- 1n/ˈkædəˌlæk/American luxury car凱迪拉克（高級轎車）
A large, expensive and very comfortable American car made by the Cadillac company; the name is used both for the car itself and as a picture of money and comfort.
Cadillac 是美國的汽車品牌名。日常說 a Cadillac，通常就是指這個牌子的一台車。這種車很大、很舒服，而且很貴。因為這樣，這個字不只是在說一台車。故事裡只要有人開 Cadillac，讀者馬上會讀到「有錢」或「派頭」。中文一般直接音譯成「凱迪拉克」。要注意字首 C 通常大寫，因為它本來就是品牌名。
示範例句 · Example
A long black Cadillac was waiting outside the hotel to take the guests to the airport.
中文翻譯一台長長的黑色凱迪拉克正在飯店外面等著，要載客人去機場。
Cadillac is the name of an American car company, and people use that name for one of its cars. A Cadillac is big, soft to ride in, and costs a lot. Because of that, the word does more than name a vehicle. When a story puts someone in a Cadillac, it is telling you something about their money or their taste before anything else happens. Keep the capital C: this began as a brand name and still carries one.
常見搭配
drive a Cadillac
開凱迪拉克
to own and use this kind of expensive car
He drives a Cadillac but still takes the bus to work.
a black Cadillac
黑色凱迪拉克
the classic colour for this car in films and formal use
Two black Cadillacs were parked in front of the building.
an old Cadillac
一台老凱迪拉克
an aging car of this make, often kept out of affection
Her father still fixes up an old Cadillac in the yard.
the back seat of a Cadillac
凱迪拉克的後座
the roomy rear seat, used as an image of comfort
She fell asleep in the back seat of a Cadillac on the way home.
意思相近
limousineluxury car
- 2n/ˈkædəˌlæk/the Cadillac of its kind……中的頂級貨
口語If you call something the Cadillac of its kind, you mean it is the best, most expensive and most impressive example of that type of thing.
這是一個固定句型：the Cadillac of ＋一類東西。說話的人把凱迪拉克「最高級的車」這個印象借過來，安到別的東西身上。所以 the Cadillac of stereo systems 就是「音響裡的頂級貨」。它同時傳達兩件事：品質最好，而且很貴。語氣偏口語，常常帶一點誇張的玩笑味，所以用在鍋子、帳篷這種日常東西上特別自然。這是美式英語。中文有個很接近的說法是「……界的勞斯萊斯」。
This is a fixed frame: the Cadillac of + a group of things. The speaker borrows the car's reputation and hands it to something completely different — a mixer, a tent, a pair of shoes. It says two things at once: this is the top of its class, and it costs accordingly. The tone is informal and usually a little playful, which is why it works well on ordinary objects. It is American English.
常見搭配
the Cadillac of + plural noun
某一類東西中的頂級品
the finest example within a named category
People call this model the Cadillac of electric bikes.
be considered the Cadillac of ...
被公認為某類中的頂級
to be widely regarded as the best of its type
That brand is considered the Cadillac of hiking boots.
意思相近
the best oftop-of-the-line