blunt
基本释义
[adjective] (of a cutting implement) not having a sharp edge or point
[形容词] （指切割工具）没有锋利的边缘或尖端的
深入解读
关于 blunt 一词，小站（微信公众号：田间小站）曾在 译海纵横 | 刀个刀个刀刀，那是什么刀 中将其与 dull 做过对比，今天再来详细说说。
该词词源不详，可能与小站之前推送过的 blunder 同源，都源自古北欧语 blundra （闭上眼睛）。13世纪出现在英语中后， blunt 最初指人的感觉、理解力等“迟钝的”，好比现在流行用“眼瞎”来形容人眼力差。
等到了14世纪末后， blunt 开始发展出现在的基本含义指工具或武器等“钝的、不锋利的、不尖的”，即没有锋利的边缘或尖端的，末端是圆形或扁平的，比如钝刀子（a blunt knife）、秃铅笔（a blunt pencil）。说到这里，别忘了钝刀子可以用 hone 磨快。
再到了16世纪80年代后， blunt 又回过来形容人或其说话“嘴直的、直言的”或者说“生硬的、直截了当的、直言不讳的”，常意味着说话不得体，缺乏对他人感情的考虑，无视生活礼仪，比如：
- 我就直说了——你创作的最后一件作品糟糕透了。
I’ll be blunt – that last piece of work you did was appalling.
而将其用作动词时， blunt 除了指“使……变钝”外， 还可以喻指“使减弱、使降低效应”，也就是使情感、感觉、需求等减缓，变得迟钝或者说不那么起作用，比如：
- 岁月没有冲淡他的冒险激情。他心中有一支蜡烛，随时准备点燃。
Age hasn’t blunted his passion for adventure. There is a candle in his heart, ready to be kindled.
好书例句
He knew what she had done and why she had done it and he did not seem to think the less of her for it. And though his questions were unpleasantly blunt, they seemed actuated by a friendly interest.
他了解她所做的一切，以及她为什么要这样做，但似乎他没因此而看不起她，而且，虽然他提出的问题一针见血，令人讨厌，但好像还是出于一片友好的关心。
出自美国作家玛格丽特·米切尔（Margaret Mitchell）创作的长篇小说《飘》（Gone with the Wind）。
深入解读
- It has a blunt vibrating blade, like those used by doctors to remove plaster casts without damaging the patient.
它的刀刃并不锋利，可以振动，类似于医生用来移除石膏而不会伤到患者的锯刀。
——《经济学人》 - Currencies may be potent weapons, but they are blunt ones — and they can boomerang against those who use them.
货币或许是件强有力的武器，但同时它又是件钝器——并且用货币作为武器可能也会搬起石头砸自己的脚。
——《纽约时报》
常见短语
blunt 是一个形容词，常用来形容物体、言语或人的行为方式。它表示迟钝、直率、率直或不锋利。以下是关于 “blunt” 的详细用法和一些短语：
用法示例：
- She used a blunt knife to cut the vegetables, making it difficult and inefficient. (她用一把钝刀切菜，使得切菜变得困难和低效。)
- He has a blunt writing style, often expressing his opinions directly and without sugarcoating. (他的写作风格很直接，经常直接表达自己的意见，毫不掩饰。)
- The detective questioned the suspect in a blunt manner, hoping to elicit a truthful response. (侦探以直接的方式质问嫌疑人，希望引出真实的回答。)
- The blunt force of the impact caused significant damage to the car. (撞击的钝力对汽车造成了重大损坏。)
- She made a blunt remark about his appearance, hurting his feelings. (她对他的外貌做出了一个直率的评论，伤害了他的感情。)
- The blunt end of the pencil made it difficult to write neatly. (铅笔的钝头使得书写变得困难，不容易写得整洁。)
- The politician’s blunt speech offended many people in the audience. (政治家直率的演讲冒犯了观众中的许多人。)
- The surgeon used a blunt probe to explore the wound without causing further damage. (外科医生使用钝探针探查伤口，以免造成进一步损伤。)
- The CEO’s blunt decision to lay off employees without prior notice shocked the entire company. (首席执行官突然决定裁员而没有事先通知，震惊了整个公司。)
- His blunt sense of humor sometimes gets him into trouble. (他直率的幽默感有时会给他惹来麻烦。)
其他短语：
- Blunt instrument: 钝器
- Blunt-edged: 钝边的
- Blunt instrument approach: 直接手段的方法
- Blunt trauma: 钝性外伤
- Blunt-speaking: 直言不讳的
- Blunt force: 钝力
- Blunt-nosed: 钝头的
- Blunt remark: 直率的评论
- Blunt honesty: 直率的诚实
- Blunt criticism: 直接的批评
- Blunt personality: 直率的个性
- Blunt response: 直接的回答
- Blunt instrument of change: 直接的变革手段
- Blunt wit: 直接幽默
- Blunt statement: 直接的陈述
同近义词
candid: truthful and straightforward; frank
brusque: abrupt or offhand in speech or manner
obtuse: annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand
