SAT GRE
基本释义
[verb] shed or remove (a layer of dead skin)
[动词] 脱落或去除（一层死皮）
双语名著
There are shadows enough for hell, and mire enough to render it nothing but a slough, and the dying man knows not whether he is on the point of becoming a spectre or a frog.
这里已暗如地狱，污泥成塘，垂死者不知他将变成鬼还是变成癞蛤蟆。
出自法国作家维克多·雨果的长篇小说《悲惨世界》（Les Misérables，原意为“悲惨的人们”“可怜的人们”）。该小说是19世纪最著名的小说之一，故事的主线围绕主人公土伦苦刑犯冉·阿让（Jean Valjean）的个人经历，融进了法国的历史、革命、战争、道德哲学、法律、正义、宗教信仰等，多次被改编演绎成影视作品。
背景图片
电影《悲惨世界》剧照
深入解读
Slough 是一个与小站上周推送的 slouch 比较形似的单词，其基本动词含义蛇等“蜕皮”或者说蛇皮等“脱落”源自中古低地德语 slu （外壳、外皮），可以用来表示坏死组织“结痂脱落”，比如：
- 蛇定期蜕皮，并囫囵吞下食物。
Snakes slough their skin regularly and engulf their food whole. - 我的双腿被尖刺擦破了。现在坏死组织正在慢慢地结痂脱落。
My legs were excoriated by the prickles. Now the dead tissue is sloughing slowly.
这些概念也可以用短语动词 slough sth↔off 表示，不过这个短语动词常作为一个正式用语，用来引申指“摒弃、抛弃、摆脱”，多指像蜕皮那样摆脱一些不想要的、讨厌的、累赘的或无用的东西，比如：
- 通过磨砂膏去除死皮细胞。它不会磨痛你的皮肤。
Slough off dead skin cells by using a facial scrub. It won’t chafe your skin. - 总统今年已经不是第一次被人指责态度暧昧了。他不该逃避自己的责任。并且责任也不是那么容易推卸的。
It’s not the first time this year that the president has been accused of straddling an issue. He should not duck out of his responsibilities. And responsibilities are not sloughed off so easily.
对于自己不想要的东西，一般就会将其“忽视”或者“认为……无足轻重”，而这还可以用短语动词 slough over 表示，比如：
- 他们想出了一个办法来应对环境保护方面一些目前被忽视的问题。
They contrived a way to handle some of the aspects of environmental protection that are currently being sloughed over.
相应的，当用作名词时， slough 除了自然表示“蛇蜕”和医学上的“坏死组织、腐肉、腐痂”以外，还可以用来指“丢弃的事物”，如恶习、偏见、破旧衣服等，比如：
- 废弃原始的习俗和信仰会给社会带来巨大益处。
Casting off the slough of primitive ways and beliefs would be an enormous boon to the society. - 他改掉了一种很坏的习气。他曾是个巧言令色的说谎高手。
He has risen from a deplorable slough. He used to be a plausible liar.
在首图下方的音标栏中，不论是英式还是美式， slough 都有两个发音，这是因为 slough 同小站（微信公众号：田间小站）之前推送过的 douse, spell, egg 等一样，也是个同形异义词。前一个发音用于以上含义，而后一个发音则是源自中古英语 sloh （松软、泥泞的地面），作名词指“泥沼、泥淖、沼泽”，且更为常见的是用其引申义“苦难的深渊、绝望的境地”，常搭配 slough of misery, despair 等，比如：
- 这个代孕妈妈似乎深陷于这种自怜自艾的悲伤状态，无法自拔。
The surrogate mother seems unable to pull herself out of this deep slough of self-pity.
也可以用 the slough of despond 【出自英国著名基督教作家、布道家约翰·班扬（John Bunyan）创作的长篇小说《天路历程》（The Pilgrim’s Progress）中的一个地方】这个习惯表达指“绝望的深渊、极度的沮丧”，比如：
- 现在将他们从绝望的深渊中拯救出来的任务变得漫长而艰巨。
Now the task of saving them from the slough of despond becomes an epic.
