A toaster is a small kitchen machine that makes bread hot and brown. You drop one or two slices of bread into the slots on top, push a lever down, and the bread sits inside while hot wires cook both sides. After a minute or two it pops back up, brown and crisp — that browned bread is called toast.

A toaster烤麵包機 is a small kitchen machine是一種小型廚房家電 that makes bread hot and brown讓麵包變熱、變焦黃。You drop one or two slices of bread into the slots on top你把一片或兩片麵包放進上面的插槽, push a lever down把拉桿往下壓, and the bread sits inside麵包就待在裡面 while hot wires cook both sides靠發熱的鐵絲把兩面都烤熟。After a minute or two一兩分鐘後 it pops back up它就會彈起來, brown and crisp焦黃酥脆 — that browned bread is called toast那種烤過變色的麵包就叫做toast（吐司）。

Most toasters have a dial or numbers so you can choose light or dark. A toaster only does this one job; a machine that also grills, bakes, or heats a whole sandwich is usually called a toaster oven or a small oven, though people are loose about this and will say 'toaster' for anything on the counter that toasts.

Most toasters大部分烤麵包機 have a dial or numbers都有轉盤或數字 so you can choose light or dark讓你可以選要烤淺一點還是深一點。A toaster only does this one job烤麵包機只做這一件事; a machine that also grills, bakes, or heats a whole sandwich那種還能烤肉、烘焙，或加熱整個三明治的機器 is usually called a toaster oven or a small oven通常叫做toaster oven（烤箱型烤麵包機）或小烤箱, though people are loose about this不過大家其實用得很鬆 and will say 'toaster' for anything on the counter that toasts只要是檯面上會烤東西的機器都會叫它「toaster」。

In everyday speech it is a completely ordinary, plain word — nothing formal about it.

In everyday speech在日常口語裡 it is a completely ordinary, plain word這是一個完全普通、樸素的字 — nothing formal about it一點都不正式。

It also turns up in a common comparison: when people say a computer or phone is 'about as smart as a toaster', they mean it is very simple and cannot think. And older speakers sometimes joke that a slow, dying laptop 'is basically a toaster now'.

It also turns up in a common comparison它也會出現在一個常見的比喻裡: when people say a computer or phone is 'about as smart as a toaster'當大家說一台電腦或手機「about as smart as a toaster」, they mean it is very simple and cannot think意思是它很單純、不會思考。And older speakers年紀大一點的人 sometimes joke有時候也會開玩笑 that a slow, dying laptop說一台又慢又快壞掉的筆電 'is basically a toaster now'「is basically a toaster now」（現在根本就是一台烤麵包機）。