身體被卡住的掙扎
這一家就是核心畫面本身，還沒有變成比喻。阻力可能是水、爛泥，或看不見路的黑暗；也可能只是自己站不穩。共同點是：動作很大，位置幾乎沒變。
verb · C1
To move slowly and clumsily, with a lot of effort, because you are in deep water or thick mud, or because you cannot see where you are going.
在水裡或泥裡吃力地挪動
這個拼法底下其實是2個不同的字，意思沒有關係， 只是長得一樣。下面分開列出來。跳到 在水裡或泥裡吃力地挪動 · 比目魚（鰈魚）
1
flounder
verb核心畫面
One way to hold the verb flounder: a person standing in chest-deep water or thick mud, arms swinging, feet slipping, and almost no ground gained. The effort is huge and obvious; the progress is tiny. Every meaning of the verb can be seen growing out of that gap between how hard someone is working and how little is moving.
動詞 flounder 可以想成這個畫面：一個人站在及胸的水裡，或陷在爛泥裡。手在揮，腳在滑，身體卻幾乎沒有前進。動…更多收起
動詞 flounder 可以想成這個畫面：一個人站在及胸的水裡，或陷在爛泥裡。手在揮，腳在滑，身體卻幾乎沒有前進。動作很大，成果很小。這個字的每一個意思，都可以看成從「很用力卻卡住」這個落差長出來的。From the word’s history
The source itself is not sure where this verb comes from: it may be from the fish, or a blend of flounce and founder, or of founder and blunder, or from Dutch flodderen, meaning to wade. Every one of those guesses points at the same picture of heavy, splashing, useless movement, so the uncertainty does not damage the image — but it should be quoted as uncertain, not as fact.
來源自己就沒有定論。Wiktionary 說它可能來自那條扁魚，也可能是 flounce 加 founder，或 founder 加 blunder 混出來的，也可能來自荷蘭文 flodderen（涉水而行）。有趣的是，每一種猜測指向的都是同一個畫面：沉重、濺著水、卻沒什麼用的動作。所以這條線索可以拿來幫記憶，但要當成「推測」，不是事實。
Wiktionary (kaikki extract) entry 'flounder', verb, etymology 2: 'Possibly from the noun. Probably a blend of flounce + founder or a blend of founder + blunder or from Dutch flodderen ("wade").' source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:598183767:15040
Two branches
話卡住、局面撐不住
這一家把爛泥搬進了對話和處境裡。看不見的阻力換成了突如其來的問題，或一連串解決不了的麻煩；人還在用力，只是一樣動不了。
verb · C1
To suddenly not know what to say or do, because you feel confused, embarrassed or upset.
慌了手腳、說不出話
A second word, same spelling
2
flounder
noun核心畫面
A different word that happens to be spelled the same. One way to picture it: a flat fish lying still on the sea floor, its body pressed to the sand and both eyes on the upper side of its head, looking straight up. That flatness is the whole idea — it is why the fish hides so well, and why it looks so strange on the market ice.
這其實是另一個字，只是拼法剛好一樣。可以想成這個畫面：一條扁扁的魚靜靜貼在海底，身體壓在沙上，兩隻眼睛都長在頭的上側…更多收起
這其實是另一個字，只是拼法剛好一樣。可以想成這個畫面：一條扁扁的魚靜靜貼在海底，身體壓在沙上，兩隻眼睛都長在頭的上側，直直往上看。整個意思就在那個「扁」字上——牠因此躲得很好，也因此擺在市場的冰上時看起來特別奇怪。From the word’s history
Wiktionary traces the fish name through Middle English flowndre, Anglo-Norman floundre and Old Northern French flondre to Old Norse flyðra, with cousins in Danish flynder, German Flunder and Swedish flundra. It is a North Sea fisherman's word, and it has no historical connection to the verb flounder.
Wiktionary 記載這條魚的名字來自中古英語 flowndre，再往上是盎格魯諾曼語 floundre、古北法語 flondre，最後到古諾斯語 flyðra；丹麥語 flynder、德語 Flunder、瑞典語 flundra 都是它的親戚。這是一個北海漁民的字，跟動詞 flounder 沒有歷史上的關係。
Wiktionary (kaikki extract) entry 'flounder', noun, etymology 1: 'From Middle English flowndre, from Anglo-Norman floundre, from Old Northern French flondre, from Old Norse flyðra, from Proto-Germanic *flunþrijǭ.' source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:598164366:19401