声关上 n. 猛咬；劈啪声；突然折断 adj. 突然的

sparse

obsolete : scatter, disperse, distribute 稀疏的；稀少的

stanza

1 : a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together as a unit : strophe; especially : a group of lines arranged together in a recurring pattern of metrical lengths and usually a sequence of rhymes 2 slang a : a period of performing or showing in one place : stand, engagement; especially : week <the play is to be held over for another stanza> <signed the orchestra for the last stanza in June> b : a period (such as a half or an inning) into which the duration of a game is divided 演出期；局；场；诗的一节

spinet

1 : a small harpsichord with strings set on an acute angle to the keyboard 2 a : a small upright piano whose back barely rises above the keyboard b : an electronic organ resembling a spinet piano 小型立式钢琴；古时的小型竖琴

sparrow

1 : house sparrow; broadly : any of various related birds of the genus Passer 2 : any of numerous finches resembling the house sparrow in size and shape and in having plumage streaked with brown or gray — see chipping sparrow, field sparrow, hedge sparrow, sage sparrow, savannah sparrow, song sparrow, tree sparrow 3 : mouse gray 4 a : an undersized person b : one who is of aggressively active and markedly self-reliant temperament 麻雀；矮小的人

squarely

1 : in a square form or manner 2 a : in a straightforward manner : justly, honestly <dealt squarely with his customers> b : in a straight or direct manner <looked him squarely in the eyes> 直角地；诚实地；正好；干脆地；正当地

somewhat

1 : something (such as an amount or degree) that is indefinite or unspecified : a part, more or less <he told them somewhat of his adventures> <neglect somewhat of his duty> 2 : some unspecified, undetermined, or indeterminate thing : something 3 : one (such as a previously specified person, thing, or action) having to a greater or lesser extent the character, qualities, or nature of something else <he is somewhat of a connoisseur> 4 : one (such as a person or thing) that is important or noteworthy 几分；某物 adv. 有点；多少；几分；稍微

spinning

1 a : the operation or business of making fibers or filaments into yarn or thread b : the yarn or thread spun 2 : a method of fishing with a light lure, a fixed spool reel, and light line 3 : the drawing out of something (such as a narration) to excessive length 4 : rapid rotation <the spinning of the planets> 5 : the shaping of holloware in a lathe by pressing a flat sheet of metal against a revolving form with a hand tool 纺纱 adj. 纺织的 v. 旋转，纺织

stereophotograph

: a stereoscopic photograph 立体照片；立体照相

spined

: furnished with a spine : spiny 有刺的；有背骨的；有脊柱的 v. 纺；使旋转

slope

archaic : in a sloping manner : aslant, obliquely 斜坡；倾斜；斜率；扛枪姿势 vi. 倾斜；逃走 vt. 倾斜；使倾斜；扛

snippet

plural -s : a small part, piece, or thing; specifically : a brief literary quotation or quotable passage <on notes snippets of information about a few African tribes — Times Literary Supplement> 小片；片断；不知天高地厚的年轻人

soloist

plural -s : one (such as a singer or aviator) who performs a solo; especially : a performer of solos at an orchestral or choral concert 独奏者；独唱者

stickpin

: tiepin 领带夹（指插于领带上的装饰别针）

spangle

1 : a small disk or other geometric shape of shining metal or plastic used for sparkling ornamentation especially on dresses and costumes 2 : something resembling or suggesting a spangle in sparkle and brilliance: such as a : a small object that brightly reflects light <a fox ... wet with gold spangles of the dew — Edith Sitwell> b : a glittering point of light 3 : a sparkle or glitter from or as if from spangles 4 : a glossy or shining mark on the end of a feather 使闪烁发光；用闪光饰物装饰 n. 亮晶晶的小东西 vi. 闪烁发光

slum

1 : a highly congested usually urban residential area characterized by deteriorated unsanitary buildings, poverty, and social disorganization <brought up in an unwholesome slum> <the slums of the city> <slum clearance> <a slum district> <creating a rural slum> 2 : cheap articles given as prizes in games of chance (as at carnivals) （为猎奇或救济等）去贫民窟 n. 贫民窟；陋巷；脏乱的地方

solder

1 : a metal or metallic alloy used when melted to join metallic surfaces and usually applied by means of a soldering iron or a blowpipe with a flux (such as rosin, borax, or zinc chloride) to cleanse the surfaces; especially : an alloy of lead and tin so used 2 : something (such as a shared principle) that serves to unite or cement : a common bond 焊接 vt. 焊接；使联接在一起 n. 焊料；接合物

spontaneously

: in a spontaneous manner : without external constraint <children ... will memorize favorite selections spontaneously — Dorothy Barclay> <woke up spontaneously at seven-fifteen> : without premeditation <acts so spontaneously that the consequences of his offense do not have time to sink in — R. S. Banay> 自发地；自然地；不由自主地

sluggish

1 : disinclined (as by nature, habit, or condition) to activity or exertion : indolent, torpid <a sluggish worker> <a sluggish temperament> <some physicians are mentally sluggish — Fortune> <many freshwater fishes ... become sluggish during cold weather — W. H. Dowdeswell> 2 : slow to respond (as to stimulation or treatment) : lacking in vigor, animation, or efficiency <a sluggish liver> <an old man whose reactions were so sluggish he shouldn't have been driving a car — Erle Stanley Gardner> <tonic ... for a clogged and sluggish system — Emily Holt> <turn an otherwise good performance into a sluggish one — Warwick Braithwaite> 3 a : markedly slow in movement, flow, or growth <a sluggish pace> <a sluggish stream> <sluggish, wallowing oil tankers — American Guide Series: Texas> <his cataract of eloquence suddenly lagged to a sluggish trickle — Herman Wouk> <several decades of sluggish economic development — American Guide Series: Virginia> b : economically inactive or slow-moving : dull, stagnant <a sluggish market> <clothing sales were sluggish> <stock prices have remained notably sluggish — Fortune> 萧条的；迟钝的；行动迟缓的；懒惰的 n. 市况呆滞；市势疲弱

spherical

1 : having the form of a sphere or of one of its segments : like a sphere : globular, orbicular <a spherical body> 2 : of or relating to a sphere : having to do with a sphere or with the properties of a sphere <a spherical coordinate> <spherical deviation> 3 : of or relating to the celestial bodies or their spheres <thieves ... by spherical predominance — Shakespeare> 球形的，球面的；天体的

