| 释义 |
spoil
I. \ˈspȯil, esp before pause or consonant -ȯiəl; dial ˈspī(ə)l\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English spoile, from Middle French espoille, espuille, from Latin spolium hide stripped from an animal, armor stripped from an enemy, booty — more at spill
1.
a.
(1) : the plunder taken in war : material, land, or property seized or confiscated by the victor of an armed aggression
< claim … colonies in Africa as its share of the spoils of war — Vera M. Dean >
< courts his future wife knowing he has already won her as a spoil of war — Richard Corliss >
(2) : arms or armor stripped from a defeated enemy
b. : something taken unlawfully usually by stealth
< steal from the rich and give the spoils to the poor — E.V.Lucas >
2.
a. : the act or practice of plundering : spoliation
< would have given their town up to spoil — Sir Walter Scott >
b. obsolete : an act of plunder
< the man that hath no music in himself … is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils — Shakespeare >
c. : an object of plunder
< fire the palace, the fort …, leave to the foeman no spoil at all — Rudyard Kipling >
3.
a. obsolete : an injurious or destructive act
b. : the act of damaging : harm, impairment, ruin
< villainous company hath been the spoil of me — Shakespeare >
4.
a. obsolete : the cast skin of a snake : slough
b. : the cast skin of an animal; also : a treated animal hide
< moccasins of the spoil of deer >
c. spoils plural : animal remains
5.
a. : something that is gained by strength or special effort
< the spoils of a conservative industrial life — Van Wyck Brooks >
b. : a collector's item (as an antique, rare book, or natural specimen) acquired by special and knowledgeable skill or search
6. : public offices and their emoluments that are the peculiar property of a successful political party or faction to be bestowed for its own advantage — usually used in plural
< patronage and spoils … have helped to finance complete party machinery — D.D.McKean >
< to the victors belong the spoils — W.L.Marcy >
7. : material (as refuse earth or rock) excavated usually in mining, dredging, or excavating
8. [spoil (II) ] : something imperfectly made : an object having flaws produced in the process of manufacture
9. [spoil (II) ]
a. : a deal in spoil five in which no player wins the pool
b. : the act of winning a trick that causes this result
II. verb
(spoiled \-ld, -lt\ ; or spoilt \-lt\ ; spoiled or spoilt ; spoiling ; spoils)
Etymology: Middle English spoilen, from Middle French espoillier, from Latin spoliare, from spolium spoil
transitive verb
1.
a. archaic : to despoil (an enemy) especially of armor and weapons on the field of battle
b. archaic : divest, strip — often used with of
< made to spoil themselves of soiled arms — Edmund Spenser >
2. archaic : to seize or take possession of by force or violence : plunder
< enter into a man's house and spoil his goods — Mt 12:29 (Authorized Version) >
3. : to strip by violent means : rob
< deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor — Jer 21:12 (Authorized Version) >
< recovery of property of which it has been spoiled — W.E.Channing >
4. : to sack of valuable possessions : pillage
< bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house — Mt 12:29 (Authorized Version) >
5. : deprive
< I may spoil the Egyptians of a proverb — J.L.Lowes >
6. : to cut up (a hen) : carve
< think of the pleasure of calling on the hostess for a ruling as to whether one was … spoiling a hen — Basil Davenport >
7. : to cause to decay or perish : cause to become of little or no use or value : seriously impair : mar, ruin
< the whole island … was inundated, and much valuable land spoiled — J.A.Steers >
< more rain had fallen, the hay crop was spoilt — George Moore >
< these thoughts … spoilt my sleep — Nevil Shute >
8.
a. archaic : destroy, kill
< go down … and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them — 1 Sam 14:36 (Authorized Version) >
b. obsolete : to injure seriously
9. : ravish
< am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin — Raymond Chandler >
10.
a. : to impair or injure the disposition or character of (a person) usually by overindulgence, excessive adulation, or praise
< spoiled by the high status accorded to them in their communities — Will Durant >
< our only little girl, and … we spoil her — Margaret Deland >
b. : to pamper excessively : coddle
intransitive verb
1. : to practice plunder and robbery
2. : to lose the best or valuable properties or qualities : become corrupted or tainted
< fruit will soon spoil in warm weather >
3. : to have an excessive desire especially as a result of long deprivation : be extremely eager — usually used with for
< was spoiling for a fight — Earle Birney >
4. : to play a defensive game often with marked emphasis on the thwarting of the opponents' efforts to start offensive movements
< spoiling in soccer by constantly kicking the ball out of play >
Synonyms: see decay, indulge, injure |