小词详解 | browbeat

browbeat 英 [ˈbraʊbiːt] 美 [ˈbraʊbiːt]

SAT GRE

外刊用例

• When she was health minister in 2009, she refused to be browbeaten into mandating an untested swine-flu vaccine, despite fears of a global epidemic.
  当她在2009年担任卫生部大臣的时候，尽管当时是全球恐慌状态，她也拒绝被迫批准未经检疫的流感疫苗。
  ——《经济学人》

• This suggests that while Mr. Trump can browbeat manufacturers into staying in America, he can’t force them to hire many people.
  这表明，虽然特朗普可以威逼制造商留在美国，但他不能强迫它们雇用很多的人。
  ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[verb] to try to force someone to do something by threatening them or persuading them forcefully and unfairly
[动词] 试图通过威胁或者不公平的强力说服，强迫某人做某事

深入解读

browbeat是一个复合动词，有brow（眉毛）与beat（压倒、击败）结合而成。按字面意思解释，是to beat or put down by knitting or wrinkling one's brows或to beat by frowning，相当于汉语中的“对……吹胡子瞪眼睛”或“对……声色俱厉地进行威逼、吓唬”。该词始用于16世纪，虽然当时复合动词比较少见，但由于它形式简练，富于表现力，所以一直沿用至今。

名人用例

American comedies especially are all about these men being browbeaten by their wives and it's impossible for me to watch.
美国喜剧尤其尽是些男人被妻子威逼恫吓的，这让我没法看。

出自乔·曼根尼罗（Joe Manganiello，1976年12月28日－），美国男演员、制片人、导演和作家。曼根尼罗曾于《蜘蛛侠》（2002年）和《蜘蛛侠3》（2007年）中饰演毒液特工。

同近义词

• coerce: to persuade someone forcefully to do something that they are unwilling to do

• intimidate: to frighten or threaten someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do

• hector: to talk and behave towards someone in a loud and unpleasantly forceful way, especially in order to get them to act or think as you want

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