| 释义 |
embarrassv. Origin: Apparently a borrowing from French. Etymons: French embarrasser, embarasser. Etymology: Apparently < Μiddle French, French embarrasser, †embarasser to put (a person) in a difficult or awkward situation (a1571), to confuse, perplex (a person) (1580, originally used reflexively), to impede (a process, especially the normal use of something) (1690) < Spanish embarazar (c1460), probably < Portuguese embaraçar (15th cent.) < em- em- prefix + baraço cord (1260; early 12th cent. as †baraza), apparently originally with reference to animals being restrained by a cord or leash; further etymology uncertain and disputed: see J. Corominas Diccionario critico etimológico castellano e hispánico (ed. 2, 1981) at embarazar.The French verb was probably first used in the Spanish Netherlands. With the α. forms compare im- prefix1, and also ( < Spanish) Italian imbarazzare to hamper or impede (a person, action, or process), to block (a road or place) (a1600; compare imbarazzato hampered, obstructed (c1535)), to confuse, perplex (a person) (a1685). Sense 2b is not paralleled in French; in quot. 1684, rendering French embarrasser avec quelqu'un (reflexive) to become involved with (a person) (1669 in the passage translated, or earlier). 1. the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hinder [verb (transitive)] 1578 in (1885) App. v. 428 His bill of complaint importing his povertie and losses before [the] gennerall Courte and Counsaill for obtaining and observinge any protection or other liberties and fredomes to inbarres and staye his creditors. 1588 T. Hickock tr. C. Federici f. 40 Let him not be astonied, at the troubles that I haue passed: because I was imbaratsed in many things [It. perchè mi posi a sbaraglio in molte cose]. 1616 J. Maitland Apol. W. Maitland in (1904) II. 204 The King of france..Imbaracit..in a great warre against the Protestants. 1668 J. Dryden 30 Another thing in which the French differ from us and from the Spaniards, is, that they do not embarass, or cumber themselves with too much Plot. 1692 W. Temple i. 7 The Character of Ambassador, which would delay, or embarras me with preparations of Equipage. 1734 tr. C. Rollin I. 252 Hannibal..ran to the assistance of his troops, who were thus embarrassed. 1778 E. Jenings 15 The delay of doing what was right..daily embarrasses the progress of peace. 1803 Marquess Wellesley Let. 27 June in Duke of Wellington (1837) II. 53 The state of the rivers..will embarrass the enemy in a considerable degree. 1856 J. A. Froude (1858) II. ix. 402 A general council would..embarrass their movements. 1913 A. T. Mahan xii. 211 A crippled ship in a chased fleet..embarrasses movement. 1992 65 393 Their [sc. conventional forces'] tentacles..embarrass and hamper her development. the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > close by obstruction or block up > block the way or a passage 1735 J. Campbell I. 194 The Elector..sent immediately Messieurs Grimaldé, Verboom and Capres..to stop the English General, by impeding his Passage from Groenendael, which they executed by cutting down a great Number of large Trees, which embarrassed the Road. 1757 P. Templeman tr. F. L. Norden II. 130 There is in the Nile a place very dangerous to pass, on account of the stones which embarrass the channel of the river. 1820 J. Luccock xv. 491 Nodules of corroded metal had rolled down and greatly embarrassed the road. 1860 R. Wilson 158 The multitude of wounded embarrassed the road. 1918 P. B. Kyne ix. 80 He claims he's short of rolling-stock—that wrecks and fires have embarrassed the road. He can always find excuses. 1738 No. 92. 288/2 The humble Petition..Sheweth, that your Petitioners..are as little afraid of being embarrased with Riches..as any Vagabonds in Christendom. 1793 tr. J.-B. Louvet de Couvray II. 144 By the death of his uncle, he became embarrassed with riches. 1857 4 May 2/3 As the day for opening the exhibition approaches, the executive committee begin to find themselves embarrassed with riches. 1873 Apr. 461/1 As if to embarrass us with riches, comes also Mr. Muir and presents us with another life of the prophet. 1899 A. W. Ward iv. 119 Walpole can hardly have been embarrassed by much wealth of choice when he made this selection. 1954 19 Apr. 4/1 It must be an agreeable change for British housewives to be embarrassed by riches. 1993 3 Apr. 34/1 At this period the selectors were embarrassed with a battery of top class fast bowlers to pick from. 2006 A. J. Gregor i. 8 The study of fascism..was embarrassed by riches. 1777 J. Campbell 11 It has been before observed, that Sir Lauchlan M'Lean had been much embarrassed by debt, before his succession to the estate. 1830 109/2 He showed that the coasting trade was embarrassed by this [tonage] duty. 1890 Mrs. H. Wood xx. 248 Then we had bought some furniture on our marriage, and that debt embarrassed us. 1934 E. O'Neill Let. 14 June in (1988) 437 A rumor has reached me that you and the family are temporarily embarrassed by taxes, etc. soon coming due. 1999 M. Lindemann v. 127 The hospital..in medieval Cambridge lent money to ‘men of substance’ embarrassed by their debts. 2. the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > act of perplexing > confuse, perplex, bewilder [verb (transitive)] ?1656 R. Flecknoe xlii. 134 Never was man so Embaras'd and perplext as I; not knowing betwixt the too humble, and the too brave, what to write or say. 1672 Duke of Buckingham i. 6 The people being embarrast by their equal tyes to both. 1704 S. Couper i. 3 A certain Philosopher, who by the subtilty of his arguments against Christianity, sought to imbarass the Bishops. 1774 Ld. Monboddo (ed. 2) I. i. ix. 124 He could not conceive and argue..without imbarrassing his thoughts. 