核心畫面

One way to hold this word is to picture two hands held out level with each other. Something was hanging between two people — money, a favour, an argument — and now it has been evened out, so nothing is left hanging. Nobody has to do anything more. From there it is a short step: if there is nothing left to settle, there is nothing left to carry on with either, and the same word turns up when someone decides that a piece of work, a job, or a band has gone far enough and stops.

這個字可以想成兩隻手平平地伸出來,高度一樣。本來兩個人之間有東西懸著——欠的錢、沒還的人情、吵到一半的架——現在被抹更多收起這個字可以想成兩隻手平平地伸出來,高度一樣。本來兩個人之間有東西懸著——欠的錢、沒還的人情、吵到一半的架——現在被抹平了,沒有東西再掛著。誰都不必再做什麼。從這裡再走一小步就到了另一個用法:既然沒有什麼要了結的,也就沒有什麼要繼續的;所以當一件工作、一份職業或一個樂團走到夠了的時候,英文也用同一個字說停。

Two branches

兩邊拉平,互不相欠

這一組就是畫面本身:兩隻手一樣高。差別只在一個是描述狀態(已經平了),一個是描述決定(我們同意就這樣算了)。

adjective · B2

If two people are quits, neither of them owes the other anything any more, because money has been paid back or a favour has been returned.

互不相欠

到此為止,不做了

從「沒有什麼要了結了」再走一步,就變成「沒有什麼要繼續了」。結掉的東西從兩人之間的帳,換成一件正在做的事。

adjective · B2

To stop doing something and not go on with it — finishing for the day, giving up on a task, or ending a job, a team, or a relationship for good.

收手不做了

原始詞典資料3 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。

quitsadj詞源 1/kwɪts/

  • 1

    On equal monetary terms; neither owing or being owed.

    • Here's the last of the money you lent me. We're quits now, right?

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形:

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