/ 【凍住學英文】 這幾天氣溫驟降，特別介紹一些在冬天大派用場的詞語，in the dead of winter 與 winter 都是指冬天，但 in the dead of winter 的氣溫更低，相當於中文的「嚴寒」。 . e.g. You will not survive if you do not put on a down jacket in the dead of winter. e.g. A ragged beggar knelt down and begged for warm food in the dead of winter. rag 是「爛布」，ragged 是「衣衫襤褸的」，除了 ragged 外還可以用 in rags 表達，相反 dressed to the nines 就是「衣著講究」、「衣著光鮮」。 e.g. He used to be dressed in rags, but he has been dressed to the nines after hitting the jackpot. . 在冬天，有些人喜歡使用暖蛋，放在袋內、放在手中，以防雙手(及手指)僵硬。要形容凍得僵硬，可以用 numb with cold、(my fingers) go numb 。 . e.g. I forgot to bring my gloves, so my fingers were numb with cold. e.g. My fingers went numb once I stepped out of the restaurant. . 入冬後，寒風刺骨，windy 已經不能形容透骨奇寒的程度。英文中對應的形容詞是 cutting、biting。 . e.g. The biting/cutting wind roared in the alley . chill 是寒冷的感覺，send a chill through one 是「令…不寒而慄」、send a chill down one’s spine 是「令…毛骨悚然」。take the chill off 是「令一個地方變得溫暖」，例如在房間開了暖爐後，房間變得溫暖。 . e.g. The high-pitched giggles in the horror film sent a chill through me. e.g. Your sarcastic remarks on her misfortunes sent a chill down my spine. e.g. In many western countries, almost all families turn on a heater to take the chill off the house. . snowed up 是「滿佈著雪」，常用指阻塞了道路。 . e.g. The main roads have been snowed up, causing tailbacks in different parts of the city. e.g. If the state highways are snowed up, you can prepare to change your plan. . a hail of abuse 中的 hail 是「冰雹」，因為 a hail of abuse 指「一連串的痛罵」，就像冰雹般不斷的從天而降，因而有不斷責罵的意思。 . e.g. The fact that I love you does not mean I have to bear with your hails of abuse. . put … on ice 是「暫時擱置」，雖然沒有直接關係，可以這樣記住，把某事變得像冰一樣，把它凍結。 . e.g. Once the scheme is put on ice, it is difficult for the board of director to resume it. e.g. We cannot help but put the plan on ice because of some hiccups. . hiccup 是一些「小問題」，廣東話說得口語一點就是「阻滯」。