这个概念用作动词时，自然表示“使陷入泥坑、使被泥潭吞没”或“踩着泥浆艰难地行走”，以及表示“使沦入绝境”，比如：
- 她穿着高跟鞋一步三晃地跟在他后面走，差点陷入沼泽地的一条深沟。
She teetered after him in her high-heeled shoes and got nearly sloughed up in a marsh ditch.
外刊例句
- He was estranged from his wife, splitting from his management and trying to slough off rock-star excess.
他和妻子分居，与经纪人分道扬镳，试图摆脱摇滚明星的颓靡生活。
——《经济学人》 - The problem for those of us hoping to use exercise to slough off fat is that most current calculations about exercise and weight loss assume that metabolism remains unchanged or is revved by exercise.
对于想要通过锻炼摆脱身上赘肉的我们来说，问题在于，当下通用的大多数锻炼与减重计算公式假设新陈代谢率是一成不变的，或者可以通过运动加以提升。
——《纽约时报》
常见短语
“slough” 是一个英语词汇，通常用来表示蜕变、脱落、放弃等意思。以下是与这个词相关的 50 个短语，附带中文解释：
- slough off old skin – 蜕去旧皮肤
- slough off dead cells – 脱去死细胞
- slough off unwanted weight – 摆脱多余体重
- slough off negative thoughts – 摆脱消极想法
- slough off old habits – 放弃旧习惯
- slough off toxic relationships – 摆脱有害关系
- slough off excess baggage – 摆脱多余负担
- slough off emotional burdens – 摆脱情感负担
- slough off bad influences – 摆脱不良影响
- slough off old beliefs – 摆脱旧信念
- slough off outdated ideas – 摆脱过时观念
- slough off self-doubt – 摆脱自我怀疑
- slough off insecurity – 摆脱不安全感
- slough off old fears – 摆脱旧恐惧
- slough off regrets – 摆脱遗憾
- slough off stress – 摆脱压力
- slough off negativity – 摆脱负面情绪
- slough off limitations – 摆脱限制
- slough off self-criticism – 摆脱自我批评
- slough off old attachments – 放弃旧依赖
- slough off old patterns – 摆脱旧模式
- slough off bad memories – 摆脱坏回忆
- slough off resentment – 摆脱怨恨
- slough off old expectations – 摆脱旧期望
- slough off old routines – 摆脱旧惯例
- slough off old grudges – 摆脱旧怨恨
- slough off emotional baggage – 摆脱情感包袱
- slough off self-sabotage – 摆脱自我破坏
- slough off mental clutter – 摆脱思维混乱
- slough off old regrets – 摆脱旧遗憾
- slough off old assumptions – 摆脱旧假设
- slough off toxic behaviors – 摆脱有害行为
- slough off old resentments – 摆脱旧怨恨
- slough off emotional barriers – 摆脱情感障碍
- slough off old attachments – 摆脱旧依赖
- slough off old wounds – 摆脱旧伤口
- slough off old pain – 摆脱旧痛苦
- slough off old grudges – 摆脱旧怨恨
- slough off outdated practices – 摆脱过时做法
- slough off emotional baggage – 摆脱情感包袱
- slough off old beliefs – 摆脱旧信仰
- slough off self-doubt – 摆脱自我怀疑
- slough off insecurity – 摆脱不安全感
- slough off old fears – 摆脱旧恐惧
- slough off regrets – 摆脱遗憾
- slough off stress – 摆脱压力
- slough off negativity – 摆脱负面情绪
- slough off limitations – 摆脱限制
- slough off self-criticism – 摆脱自我批评
- slough off old attachments – 放弃旧依赖
同近义词
- discard: get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable
- shed: (of a reptile, insect, etc.) allow (its skin or shell) to come off, to be replaced by another one that has grown underneath
- scrap: discard or remove from service (a retired, old, or inoperative vehicle, vessel, or machine), especially so as to convert it to scrap metal