steep

1 : lofty, tall, elevated, high — used chiefly of a sea <ships steaming into steep head seas — Manual of Seamanship> <the elusive periscope almost impossible to detect in such steep seas — Stanley Rogers> 2 a : making a large angle with the plane of the horizon : having a side or slope approaching the perpendicular : precipitous <steep hills> <a steep road> <area of cleared, steep ground — Evan Williams> b of twill : having an angle greater than 45 degrees in the twill line 3 a : mounting or falling precipitously : headlong <a steep flight of stairs> b : characterized by a very rapid decline or increase <the steep but comparatively brief depression — Clark Warburton> <the persistently steep fall in immigration — Peter Scott> <a period of steep decline in our literary standards — Malcolm Cowley> 4 : having precipitious or sharply pitched sides <a steep roof> <its steep wooded valleys — R. M. Lockley> 5 : difficult to accept, meet, or perform : arduous, extreme, excessive, exorbitant, incredible <a steep story> <a steep tax> <prices are rather steep> <a steep task> 陡峭的；不合理的；夸大的；急剧升降的 vt. 泡；浸；使...充满 vi. 泡；沉浸 n. 峭壁；浸渍

spacious

1 : marked by large or ample space: a : vast in area; especially : having broad open expanses <contains within its spacious borders ... many geographical, climatic, and economic divisions — H. S. Commager> <white villas ... were scattered upon this spacious map — Nathaniel Hawthorne> b : affording much room or space : not narrow or constricted : roomy <a land of villages and spacious countrysides — C. J. Brosnan> <moved to a more spacious, rambling residence on a hilltop — E. A. Weeks> <seemed so spacious and beautiful to stand high above the prairie and look around — O. E. Rölvaag> 2 : marked by largeness, magnitude, or scope: a : comprehensive, wide, expansive <the spacious mountain air — R. M. Coates> <one great spacious golden morning followed another — J. C. Powys> <the topic is a spacious one, opening into many other fields — P. A. Wadsworth> b : rich, varied, luxuriant or halcyon rather than circumscribed, inhibited, petty, or mean <spacious ease and generous enjoyment of life — Times Literary Supplement> <a more spacious and stimulating existence than the farm could offer — H. L. Mencken> <the spacious life of the wealthy in that time before the great wars — H. W. Baehr> 宽敞的，广阔的；无边无际的

stationery

1 : materials (such as paper, pens, pencils, ink, blankbooks, ledgers, and cards) for writing or typing 2 : letter paper usually accompanied with matching envelopes : writing paper <hotel stationery> <write him on the company's stationery> 文具；信纸

sophisticated

1 : not in a natural, pure, or original state : adulterated < ... the public ... has so long been accustomed to the taste of sophisticated olive oil that it fails to appreciate a pure article when it is presented. — Arthur Warrick, American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record, July-December 1899> : amended unwarrantedly <a sophisticated text> 2 : deprived of native or original simplicity: such as a : highly complicated : many sided : complex <sophisticated specifications> <sophisticated devices> < ... sophisticated mathematical and statistical techniques. — Keith Devlin, Mathematics, 1988> b : having or showing a refined knowledge of the ways of the world cultivated especially through wide experience : worldly-wise, knowing <sophisticated tastes> <sophisticated travelers> 3 : devoid of grossness : subtle: such as a : supremely cultured : finely experienced and aware <a sophisticated columnist> < ... wrestling is courting an increasingly sophisticated, upscale audience. — Kristen Baldwin and Mike Flaherty, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Apr. 1999> b : intellectually appealing : devoid of the obvious traditional or popular appeal <a sophisticated film> <All were writing sophisticated fiction that refused to conform to national ... modes. — Maureen Freely, The New York Times Book Review, 13 Aug. 2006> — so·phis·ti·cat·ed·ly adverb <In the one case, we have a gifted mind moving sophisticatedly toward cultural synthesis ... — Theodore Roszak, The Making of a Counter Culture, 1969> < ... those uniforms—spotless, sophisticatedly simple, cut perfectly to fit the purpose. — Elting E. Morison, American Heritage, August/September 1986> 复杂的；精致的；久经世故的；富有经验的 v. 使变得世故；使迷惑；篡改（

stagnant

1 : not running in a current or stream : not flowing : motionless, stale <the stagnant water looked uninviting — T. E. Lawrence> <the place was small and close, and the long disuse had made the air stagnant and foul — Bram Stoker> 2 a : not advancing, developing, or growing : not active <politically and economically a backward, stagnant area — Stringfellow Barr> <something must be done to revive industry so long stagnant — V. L. Parrington> b : marked by a lack of vitality, activity, or interest : dull <seemed to wish to escape notice, which was easy at this stagnant hour of the day — John Buchan> c of a tree : overmature — stag·nant·ly adverb 停滞的；不景气的；污浊的；迟钝的

spiritual

1 : of, relating to, or consisting of spirit : of the nature of spirit rather than material : incorporeal — contrasted with earthy 2 a : of or relating to religious or sacred matters <spiritual leaders> b : sacred <spiritual songs> c : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal <lords spiritual and temporal> <eight members, four spiritual and four lay> 3 : of or relating to the moral feelings or states of the soul as distinguished from the external actions : reaching and affecting the spirit 4 a : influenced or controlled by the divine Spirit : having a nature in which a concern for the Spirit of God predominates <spiritual man> b : proceeding from or under the influence of the Holy Spirit : concerned with religious values : seeking earnestly to live in a right relation to God <a spiritual Christian> c : holy, divine <to become spiritual and perfected> d : religious <Islam's spiritual foundations> 5 : related or joined in spirit : spiritually akin : having a relationship one to another based on matters of the spirit <her spiritual home> <regarded her pastor as her spiritual father> <came to believe himself the spiritual heir of the French poet — Allen Tate> 6 archaic : consisting of spirit : alcoholic, spirituous 3 7 : of, relating to, or coming from the intellectual and higher endowments of the mind : intellectual, mental — contrasted with animal 8 : highly refined in thought or feeling 9 : spirited, clever, witty 10 : having to do with spirits, ghosts, or similar supernatural beings or with the world which they are held to people 11 : spiritualistic 圣歌（尤指美国南部黑人的） adj. 精神的，心灵的

