核心畫面

Picture a rope caught around a branch. You cannot free it by pulling harder; you have to work it loose, turn by turn, until it comes away. That is the whole word. Something is holding on, and getting out takes patient effort — which is why extricate almost always arrives with from, and very often with yourself.

可以想成一條繩子纏在樹枝上。用力拉沒有用,得一圈一圈把它解開,才抽得出來。extricate 整個字就是這個畫面。有更多收起可以想成一條繩子纏在樹枝上。用力拉沒有用,得一圈一圈把它解開,才抽得出來。extricate 整個字就是這個畫面。有東西抓著你,而出來這件事要花力氣、要有耐心。所以它幾乎一定帶著 from,也很常帶著反身代名詞 yourself。這也解釋了它為什麼聽起來比 leave、escape 都重:它不只說你出來了,還說你是從纏住的狀態裡被解出來的。

From the word’s history

The source records extricate as borrowed from Latin extricatus, the past participle of extrico, and points the reader to compare intricate.

來源說這個字借自拉丁文 extrīcō,extrīcātus 是它的過去分詞,並要我們對照 intricate。這兩個字在來源裡被放在一起,剛好給學習者一個很好用的對照:intricate 是纏成一團,extricate 則是從那一團裡出來。

Wiktionary entry supplied in packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1017006757)

Two branches

實體被卡住:把人或身體弄出來

這一組就是核心畫面本身:真的有東西夾著、壓著、纏著,必須弄鬆才出得來。

verb · C1

To get a person, an animal, or a part of your body out of a place where they are stuck or trapped, usually with effort or with special equipment.

把…從卡住的地方弄出來

情況把你卡住:從麻煩裡脫身

把纏住人的東西從石頭換成處境:答應的事、簽下的約、走不掉的對話。動作一模一樣,只是纏住你的變成看不見的東西。這是教學上的連結,不是在說哪個意思先出現。

verb · C1

To get yourself out of a difficult, awkward, or embarrassing situation, or to help someone else get out of one.

脫身;使脫離(困境)