喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture a beam of sunlight coming through a window into a quiet room: you can see tiny grey floating in it, and if you run a finger along the shelf, a soft grey line comes off on your fingertip. Dust can be thought of as stuff broken so small and so dry that it floats in the air and settles as a thin layer on everything. Two features of that picture do all the work: it is fine powder, and it settles. The powder half gives dust on the road, gold dust, dusting sugar on a cake; the settling half gives dusting the shelves and waiting for the dust to settle.

可以想成一道陽光從窗戶斜射進安靜的房間，光柱裡浮著細細的小灰點；你用手指沿著書架劃一下，指尖就沾上一條灰灰的痕跡。d…更多收起可以想成一道陽光從窗戶斜射進安靜的房間，光柱裡浮著細細的小灰點；你用手指沿著書架劃一下，指尖就沾上一條灰灰的痕跡。dust 的畫面可以想成「碎到極細、又很乾，所以會在空中飄、也會薄薄一層落在所有東西上」的東西。這個畫面裡有兩個重點在撐起整個字：一是「極細的粉」，二是「會落下來積著」。粉的那一半，長出 dust on the road（路上的塵土）、gold dust（金粉）、dust sugar on a cake（在蛋糕上撒糖粉）；落下積著的那一半，長出 dust the shelves（擦書架上的灰）和 wait for the dust to settle（等塵埃落定）。

From the picture

把積著的灰弄掉

灰會落下來積成一層，所以「處理這層灰」就成了一個天天在做的動作。英文乾脆讓名詞直接當動詞用：dust 一個東西，就是把它身上那層 dust 拿掉。

wipe off dust · verb · B1

To clean dust off a surface by wiping it with something soft like a cloth.

擦灰塵

反過來：把粉撒上去

同一個名詞當動詞用，方向卻可以相反：擦書架是「把粉拿掉」，撒糖粉是「讓粉像灰一樣薄薄落一層上去」。兩邊共用的其實是那個薄薄一層的畫面，只是一個在收，一個在鋪——看受詞和場景就分得出來：dust the shelves 是在打掃，dust the cake with sugar 是在做點心。

sprinkle powder · verb · B1

To sprinkle a fine powder lightly over something.

撒（粉）

塵埃落定（比喻）

揚起來的塵土會擋住視線，要等它慢慢落下來，才看得清楚周圍發生什麼事。英文把這個很直觀的畫面整個搬去講「混亂的局面」。

the dust settles · noun · B1

Used in phrases about waiting for a busy or confused situation to calm down and become clear.

塵埃落定（等情況平靜）

Also in this word

household dust · noun · B1

Dry powder made of tiny bits of dirt that gathers on things indoors when they are not cleaned.

灰塵

outdoor dust · noun · B1

Dry powder made of tiny bits of earth or sand, often blown around outside.

塵土

fine powder · noun · B1

Very fine powder made of tiny bits of one certain material.

粉末；…屑

原始詞典資料36 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

Dustname

  • 1

    A surname.

dustnoun/dʌst/

  • 1

    Fine particles.

    • There is so much dust released during the process of laying ballast that the trackside operator wears a full face mask with respirator.
  • 2

    Fine particles.

  • 3

    astronomynatural-sciencesFine particles.

    • Astronomers have previously considered that dust produced by the star was obscuring it, causing the steep decline in brightness.
  • 4

    Fine particles.

  • 5

    datedslangFine particles.

  • 6

    obsoleteFine particles.

    • to touch a dust of England’s ground
  • 7

    The act of cleaning by dusting.

    • […]once they start school, I mean you can do a room out one day, the next day it only needs a dust, doesn’t it?
  • 8

    The act of sprinkling dust, or a sprinkle of dust itself.

另外 13 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    Earth, ground, soil, sediment.

    • But I should turn mine ears and hear The moanings of the homeless sea, ⁠The sound of streams that swift or slow ⁠Draw down Æonian hills, and sow The dust of continents to be; […]
  • 10

    The earth as the resting place of the dead.

    • For now shall I sleep in the dust.
  • 11

    The earthly remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.

    • For I will leave my relics in your land, / And you may carve a shrine about my dust, / And burn a fragrant lamp before my bones, / When I am gather’d to the glorious saints.
  • 12

    The substance of the human body or mortal frame.

  • 13

    Something worthless.

    • And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust.
  • 14

    A low or mean condition.

    • [God] raiseth up the poor out of the dust.
  • 15

    Rubbish, garbage, refuse.

  • 16

    datedslangcash; money (in reference to gold dust).

    • ‘And what do you ask for it?’ ‘Fifteen thousand dollars.’ ‘I’ll take it.’ ‘Then down with the dust.’
  • 17

    A cloud of dust.

  • 18

    A tumult, disturbance, commotion, uproar.

    • to raise, or kick up, a dust
  • 19

    A fight or row.

  • 20

    mathematicssciencesA totally disconnected set of points with a fractal structure.

  • 21

    businesscryptocurrenciescryptocurrencyTiny amounts of cryptocurrency left over after a transaction due to rounding error.

dustverb/dʌst/

  • 1

    To remove dust from.

    • The cleaning lady needs a stool to dust the cupboard.
    • There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of his visitors, and two wicker armchairs with red cloth cushions for superior people. From the packing-cases had emerged some Indian clubs,[…], and all these articles[…] made a scattered and untidy decoration that Mrs. Clough assiduously dusted and greatly cherished.
  • 2

    To remove dust; to clean by removing dust.

    • Dusting always makes me cough.
  • 3

    archaicTo make dusty, to soil with dust.

  • 4

    Of a bird, to cover itself in sand or dry, dusty earth.

  • 5

    To spray or cover (something) with fine powder or liquid, to sprinkle.

    • The mother dusted her baby’s bum with talcum powder.
  • 6

    To sprinkle (a substance) in the form of dust.

  • 7

    slangTo leave quickly; to rush off.

    • He added in a casual tone: ‘The girl can dust. I’d like to talk to you a little, soldier.’
  • 8

    obsoleteTo drink up quickly; to toss off.

另外 6 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    obsoleteTo reduce to a fine powder; to pulverize, to levigate.

    • good Powder differs from bad […]in having more Peter and less Coal; and lastly, in the well dusting of it
  • 10

    dialectalTo strike, beat, thrash.

  • 11

    slangTo defeat badly, to thrash.

  • 12

    slangTo kill.

    • Kyle Reese: You have to be careful because the [Hunter-Killer robots] use infrared. They’re not too bright. John taught us ways to dust them.
  • 13

    ball-gamesbaseballgamesTo deliberately pitch a ball close to (a batter); to brush back.

  • 14

    businesscryptocurrenciescryptocurrencyTo attempt to identify the owner of (a cryptocurrency wallet) by sending tiny amounts of cryptocurrency.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。