spontaneous

1 : proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint : voluntary <spontaneous expression of affection and gratitude> <a spontaneous modernist in theology and philosophy — George Santayana> <spontaneous boycott> <spontaneous obedience> 2 : arising from immediate natural impulse : unpremeditated, impulsive <spontaneous offer of assistance> <this diary has the spontaneous quality of a child's observations made for her own pleasure — Ellen L. Buell> <spontaneous improvising on a melody> 3 : caused by internal energy controlled and directed internally : self-acting <spontaneous movement is characteristic of all living things> <proves that there must be spontaneous activity as well as derivative activity in the universe — C. H. Whiteley> 4 : produced without being planted or without human labor : native, indigenous <spontaneous growth of wood> 5 a : developing without apparent external influence or force or from some undiscoverable cause <spontaneous nosebleed> <spontaneous fracture> <spontaneous abortion> b : not resulting from externally planned or intended modification or treatment <spontaneous remission of nervous symptoms> <spontaneous recovery from a disease> 6 : occurring or seeming to occur in the natural course of things : not apparently contrived or manipulated <the fact that the experiences are spontaneous and not laboratory products make these cases of the highest importance — W. H. Salter> 自发性

starfish

: any of numerous echinoderms that constitute the class Asteroidea, that have a body of usually five radially disposed arms coalescing at the center to form a disk on the lower surface of which is the mouth and containing prolongations of the body cavity and of the digestive tract and other organs, a skeleton composed of small more or less movable ossicles, and ambulacral areas occupying furrows along the under surface of each arm and bearing rows of tube feet by means of which the animal crawls and grasps its prey, and that feed largely on mollusks and especially oysters 海星

squash

1 : to press or beat into a pulp or a flat mass : crush <billycock hat squashed low over his forehead — Robert Graves> <squash a fly on the windowpane> 2 a : to put down : suppress <squash a revolt> <squash a strike> b : disconcert, squelch <first overshadowed by ... his father, then squashed by his contemptuous, ambitious wife — Time> intransitive verb 1 : to lose shape and flatten out under pressure or impact <guavas ... fell squashing to the ground — Edwin Granberry> 2 : to proceed with a splashing or squelching sound <squashing through the mud> 3 : squeeze, press <four of us managed to squash into the back seat> 4 of an airplane : to lose altitude in a horizontal position because of loss of airspeed : settle vertically 镇压；把...压扁；使沉默 vi. 受挤压；发出挤压声；挤入 n. 壁球；挤压；咯吱声；南瓜属植物；（英）果汁饮料

spoil

1 a (1) : the plunder taken in war : material, land, or property seized or confiscated by the victor of an armed aggression <claim ... colonies in Africa as its share of the spoils of war — Vera M. Dean> <courts his future wife knowing he has already won her as a spoil of war — Richard Corliss> (2) : arms or armor stripped from a defeated enemy b : something taken unlawfully usually by stealth <steal from the rich and give the spoils to the poor — E. V. Lucas> 2 a : the act or practice of plundering : spoliation <would have given their town up to spoil — Sir Walter Scott> b obsolete : an act of plunder <the man that hath no music in himself ... is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils — Shakespeare> c : an object of plunder <fire the palace, the fort ..., leave to the foeman no spoil at all — Rudyard Kipling> 3 a obsolete : an injurious or destructive act b : the act of damaging : harm, impairment, ruin <villainous company hath been the spoil of me — Shakespeare> 4 a obsolete : the cast skin of a snake : slough b : the cast skin of an animal; also : a treated animal hide <moccasins of the spoil of deer> c spoils plural : animal remains 5 a : something that is gained by strength or special effort <the spoils of a conservative industrial life — Van Wyck Brooks> b : a collector's item (such as an antique, rare book, or natural specimen) acquired by special and knowledgeable skill or search 6 : public offices and their emoluments that are the peculiar property of a successful political party or faction to be bestowed for its own advantage — usually used in plural <patronage and spoils ... have helped to finance complete party machinery — D. D. McKean> <to the victors belong the spoils — W. L. Marcy> 7 : material (such as refuse earth or rock) excavated usually in mining, dredging, or excavating 8 [2spoil] : something imperfectly made : an object having flaws produced in the process of manufacture 9 [2spoil] a : a deal in spoil five in which no player wins the pool b : the act of winning a trick that causes this result 溺爱；糟蹋；破坏；掠夺 vi. 掠夺；变坏；腐败 n. 次品；奖品

sloping

: having a slanting form, position, or direction : inclining, oblique 倾斜的；有坡度的；成斜坡的 v. 溢出

sole

1 a (1) : the undersurface of a foot or that part of it which is placed on the ground in walking or standing (2) : the somewhat concave plate of moderately dense horn that covers the lower surface of the coffin bone in the horse, partly surrounds the frog, and is bounded externally by the wall —see hoof illustration b : foot 2 : the part of a shoe or other article of footwear on which the sole of the foot rests and upon which the wearer treads; specifically : a shaped piece of leather, rubber, or other material forming the bottom or a layer of the bottom of a shoe and often excluding the heel — compare half sole, insole, midsole, outsole, slipsole 3 : the bottom or lower part of something or the base on which something rests: such as a obsolete : the foundation or site of a building or city b (1) chiefly dialectal : the sill of a window or door (2) : the horizontal plate on which the studs of a partition bear (3) : solepiece (4) : either of two planks resting one on each side on a sliding ways and forming the foundation of the cradle that supports a ship during building c : the hearth or flooring of a furnace, oven, or other heating device d : the floor of drift, level, or working in a mine e (1) : the undersurface of a plane through which the blade projects (2) : the bottom of the body of a plow f : the floor of a cabin on a ship g chiefly dialectal : the underframe of a vehicle (such as a wagon or cart) h : the bottom of the inside of a gas retort i : the flattened bottom surface of a golf club head 4 a : the underlying layers of land and especially of arable land : subsoil b : the layer of intertwined roots that forms the base of sod or turf c : the bottom of a furrow d : the lowest part of a valley 鞋底；脚底；基础；鳎目鱼 adj. 唯一的；单独的；仅有的 vt. 触底；上鞋底

