| 释义 |
pluck up (one's) courage pluck up (one's) courageTo emotionally prepare oneself to do a frightening or overwhelming task; to bolster one's courage. I'm really nervous about asking Sarah out on a date, but I just need to pluck up my courage and go through with it. I know he's terrified of speaking in public, so he's plucking up his courage with a stiff drink.See also: courage, pluck, uppluck up someone's courageto bolster someone's, including one's own, courage. I hope you are able to pluck up your courage so that you can do what has to be done. Some good advice from a friend helped pluck up my courage.See also: courage, pluck, uppluck up one's courageAlso, screw up one's courage. Force oneself to overcome fear or timidity, as in He was really afraid of slipping on the ice, but he plucked up his courage and ventured down the driveway , or I screwed up my courage and dove off the high board. The first term uses pluck in the sense of "make a forcible effort"; Shakespeare put it as "Pluck up thy spirits" ( The Taming of the Shrew, 4:3). The variant derives from the use of screw to mean "force or strain by means of a screw." See also: courage, pluck, uppluck/screw/summon up (your/the) ˈcourage (to do something) force yourself to be brave enough to do something: I had liked her for a long time, and eventually I plucked up the courage to ask her out. ♢ I finally screwed up my courage and went to the dentist.See also: courage, pluck, screw, summon, up |