| 释义 |
tan·gle
I. \ˈtaŋgəl, ˈtaiŋ-\ verb
(tangled ; tangled ; tangling \-g(ə)liŋ\ ; tangles)
Etymology: Middle English tangilen, tagilen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect taggla to disarrange, tangle
transitive verb
1. : to involve so as to hamper, obstruct, or embarrass
< lost in a growing institutionalism, and tangled in a hopeless controversy — F.K.Stamm >
2. : to seize and hold in or as if in a snare : entrap
< he was tangled by his own lies >
3.
a. : to unite or knit together in confusion : interweave or interlock in a manner almost impossible to unravel
b. : to mix inextricably
< economics and literature had become so … tangled — May L. Becker >
< father's business affairs are greatly tangled — P.B.Kyne >
intransitive verb
1. : to engage in conflict : become involved in argument or altercation : have a set-to
< opposing lawyers tangled heatedly over … constitutional guarantees — New York Times >
< only a few planes dared to … tangle with the allied fleets — Newsweek >
2. : to become entangled : intertwine
< the streets of Santa Cruz wind and tangle — V.S.Pritchett >
II. noun
(-s)
1.
a. : a tangled twisted condition or mass : a knot of threads or something similar (as hairs, branches, vines) united confusedly or so interwoven as not to be easily disengaged : ravel, snarl
< a stretch of back road that … now is a tangle of weeds and wild grasses — A.W.Turnbull >
b. : something resembling a tangle in appearance
< became lost in the tangle of streets along the waterfront >
< an interminable tangle of waterless ravines — S.H.Howard >
< the old wharf with its tangle of sails and boats and people — Vicki Baum >
2.
a. : a complicated jumbled aggregation : a highly involved often confused state or condition
< in a hopeless tangle of conflicting allegiances — Gordon Merrick >
< the formerly open … border is now a tangle of red tape — J.S.Roucek >
< works amid a forbidding tangle of technical regulations and restrictions — Lamp >
b. : a state of perplexity or complete bewilderment
< his brain got all in a tangle and he could make a beginning nowhere — Liam O'Flaherty >
3. : a bar or frame to which short lengths of chain bearing bundles of various material (as frayed rope or cotton waste) are attached and which is dragged over the sea bottom to entangle and catch animals (as starfish)
4. : a serious altercation : argument, conflict
< felt she was not to blame for the tangle with her neighbor >
< unwillingness … to trust an armed Germany has been a factor in every European political tangle for several hundred years — G.W.Johnson >
III. noun
also tangleweed \ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\
(-s)
Etymology: tangle of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian tongull tangle, Old Norse thöngull tangle, thang kelp, tangle, Danish tang seaweed — more at tang
: a large seaweed; especially : either of two seaweeds (Laminaria saccharina or L. digitata)
IV. noun
(-s)
Etymology: probably from tangle (II); influenced in meaning by dangle (I)
: something that is pendulous: as
a. Scotland : a hanging icicle
b. Scotland : a lock of hair
V. noun
: neurofibrillary tangle herein |