stiffen

1 a (1) : to make stronger or more resolute : bolster, support <busy ... reordering his ship, and stiffening the morale of his crew — Llewellyn Howland> <felt the honor of the whole army rising within me and stiffening my backbone — R. H. Davis> <his papers are stiffened with solid facts and a scholar's indignation — E. A. Weeks> (2) : to make tougher or more effective <stiffen the armies ... with an increasing leaven of mercenaries — J. E. M. White> <recommended stiffening the Refugee Relief Act — Dorothy Kahn> (3) : to make more obstinate or intransigent <a powerful will stiffened by many years of opposition — Helen Macafee> b (1) : to make tight or hard : reduce in resilience : tauten, immobilize <his sinews stiffened themselves in tense readiness — C. G. D. Roberts> <he was stiffened straight by back trouble — A. C. Spectorsky> specifically : to knock out (a boxing opponent) <stiffened the ... fighter in the first round — Irish Digest> (2) : benumb <spent his evenings stiffening himself with gin — V. S. Pritchett> c : to make more stilted or inflexible : constrict, formalize <poetic diction that has stiffened into corpses so many orthodox poetic dramas — Leslie Rees> <stiffened one of the most picturesque of human beings ... into a stock figure — Carl Van Doren> 2 a : to make denser or firmer : thicken, solidify <milk well stiffened with wheaten flour — G. E. Fussell> <phosphorus stiffens and strengthens wire — Monsanto Magazine> specifically : to reinforce (as an article of clothing) by stitching, sizing, interfacing, interlining, wiring <drapery stiffened with stiff starch — F. J. Mather> <hat brims are stiffened to hold their shape> b : to alter the structure or ballast of (a ship) to prevent excessive heeling : stabilize c : to increase the ratio of inductance to capacity in (an electric circuit) 3 : to cause to rise or be increased : fix at a high level <stiffen prices> <stiffen the market> <a definite trend toward stiffening of money rates — Wall Street Journal> intransitive verb 1 a : thicken, harden <mud stiffens as it dries> b : to become physically taut or mentally inflexible <stiffened in her saddle and tossed her head — T. B. Costain> <my resolve to stick it out stiffened — V. G. Heiser> <young feelings stiffen in senile works — Malcolm Cowley> 2 : to increase in strength or difficulty <a stiffening breeze> <the climb stiffens as we near the top> 3 : to become firmer <stock prices stiffened in the final few hours of trading> 变硬；变猛烈；变粘 vt. 使变硬；使粘稠

staple

1 a : a U-shaped metal loop both ends of which are driven into a surface to hold the hook, hasp, or bolt of a lock, secure a rope, or fix a wire in place b : a small U-shaped wire both ends of which are driven through layers of thin and easily penetrable material (such as paper or paperboard) and usually clinched to hold the layers together 2 : chaplet 4 3 : a mine shaft that is smaller and shorter than the principal one and joins different levels 4 or sta·pling \ˈstā-p(ə-)liŋ\ (audio pronunciation) [stapling from gerund of 2staple] : an angle bar or plate that is fitted closely around the frames and structural members of a ship and passes through decks and bulkheads to secure oiltightness or watertightness Origin of STAPLE Middle English stapel staple, post, pillar, from Old English stapol post, pillar; akin to Middle Dutch stapel step, foundation, heap, emporium, Old High German staffal step, Old Norse stöpull pillar, tower, Old English steppan to step — more at step 主要产品；订书钉；主题；主食 adj. 主要的，大宗生产的；常用的；纺织纤维的 vt. 把...分级；钉住

speck

1 a : a small discoloration in or on something : spot, stain <a speck on paper or cloth> <covered with dark specks> b : a small discoloration revealing decay (as in fruit); broadly : flaw, blemish <a reputation without a speck> 2 : a tiny bit of something : a small piece, particle, or amount : mite <put just a speck of milk in the tea> <ore sparkling with specks of gold> <the announcement failed to arouse a speck of interest> 3 a : a bacterial or fungal disease of rice characterized by shriveled or specked grains b : a disease of plants characterized by small usually circumscribed lesions — see bacterial speck 4 : something marked or marred with specks: such as a : imperfect but usable fruit <bought a basket of specks for jelly> b : a spotted or speckled fish <when the big specks begin biting> 5 : a small sand darter (Ulocentra stigmaea) common in the southeastern U.S. 灰尘；污点；小颗粒 vt. 使有斑点

spectrum

1 a : apparition, specter b : afterimage 2 : an array of the components of an emission or wave separated and arranged in the order of some varying characteristic (such as wavelength, mass, or energy): such as a : a series of images formed when a beam of radiant energy is subjected to dispersion and brought to focus so that the component waves are arranged in the order of their wavelengths (as when a beam of sunlight that is refracted and dispersed by a prism forms a display of colors) — called also color spectrum b : electromagnetic spectrum c : radio spectrum d (1) : the range of frequencies of sound waves to which the human ear is sensitive — called also acoustic spectrum, acoustical spectrum, sound spectrum (2) : the range of frequencies of a particular sound (such as a noise or a speech sound) e : mass spectrum 3 a : an intergrading array in which the constituent elements are usually not sharply isolable : a continuous sequence or range <a wide spectrum of opinions — Eugene Rabinowitch> <the total spectrum of valid inference — J. T. Clark> <considerable deposits of a spectrum of minerals ranging from platinum to mica — Smith Hempstone> b : kinds of life forms associated with a particular situation (such as an environmental region or sensitivity to an antibiotic); also : a conspectus of such forms 4 : the representation (such as a plot) of a spectrum 光谱；频谱；范围；余象

soundproof

: impervious to sound <a soundproof room> <a soundproof studio> 隔音的 vt. 使隔音；给装以隔音设备

solitary

1 a : being, living, or going alone or without companions <a solitary traveler> b : given to or enjoying solitude <a person solitary by nature> also : living the life of a recluse or hermit <solitary saint> c : suffering from lack of companions : lonely <often alone but never solitary> 2 a : characterized by seclusion, solitude, or lack of inhabitants : unfrequented, deserted, desolate <a solitary valley> b : located in a lonely place <a solitary mountain camp> <solitary ruins> 3 : characterized by the lack or absence of companions : taken, passed, performed, endured, or otherwise dealt with alone <a solitary ramble> <solitary tasks> <lead a solitary life> 4 : single, individual, sole <a solitary example> 5 a of a plant part or organ : not forming part of a group or cluster of parts or organs : occurring singly and usually one to a branch or stem <flowers terminal and solitary> b of an organism : living or growing habitually alone : not gregarious, colonial, social, or compound <solitary tunicates> <some bees are solitary in habit> <some trees are solitary or sporadic in occurrence> 孤独的；独居的 n. 独居者；隐士