1820 B. Travers iii. iii. 326 The free escape of the vitreous humor..may embarrass an operator. 1854 H. H. Milman III. vi. iii. 44 Frederick..embarrassed them..with the choice among five prelates. 1906 15 10 The idea of instantaneousness, which is a temporal idea, must not here be introduced to embarrass our thoughts. the world > action or operation > difficulty > types of difficulty > [verb (transitive)] > make difficult or complex 1684 tr. F. Hédelin d'Aubignac iii. i. 5 His Advice is only that the Poet do not bring a Fourth Person upon the Stage so as to embarass or confound the business in hand [Fr. que le quatriéme venant à parler, ne s'embarrasse mal à propos avec les autres]. 1736 Bp. J. Butler i. iv. 75 One Irregularity after another, embarrasses things to such a Degree, that, [etc.]. 1771 O. Goldsmith I. Pref. p.ii Our abridgements are generally more tedious than the works from which they pretend to relieve us, and they have effectually embarrassed that road which they laboured to shorten. 1818 W. Cruise (ed. 2) VI. 25 I do not apprehend that this case will be embarrassed by that decision. 1876 E. Mellor iv. 154 This designation by their ordinary names..must embarras every theory which involves a substantial change. 1967 30 649 It was pleaded by counsel for Bywaters that his case was embarrassed by evidence of letters written by Mrs. Thompson to him which were used in evidence against her. 1991 S. Guest vi. 148 Our intuition that just wars are morally permissible embarrasses our theory that innocent life must never be taken. 3. the mind > emotion > humility > feeling of shame > shame [verb (transitive)] > embarrass 1751 J. Cleland 26 My steadyness of gaze began to embarrass and give her pain. 1796 M. Wollstonecraft vi. 66 I wished to have had a room to myself; for their attention, and rather distressing observation, embarrassed me extremely. 1837 7 125 Nothing embarrassed me more than to be concerned in anything which required speaking or acting before a large concourse of people. 1896 A. E. H. Barr vii. 149 Her child-like enthusiasms..both delighted and embarrassed her husband. 1929 E. Bowen xv. 182 His unordered moods gave him the churlishness of a schoolboy; his silliness embarrassed her. 1956 I. Murdoch iii. 29 He was embarrassed by his partial baldness. 1992 N. Postman x. 166 Words that you have been taught not to use.., when used too often, are stripped of their power to shock, to embarrass. 2008 9 May 28/2 I was left in the awkward spiritual dilemma whether to remain in a hunch-crouch position for the prayers or to embarrass my children and draw attention to myself by kneeling down in the aisle. 1793 XIII. 500 It was not now sought.., to embarrass him into compliance. 1885 L. G. Tyler II. ii. 42 To embarrass the President into compliance, he subsequently moved an amendment to repeal the law of 1836 regulating the deposits in the State banks. 1962 11 May 490/1 The Soviets were assured that the U.S. was not conspiring to embarrass them into a return invitation, but the decision to stay away from the Cape has held fast. 1975 24 Feb. 4/1 Students..have been staying away from classes, marching in protest, carrying signs, walking out of classes, all obviously intending to embarrass the board into changing its mind. 1999 A. H. Ion iv. 92 Missionaries realized that adverse international publicity could embarrass the Japanese authorities into giving them concessions. 2004 Mar. 60/2 Two days before we meet, he bumrushed the stage of Twista's gig in New York and tried to embarrass the..execs into negotiating away his contract in public. the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > humiliate [verb (transitive)] 1839 (2nd Sess., 14th Parl.) 3 2535/1 Mr. Pitt may have said to Mr. Fox that he embarrassed the Government by his opposition to the war. 1934 W. S. Churchill I. 491 As he was a banished man..his return would have embarrassed the Government by laying them open to accusations of favouring the Jacobites. 1968 31 Oct. 11/3 It is now becoming..clear that an intelligent plan may have to be drawn, according to which those elements hell-bent on..embarrassing the School will have to be expelled from it. 1993 Oct. 29/3 There's no need to embarrass Apple further by mentioning that the 165c had to be replaced within weeks because of a wonky screen. 2012 (Nexis) 25 Nov. 2 Then on 14 minutes, Wojciech Szczesny had to beat out a ferocious Andreas Weimann volley which threatened to embarrass him at his near post. 1854 C. A. A. Hubback III. ix. 140 He desired her to be seated, not to hurry or embarrass herself, but to take her time in anything she wanted to say. 1871 II. iii. 39 He doesn't allow Mrs. Wilkins to embarrass herself by making an untruthful statement, but changes the subject. 1898 Jan. 41 ‘I don't like to embarrass myself,’ said Jack, ‘by appearing uninvited in the salon of Countess Strovolovski.’ 1922 C. Harris iv. 84 He hesitated, as if he were about to embarrass himself by committing a breach of family confidence. 1986 L. Erdrich (1989) iv. xiv. 303 She told of..janitors who waxed the halls so she would slip and embarrass herself. 2010 (Nexis) 2 Oct. (Weekend Suppl.) 5 There will also be masterclasses on wine investment and..how to taste wines without embarrassing yourself. 1936 11 Feb. 8/6 Congressman Wright Patman doesn't embarrass easily. 1977 10 Aug. 5/2 ‘I'm not going to embarrass too many people,’ she said, smiling. ‘It depends on how easily people embarrass.’ 1994 P. Rosemoor xii. 242 ‘You don't know Father. He doesn't embarrass. At all.’ 2007 D. D. Birch 171 I was so damn embarrassed. And I don't embarrass easy. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  v.1578 |
