像鋼一樣硬：意志與眼神
這一群把鋼的硬度搬到人身上。硬的是意志，不是身體。
adjective · C1
Very determined and very strong inside, in the way steel is hard — used about a person's will, voice, look or manner when nothing can make them give in.
堅毅剛強的
核心畫面
One way to hold this word: picture a sheet of steel and everything you know about it at once — it does not bend, it does not warm up, and it is a cold grey. `Steely` is what happens when you lay that whole picture over something else. Lay it over a person's will and you get determination nothing can wear down. Lay it over their eyes and you get a look that will not move. Lay it over the sky and you get that cold grey. The metal is the same in each case; only the thing it is pressed onto changes.
可以想成：你手上有一塊鋼，鋼的性質你一次全知道——不彎、不變軟、摸起來冷，顏色是那種帶藍的灰。steely 就是把這…更多收起
可以想成：你手上有一塊鋼，鋼的性質你一次全知道——不彎、不變軟、摸起來冷，顏色是那種帶藍的灰。steely 就是把這整塊印象蓋到別的東西上面。蓋在一個人的意志上，就變成磨不掉的決心。蓋在他的眼睛上，就變成不會移開的眼神。蓋在天空或頭髮上，就只剩下那個冷灰色。鋼一直是同一塊，換的只是被蓋上去的東西。From the word’s history
Wiktionary records steely as steel + the adjective ending -y, so the word is literally having to do with steel. That is why the material and the character meanings live in one word: the ending simply hands steel's properties over to whatever the adjective describes.
Wiktionary 的字源說明指出，steely 就是 steel（鋼）加上形容詞字尾 -y，字面上是「跟鋼有關的」。這正好解釋了為什麼材質和性格會住在同一個字裡：-y 的作用就是把鋼的性質交給它所形容的那個東西。
Wiktionary entry `steely` (adj), etymology text supplied in evidence packet: From steel + -y.
Three branches
像鋼一樣灰：顏色
這一群只取鋼的外表，不取它的硬度：那種帶藍的冷灰。
adjective · C1
Having the cold grey colour of steel — used about things like the sky, the sea, hair or eyes.
鋼灰色的
鋼做的：最字面的用法
這一群根本沒有比喻：東西就是鋼做的。可以想成畫面還沒被借走以前的原樣。
adjective · C2
Made of steel. In everyday modern English people put `steel` before the noun instead (steel rails, a steel beam); `steely` in this plain material sense is met mostly in older writing, poems and song lyrics.
鋼製的