小词详解 | lure

lure 英 [lʊə(r)] 美 [lʊr]

考研 TOEFL TEM8

外刊例句

• But by offering the option to play blockbuster games like “Red Dead Redemption 2” without paying upfront for hardware, it could lure owners of comparatively feeble devices such as smartphones, tablets and TVs to cutting-edge games.
  但既然现在无需先购入游戏硬件就能玩到《荒野大镖客2》之类的大热游戏，自然会吸引仅拥有智能手机、平板电脑和电视等性能相对较弱设备的玩家去玩这些新款游戏。
  ——《经济学人》
• Trump had been obsequious in trying to lure Ronald and Nancy Reagan to his business empire, and tried just as hard with the Clintons.
  特朗普曾讨好拉拢罗纳德和南希·里根加入自己的商业帝国，在拉拢克林顿夫妇方面，他也同样努力。
  ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[verb] tempt (a person or animal) to do something or to go somewhere, especially by offering some form of reward
[动词] （尤指通过给予某种形式的回报来）引诱（人或动物）做某事或去某处

深入解读

Lure 是一个在词典里紧接着小站1年前推过的 lurch ，而在含义上又与小站1个月前推过的 lust 有所关联的单词。该词源自古法语 loirre （用来召回老鹰的装置，具体来说是一束排列得像鸟的羽毛，老鹰训练时从中进食），14世纪初进入英语后最初也是指“诱回猎鹰的一束羽毛，常伴有肉食”。

等到了18世纪后开始引申为各类“诱惑物、引诱物”，包括诱擒鸟兽的“诱饵”、钓鱼的“鱼饵”以及安康鱼等背鳍第一棘顶端的用来诱捕其他鱼类的“皮瓣”，多指一种吸引人并常常欺骗人的东西，不过并不一定都是指把人引向邪恶或危险，比如：

• 原始海滩吸引人们去散步，特别是在傍晚时分。
  The pristine beaches are a lure for walking, especially in the early evening.
• 到非洲猎取大型野生动物的刺激两百年来一直吸引着欧洲人。
  The excitement of hunting big game in Africa has been a lure to Europeans for 200 years.

此外，也可以用 lure 表示诱惑物身上存在着的“诱惑力、吸引力、魅力”，常作单数使用，相较于暗含的欺骗意味而言，更侧重强调非常之吸引人，比如：

• 和许多年轻人一样，他也喜欢冒险。很少有人能抵御历险的诱惑力。
  Like a lot of young men, he flirted with danger. Few can resist the lure of adventure.
• 与他分居的妻子经不起金钱的引诱，被拉下水了。
  His estranged wife couldn't withstand the lure of money and was dragged into the mire.

用作动词时，自然表示“诱惑、引诱、劝诱、诱导、哄骗”，同样也是强调一种强烈的或不可抗拒的影响力，既可以是有害的，也可以是完全无害的，甚至是可取的，比如：

• 那个身材高大的女人受高薪诱惑接受了那份工作。随后，她表现出了做这工作的天赋。
  The hefty woman was lured into the job by the offer of a high salary. Subsequently, she showed a natural aptitude for the work.

影视用例

You lure men to their deaths like a spider with flies.
你引诱男人去死，就像蜘蛛捕蝇那般。

出自1985年上映的美国黑色喜剧悬疑电影《妙探寻凶》（Clue）。

同近义词

• coax: gently and persistently persuade (someone) to do something
• entice: attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage
• tempt: entice or attempt to entice (someone) to do or acquire something that they find attractive but know to be wrong or not beneficial

往期回顾