An adder is a poisonous snake — in British English, usually one particular kind: the common European viper, grey or brown, with a dark zigzag down its back. It is not a rare jungle snake. It lives in heath, woods, and long grass, and it is the only snake in Britain whose bite can really poison you.

An adder is a poisonous snakeadder是一種毒蛇 — in British English, usually one particular kind在英式英文裡，通常指特定的一種: the common European viper也就是普通歐洲蝮蛇, grey or brown顏色是灰色或棕色, with a dark zigzag down its back背上有一道深色鋸齒紋。It is not a rare jungle snake它不是什麼罕見的叢林蛇。It lives in heath, woods, and long grass它生活在荒原、樹林和長草叢裡, and it is the only snake in Britain whose bite can really poison you而且它是英國唯一一種咬人會真的中毒的蛇。

People sometimes stretch the word to mean any small viper, but careful talk keeps it for that European one. You meet it in countryside warnings, nature programmes, and stories, not in city chat.

People sometimes stretch the word to mean any small viper有些人會把這個字擴大用來指任何小型蝮蛇, but careful talk keeps it for that European one但講究一點的用法會把它保留給那種歐洲蝮蛇。You meet it in countryside warnings, nature programmes, and stories你會在鄉間警告標示、自然節目和故事裡遇到這個字, not in city chat而不是在都市裡的閒聊。

Though actually, careful speakers prefer venomous for a snake that injects poison with a bite, and poisonous for something that hurts you if you eat it; everyday English and learner books still say a poisonous adder, and nobody is confused.

Though actually不過事實上, careful speakers prefer venomous for a snake that injects poison with a bite講究的人會用venomous來形容咬人注入毒液的蛇, and poisonous for something that hurts you if you eat it用poisonous來形容吃了會讓你中毒的東西; everyday English and learner books still say a poisonous adder但日常英文和學習教材還是會說a poisonous adder, and nobody is confused而且沒有人會因此搞混。

There is another English word adder that means “a person who adds numbers.” Same spelling, different word, different history. This one is the snake.

There is another English word adder that means “a person who adds numbers.”英文裡還有另一個adder，意思是『做加法的人』。Same spelling, different word, different history拼法一樣，但是不同的字、不同的來源。This one is the snake而這個詞條講的是蛇這一個。