sloth

1 a : disinclination to action or labor : sluggishness, laziness, idleness, indolence <the sun ... is gentle, mellow, and sloth provoking — T. H. Fielding> b : spiritual sluggishness and dejection that constitute one of the seven deadly sins : apathy and inactivity in the practice of virtue <war may shake off ... spiritual sloth — C. D. Lewis> 2 archaic : slowness, tardiness 3 : a pack of bears 4 a : any of several slow-moving exclusively arboreal edentate mammals that inhabit tropical forests of South and Central America, have especially the front pair of limbs very long and provided with long curved claws, have rudimentary tail and external ears, have long coarse and crisp hair grayish or brownish in color but in the native habitat appearing more or less green and harmonizing with the moss and foliage due to a growth of commensal algae, have the habit of hanging from the branches back downward, and feed entirely on leaves, shoots, and fruits b : any of various related extinct edentates — see ground sloth c : any of various sluggish arboreal mammals (such as the slow loris or the koala) 怠惰，懒惰；[脊椎] 树懒

sterile

1 a : failing to produce or incapable of producing offspring <a hybrid that is completely sterile> b : failing to bear or incapable of bearing fruit or spores <a sterile tree> <sterile fungal hyphae> c : incapable of germinating <sterile spores> d of a flower : lacking a gynecium : neither perfect nor pistillate e : having or producing no sori <sterile fern fronds> 2 : characterized by deficient fruitfulness : barren: such as a : deficient in plant life : unproductive of crops or other vegetation <a sterile arid region> <an unusually sterile year> b : deficient in ideas or originality of thought <a sterile author> <sterile prose> c : free from living organisms and especially microorganisms <a sterile cyst> <dead sterile soil> — compare sterilize 3 : serving no useful purpose : withheld from a normal use or function <capital kept sterile through lack of initiative> <excessive and sterile reserves> 不育

splendor

1 a : great brightness : brilliant luster : brilliancy <ahead shone the splendor of a showcase full of gold objects — Angélica Mendoza> <the color and delicacy and splendor of soap bubbles — Dorothy Barclay> b : sumptuous display, ornament, or ceremonial : gorgeous show : magnificence, pomp, glory <entertained at balls noted for their splendor and exclusiveness — American Guide Series: Louisiana> c : beauty <the harsh splendor of barren mountains — Marion Wilhelm> d : excellence, value, worth <this eloquent and confident look should ... open the eyes of many ... to the splendor of their moral heritage — L. P. Curtis> 2 a : something that exhibits splendor <the east was a splendor of forest fires — William Beebe> b : something that contributes to splendor <the vocabulary of poetry increased enormously its store ... of vague splendors — J. L. Lowes> — in splendor of the sun : represented heraldically with rays 光彩；壮丽；显赫

solemn

1 a : marked by or performed, made, or uttered under circumstances that indicate a full and sober realization and acceptance of all that is involved and usually accompanied by a specific religious sanction <took a solemn oath> <a solemn dedication to the cause of freedom> b : made in due and proper form and so as to be legally binding : conforming to all legal requirements <a solemn writ> <solemn instruments> <made solemn affidavit> <a solemn declaration> 2 a : marked by grave sobriety and earnest serious sedateness : free from casualness or lighthearted levity <the audience grew solemn> <at this solemn moment> <a solemn occasion> <a look of solemn concentration> <spoke in a solemn and thoughtful manner> <When night came on, dismal rumblings used to be heard, and these were the wheels of the death-carts, attended by men with veiled faces and holding cloths to their mouths, who rang doleful bells and cried in a loud and solemn voice, 'Bring out your dead!' — Charles Dickens, A Child's History of England, 1851> b : of a serious nature : involving responsibility and strict adherence to duty imposed <staked his life on the fulfilling of this solemn charge> <a solemn responsibility> <"My dear, let me congratulate you on having created a strong attachment," said the rector. "You look serious, and I don't wonder at it: a lifelong union is a solemn thing." — George Eliot, Daniel Deronda, 1876> c : of a kind fitted to excite serious reflections or exalted emotions : awe-inspiring, sublime <these solemn scenes> <a scene of solemn beauty> 3 a : carried out in accord with accepted religious forms or rites <a solemn blessing> <a solemn curse> b : observed or celebrated with unusual pomp and ceremony and usually after a pattern established by liturgy or tradition <a solemn festival> specifically : distinguished from other services by being celebrated with full liturgy <a solemn high mass> <solemn complines> c : notable for marked ceremony and formality : characterized by pomp, dignity, and elaborate attention to form <a solemn state dinner> d archaic, of a day or season : given over to the performance of special rites or ceremonies usually of a religious character 4 : somber, gloomy <a suit of solemn black> 5 obsolete : being such in full form : conforming to what is usual in the thing specified 6 obsolete a : sumptuous, splendid b : notable, distinguished 庄严的，严肃的；隆重的，郑重的

spinal

1 a : of, relating to, or situated near the vertebral column, spinal canal, or spinal cord b : located in or affecting the vertebral column or spinal cord <spinal twinges> <degenerative spinal disease> 2 a : dependent upon the spinal cord : involving in its central nervous path only the spinal cord <a spinal reflex> b : having the spinal cord isolated in its functioning from the brain (as by surgical section) <experiments with spinal animals> 3 : of or relating to a spine 4 : resembling a spine : suggesting a backbone <the two great spinal mountain-systems of the U.S. — Lewis Mumford> 5 : made for or fitted to the spine <a spinal brace> 脊髓的；脊柱的；针的；脊骨的；尖刺的 n. 脊椎麻醉

soluble

1 a archaic : not constipated : evacuating normally b obsolete : having a laxative effect : inducing evacuation of the bowels 2 a : susceptible of being dissolved in or as if in a fluid : capable of solution <salt and sugar are soluble in water> <copper and zinc are completely soluble in the liquid state, but are only partially soluble in the solid state — G. E. Claussen> — see fat-soluble b : emulsifiable, dispersible — used especially of oils 3 : subject to being solved : susceptible of being disentangled or explained : solvable <a soluble puzzle> <such problems are perfectly soluble> — sol·u·ble·ness noun, plural -es — sol·u·bly \ˈsäl-yə-blee\ (audio pronunciation) adverb [化学] 可溶的，可溶解的；可解决的

