- 1
A howler is a stupid mistake that is so wrong people laugh. If you write that Paris is in Italy, that is a howler. British newspapers and teachers like the word; it is informal and a bit cheerful, even when the error is bad. The laugh is the point — it is not every small slip, only the big, obvious one that makes you wince and smile. Though actually, howler can also mean a kind of monkey, or someone who howls; those are other uses. Here it is the funny, mistake.
大笑話；離譜的錯誤
組成howl + -er. A howl is a long loud cry; -er makes a noun. Some uses sit next to the old intensifier howling, as in a “howling wilderness” (wild and extreme). The “stupid mistake” sense grew from something so bad it makes you howl.
原始詞典資料12 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。
howlernoun/ˈhaʊlɚ/
- 1
That which howls, especially an animal such as a wolf or a howler monkey.
- 2
historicalA person hired to howl in mourning at a funeral.
- 3
slangA painfully obvious mistake.
- Given what we know about cognitive psychology, utility maximization is a ludicrous concept; equilibrium pretty foolish outside of financial markets; perfect competition a howler for most industries.
- I should like to thank Jianmei Piao of the Stanford University Libraries for reading the entire translation and checking it against the Chinese. Jianmei caught some howlers for which I am very grateful.
- 4
slangA hilarious joke.
- 5
slangA bitterly cold day.
- 6
human-sciencespsychologysciencesA person who expresses aggression openly in the form of threats.
- Although their behavior does not have the same impact as hunters, howlers nevertheless distract the public figure and compel security and law enforcement […]
- Hunters stalk their targets, make detailed plans, acquire and practice with weapons, and try to hurt or kill people. Howlers make bomb threats to schools, malls, churches, businesses, and government offices.
- 7
A heavy fall.
- 8
slangA serious accident (especially to come a howler or go a howler; compare come a cropper).
- Our hansom came a howler.
另外 4 個記錄的用法
- 9
slangA tremendous lie (especially an obvious one); a whopper.
- Trump has been trying to sell the howler that India offered a zero tariffs deal, when Modi isn’t even willing to take Trump’s repeated calls.
- 10
datedslangA fashionably but extravagantly overdressed man, a "howling swell".
- 11
historicalA 32-ounce ceramic, plastic, or stainless steel jug used to transport draft beer.
- 12
slangA small child.
- I wanted Leesa to pick up her children, not Child Protective Services. After thirty minutes, I had the two howlers fed and settled down for naps.
- What are we doing to our children? But the howlers seem okay, maybe even happy. This makes me feel a little better about the future.
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。