spine

1 a : spinal column b : something resembling a spinal column in appearance, place, or function : something constituting a main strength, central axis, or chief support <the land is flat and marshy before rising to a spine of low hills — Robert Turley> <he has ... spine and starch, in a country sometimes lacking both — John Gunther> <give a spine of significance to his butterfly existence — Tennessee Williams> c : the backbone of a book d : the stiff springy quality desired in arrows 2 : a stiff sharp-pointed plant process (such as a modified leaf, leaf part, petiole, or stipule) — compare prickle, thorn 3 : a stiff sharp process of an animal body: a : a sharp-pointed protective outgrowth consisting of an enlarged and modified hair of a mammal (such as a porcupine or a hedgehog) b : one of the processes that cover most parts of the body of a sea urchin, that serve for defense or for locomotion, and that are borne on rounded tubercles to which they are movably articulated c : a radiolarian spicule d : a spiny fin ray of a fish e : any of various processes especially of bones : a spinous process (as of a vertebra or of the ilium); specifically : a prominent ridge on the back of the scapula 4 dialectal, England : sward, turf 5 dialectal, England : the surface layer or rind of meat 6 : a pointed mass of viscous or solidified lava that occasionally protrudes from the throat of a volcano 脊柱，脊椎；刺；书脊

spoilage

1 a : the act of spoiling b : something that is spoiled or wasted (such as sheets of paper in printing) 2 : the process of decaying in foods especially when caused by bacterial or fungal infection 损坏，糟蹋；掠夺；损坏物

sprout

1 a : to grow, spring up, or come forth as a sprout <vegetation that sprouted in a dried-up watercourse — Francis King> <feathers do not sprout uniformly, but grow in patches — J. M. Downs> <bowler hats banished by the war have been seen sprouting like mushrooms — Britain Today> <parodies sprouted like weeds — J. D. Hart> — often used with from, out, or up <a long, lean individual with whitish stubble sprouting from his lantern jaw — F. V. W. Mason> <limbs sprouting out two hundred feet from the ground — Norman Mailer> <giant shopping centers that have sprouted up across the country — Newsweek> b : to send new shoots forth or up : to develop new growth : bud, germinate <in that area the young grass sprouts at least a month earlier — James Stevenson-Hamilton> <the bright green of the sprouting bracken — Algernon Blackwood> <potatoes kept too warm will sprout prematurely> 2 : to expand enormously in bulk when heated — used especially of some forms of graphite mica and especially vermiculite transitive verb 1 a : to send (as a sprout) forth or up : to cause (a new growth) to develop : grow <trees sprouting their new green leaves> <jurors who sprout beards during overnight deliberations — New York Times Magazine> b : to cause (a plant or seed) to burgeon or germinate <the big rainy season ... is as necessary for sprouting the seeds of the saguaro — D. C. Peattie> 2 : to support or give rise to (something) in the manner of sprouting <rooftops began to sprout antennae — American Guide Series: Washington> <the same soil can seemingly sprout suburban homes of rare beauty — E. H. Pickering> <may be sprouting neuroses like dandelions — G. W. Johnson> 发芽；长芽 vt. 使发芽；使萌芽 n. 芽；萌芽；苗芽

sporadically

: occurring occasionally, singly, apart from other things of the same kind, or in scattered instances : separate, single, isolated <a sporadic case of disease> <sporadic occurrence of a plant> <sporadic fighting> 零星地；偶发地

stagger

1 a : to have difficulty in remaining erect : reel from side to side : stand or walk unsteadily : sway, totter <the man staggered, with his stomach pushed out, under the weight of the demijohn — Jean Stafford> <an intoxicated motorist ... staggers from his car — Wayne Hughes> <the last weary dancers staggered off — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson> b : to move on unsteadily : make headway or progress with difficulty <the good little ship is staggering along — E. J. Schoettle> <his coach staggered through that wilderness of mud — James Stern> c of an arrow : hobble d : to get along or manage despite difficulties — used with on or along <education, however, has managed to stagger on in spite of these pleasant diversions — F. J. Moffitt> 2 : to rock violently : shake, tremble, vibrate <the whole fabric of the ship seemed to stagger — F. W. Crofts> 3 : to become doubtful and wavering in purpose, thought, or action : hesitate <at whose immensity even soaring fancy staggers — P. B. Shelley> <became staggered and perplexed, a skeptic — Charles Lamb> transitive verb 1 : to cause to doubt or hesitate : make helpless : nonplus, perplex <a solution so bizarre as to stagger the imagination — Newsweek> <problems so intricate and laborious that they stagger the most patient mathematician — H. M. Davis> 2 : to cause to sway unsteadily : make reel or totter <if a fighter is staggered, watch closely to see how badly he is hurt — Jack Dempsey> <three young girls ... doing work that would stagger most men — Louise D. Rich> 3 : to place alternately at equal distances on either side of a middle line: such as a : to arrange (as spokes or rivets) on each side of a median line alternately b (1) : to plant alternately on each side of a median line (2) : to plant at irregular distances without reference to a definite line c : to arrange (a file) so that the tabs on the cards or folders are placed in different positions 4 : to arrange in a series of overlapping or alternating periods <the move to stagger city business hours to help ameliorate traffic congestion — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin> <feeding is staggered in three shifts between 11:45 and 1:30 — Management Methods> 5 : to adjust (as the wings of a biplane) so that the leading edge of one wing projects beyond the leading edge of another wing 蹒跚；使交错；使犹豫 vi. 蹒跚；犹豫 n. 蹒跚；交错安排 adj. 交错的；错开的

speculate

1 a : to ponder a subject in its different aspects, relations, and implications : indulge in contemplation : evolve ideas or theories by mental reexamination of a subject or matter and usually without experimentation or introduction of new data b : to reason a priori c : to review something mentally or orally in an idle or casual manner and usually with an element of doubt or without sufficient evidence to reach a sound or meaningful conclusion <speculating about the chances of rain> <we may speculate about strangers> 2 : to enter into a business transaction or other venture from which the profits, return of invested capital, or other good are conjectural because of the risks involved and knowingly assumed: such as a : to purchase or sell with the expectation of profiting by anticipated but conjectural fluctuations in price b : to engage in hazardous business transactions for the chance of an unusually large profit; especially : to gamble on a stock or commodity market <speculate in coffee> 推测；投机；思索 vt. 推断

starch

1 a : to stiffen with or as if with starch <the sheets were starched cool and smooth — Anton Vogt> b : to make formal, precise or conventional : set into a rigid pattern <derived from times when the English language had not yet been starched and formalized with definitions and rules of grammar — American Guide Series: Tennessee> 2 obsolete : to fasten or attach with starch paste 淀粉；刻板，生硬 vt. 给...上浆

spiral

1 a : winding around a center or pole and gradually receding from or approaching it <a spiral curve> b (1) : helical (2) : of, relating to, or resembling a spiral 2 : having one or more strands twisted around a core yarn <a spiral ply yarn> 3 : advancing to succeeding higher levels through a series of cyclical movements <developed a spiral theory of social evolution> 螺旋；旋涡；螺旋形之物 adj. 螺旋形的；盘旋的 vt. 使成螺旋形；使作螺旋形上升 vi. 盘旋；成螺旋形；螺旋形上升（过去式spiraled/spiralled，过去分词spiraled/spiralled，现在分词spiraling/spiralling，第三人称单数spirals，副词spirally）

sprawl

1 a archaic : to lie (as on the ground) thrashing or tossing about : struggle convulsively b : to creep or clamber with awkward movements of the arms and legs : scramble <the car slowly fell on its side and two figures sprawled out — Irwin Shaw> 2 : to lie or sit with arms and legs stretched out carelessly or awkwardly : spread out <could sprawl on her back in the little patch of grass — Elizabeth Janeway> <a child ... sprawls across her knees — Laurence Binyon> <the headmaster ... was sprawled out in an easy chair — Grace Metalious> 3 : to spread or develop irregularly or ungracefully : straggle <bushes are ... allowed to sprawl as they will — Fletcher Steele> <the city sprawls without apparent logic or plan to the west, north, and south — American Guide Series: Rhode Island> <this novel undeniably sprawls — Sean O'Faolain> transitive verb 1 : to stretch out (the arms or legs) carelessly or awkwardly <took a chair, sprawled out his legs — Erle Stanley Gardner> 2 : to cause to spread or develop irregularly or stragglingly : cause to move erratically : scrawl <sprawls its ... winding river across the state line — American Guide Series: Texas> <languidly sprawled his signature over the document at her urging> 蔓延；伸开手足躺；无计划地扩展 vt. 懒散地伸开；使蔓生 n. 蔓生；伸开手足躺卧姿势

solicit

1 archaic a : to take charge or care of (as business) : manage, forward b : to act as solicitor or legal agent for or with reference to 2 archaic : to make anxious : disquiet, concern 3 : to make petition to : entreat, importune <solicit the king for relief> especially : to approach with a request or plea (as in selling or begging) <solicit one's neighbors for contributions> 4 : to move to action : serve as an urge or incentive to : incite 5 : to strongly urge (as one's cause or point) : insist upon 6 a : to entice or lead astray by or as if by specious arguments : lure on and especially into evil b obsolete : to seek the favor of (a woman) usually for the purpose of seduction : attempt to seduce c : to accost (a man) for immoral purposes and usually in the character of a prostitute 7 : to endeavor to obtain by asking or pleading : plead for <solicit an office> <solicit alms> also : to seek eagerly or actively 8 : to demand as a requisite : call for : require <the situation solicits the closest attention> 9 a (1) : to have an effect on (a person or thing) through some natural influence or property (2) : to induce (as a phenomenon) by means of such influence or property <soliciting sparks by rubbing amber with flannel> b : to seek to affect (as by moving, inducing, withdrawing) usually by mild or gentle means <solicit a bowel movement with a laxative> <solicit an arrow gently and draw it from a wound> 10 : to serve as a temptation or lure to : attract <that fruit ... solicited her longing eye — John Milton> intransitive verb 1 : to make solicitation : importune, petition: such as a : to beg alms b of a prostitute : to offer illicit intercourse to a man 2 : to serve as a solicitor 征求；招揽；请求；乞求 vi. 征求；招揽；恳求；请求

spinach

: an annual potherb (Spinacia oleracea) native to southwestern Asia and cultivated widely for its edible leaves which are used as greens — called also prickly-seeded spinach 2 a : something repellent, obnoxious, or nonexistent : something spurious or unwanted <the bankers' pet ... was just so much spinach as far as the plain people were concerned — Jay Franklin> <the spinach of controlled, cooperative effort — H. A. Moe> b : an untidy overgrowth (such as an untrimmed lawn or beard) c : an inessential, irrelevant, or inharmonious excrescence, addition, or decoration : frill <a child ... has no interest in literary and artistic spinach — Rochelle Girson> <might look at the externals of an airplane and see only struts, wires, and other such spinach — Air World> 菠菜

stilt

1 dialectal, chiefly British : crutch 2 dialectal, chiefly British : the handle of a plow 3 a : one of two poles each with a rest or strap for the foot used to elevate the wearer above the ground in walking and usually of sufficient length to be steadied at the top by the hand and arm b : something that resembles a stilt: such as (1) : a pile or post serving to raise a building or other structure above ground or water level (2) : a vertical architectural member that raises the spring of an arch or vault above the apparent or elsewhere established impost (3) : a member placed above or below a column for additional height (4) : any of the piles forming the back of the sheet piling for a bridge starling (5) : a piece of hard-fired clay usually three-armed with points on each side used to keep articles apart in a pottery kiln c : a precarious foundation <rivals ... can topple governments built on stilts as easily as they can hire assassins — Flora Lewis> 4 a : a long thin leg <white stalky birds on stilts — Thomas Wood †1950> b also stilt plover plural also stilt : any of various notably long-legged three-toed limicoline birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus related to the avocets, chiefly inhabiting inland ponds and marshes or brackish lagoons, nesting in small colonies, and being mostly white with a black mantle variously extended on the neck and head — called also longlegs, stiltbird — see banded stilt, black-necked stilt, black-winged stilt, white-headed stilt 高跷；支柱，支撑物 vt. 使踏上高跷

sovereignty

1 obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it <of all complexions the cull'd sovereignty do meet ... in her fair cheek — Shakespeare> 2 a (1) : supreme power especially over a body politic : dominion, sway <the treaty provided for the cession ... by Spain of its sovereignty over the territory of Puerto Rico — Antonio Fernós-Isern> <the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Church—to believe otherwise is to deny the sovereignty of God — Time> <deprived the railroads of ultimate sovereignty in ... rate-making — A. S. Link> (2) : freedom from external control : autonomy, independence <the chief cause of modern war has been the fallacy of absolute sovereignty of the national state — J. T. Shotwell> <sovereignty is not an indivisible whole, since it can be partially ceded to a joint authority — European Federation Now> <his mind asserted itself with ... a strong sense of its own sovereignty — Leon Edel> b : royal position or authority <let the emperor turn his nominal sovereignty into a real central and autocratic power — Hilaire Belloc> c : controlling influence <the sovereignty of a superior class which gains dominion through social, economic or religious prestige — J. S. Roucek> 3 : one that is sovereign; especially : an autonomous state <affirming ... that Formosa and China are part of the same sovereignty — New Republic> 主权；主权国家；君主；独立国

stalk

1 obsolete : to walk cautiously or furtively : steal, slip 2 : to pursue quarry or prey stealthily or under cover (as behind a stalking horse) : still-hunt <deer are hunted chiefly by stalking — Encyclopedia Americana> — compare drive 3 a : to walk with a stiff ungainly stride <long-legged water birds stalk along the shore> b : to walk with long measured steps : stride loftily <turned on his heel, and stalked stiffly out — Kenneth Roberts> c : to move in a silent deliberate manner — used of ghosts and half-personified evils <a specter that stalked along the castle walls at midnight> <the terror that stalks through the city> transitive verb 1 a : to pursue (as game) stealthily and often under cover for the purpose of killing <stalk deer> <stalk an enemy patrol> <watch a tiger stalk its prey> b : to pursue or follow in a stealthy, furtive, or persistent manner <the man was stalking him as remorselessly as if he were a criminal — Time> 2 : to move through, recur to, or follow as a specter or evil : dog, haunt <a nightmare that stalks his sleep> <the starvation that stalked the winter-devastated land — New York Times Book Review> 3 : to go through (an area) in search of prey or other quarry <stalk the woods for deer> 植物的）茎，秆；（支持叶子、果实和花的）梗，柄；追踪；高视阔步 vt. 追踪，潜近；高视阔步 vi. 高视阔步地走；潜近，偷偷接近

stamina

1 plural in construction, archaic : the essential or fundamental parts, elements, or nature of something especially an organism 2 plural in construction, archaic : the innate capacities formerly regarded as conditioning or governing the duration of life 3 a : the strength or vigor of bodily constitution : capacity for standing fatigue or resisting disease <the chase, sometimes lasting for miles, calls for unlimited stamina from both dogs and men — American Guide Series: Tennessee> <lack of stamina of the population is caused partly by the high rate of infection from parasitic and venereal diseases — Mary Tew> b : strength or courage of conviction : staying power : perseverance <displayed little of the moral stamina which characterized the Puritan fathers — R. P. Stearns> <must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose — D. D. Eisenhower> <exhibited enough stamina to disagree frequently with the great chief justice — advertisement> <evidence of the stamina of India's indigenous democracy — Vera M. Dean> c : the capacity for standing hard or demanding use over an extended period : durability <steelmakers use small amounts of vanadium alloys to give steel stamina — Hot-Metal Magic> <enduring stamina built into these trucks — Newsweek> <a locker with stamina and correctness of design — Sweet's Catalog Service> 4 archaic : the chief source of support or strength <the infantry is the stamina of a military force> — sometimes plural in construction 毅力；精力；活力；持久力

stagecoach

: a heavy usually four-in-hand closed coach formerly making regular trips between stations and carrying passengers and goods — see road coach 公共马车；驿站马车

smelting

: a process of smelting pyritic ores without previous roasting and with little or no fuel by utilizing the heat resulting from the combustion of their high sulfur content [冶] 熔炼 v. 精炼

slothful

: addicted to sloth : inactive, sluggish, indolent <not slothful anguish, is what you now require, but effort — Nathaniel Hawthorne> <municipal government was corrupt and slothful — H. A. Sinclair> 怠惰的，懒惰的；迟钝的

stature

plural -s 1 : natural height (as of a person or animal) in an upright position : standing posture <a man of tall stature> <the fine stature of the Indian males — American Guide Series: Oregon> 2 : quality or status gained by impressive growth, development, or achievement : high caliber : prestige <a playwright of stature — Henry Hewes> <every piece of work you do adds something to your stature, increases the power and maturity of your experience — Thomas Wolfe> <continues to advance in stature as a senior institution of learning — N. M. Pusey> 身高，身材；（精神、道德等的）高度

slumber

a : to sleep lightly : doze <he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep — Psalms 121:4 (Revised Standard Version)> b : to lie asleep <the girl slumbered peacefully — Henry La Cossitt> 2 a : to lie or live as if sunk in sleep or stupor : be in a torpid state : hibernate <the ... nation slumbered through more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation — Louis Wasserman> b : to remain in a negligent or slothful state : idle <the public conscience slumbers> <slumbering along until shocked into activity> <add to this a report I have been asked to do ... and you will guess that I have not slumbered — H. J. Laski> c : to lie dormant or latent <below the surface slumbered deadly memories — Times Literary Supplement> transitive verb : to pass or spend (as time) in or as if in sleep — usually used with away or out <slumbering away the best years for productive work> 睡眠；麻木状态；静止状态 vi. 睡眠；蛰伏；麻木 vt. 睡眠；睡着度过

stifle

also stifle joint plural -s : the joint next above the hock and near the flank in the hind leg of various quadrupeds (such as horses and dogs) : the joint corresponding to the knee in man —see dog illustration, horse illustration 马等的)后膝关节病，后膝骨病

soothe

obsolete : to show, assert, or confirm the truth of : demonstrate or maintain as true 2 obsolete a : to uphold or back up; also : to humor by complying b : to gloss over : palliate, extenuate 3 a : to please (a person) by or as if by attention or concern : placate, mollify <soothe an angry crowd with promises> b : to assuage or relieve as if by softening : alleviate <soothe an inflamed throat> 4 a : to bring comfort, solace, or reassurance to <soothe a troubled mind> b : to lead to tranquility or equanimity : dispel the inner agitation of <nature's soothing of the mind> <soothe a frightened child> intransitive verb : to bring peace, composure, or quietude 安慰；使平静；缓和 vi. 起抚慰作用

solidarity

plural -es 1 : an entire union of interests and responsibilities in a group : community of interests, objectives, or standards <solidarity that knits together innumerable hearts — Joseph Conrad> 2 Roman, civil, & Scots law : the quality or state of being solidary 团结，团结一致