【英语学习】【WOTD】glitch 释义/词源/示例

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glitch n. [GLITCH]

n. 小故障；小失误

Definition

1 a: a usually minor malfunction; also: an unexpected defect, fault, flaw, or imperfection
   a: 通常是小故障；即：出乎意料的缺陷，故障，差错或者缺点

   b: a minor problem that causes a temporary setback: snag
   b：一个导致回退的小问题：同义词snag

2 b: a false or spurious electronic signal
2 b：假电信号或者毛刺电信号

注：snag： (隐伏的)障碍；困难；残桩；划破处；抽丝处

Did You Know?

There’s a glitch in the etymology of glitch — the origins of the word are not known for sure, thought it may derive from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning “slippery place.” Glitch started showing up in print in English in the mid-20th century in reference to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current. The term was new enough in 1962 that the astronaut John Glenn, writing in the book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: “Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it.” Today, you don’t have to be an astronaut to be familiar with the word glitch, which can be used of any minor malfunction or snag.

词源词根演化：(Uncertain, possibly) glitsh (Yiddish, “slippery place”) —> glitch

关于glitch的词源有点小棘手 — 这个单词的确切起源未知，不过可能衍生自依地语(Yiddish)的glitsh，意思是“湿滑的地方”。glitch在20世纪中期开始出现在英语印刷品中，用于表示一个小的出人意料的电流毛刺。在1962年宇航员John Glenn的书《Into Orbit》中，可能这个词过于新颖以至于作者认为需要为读者解释一下：“实际上，一个glitch是电路中的电压的一个尖峰或者突变，通常发生在电路中突然接入一个新的负载时。” 在现代，你不用成为一个宇航员也可以熟悉glitch这个词，因为现在它可以表示任何的小故障或者小麻烦。

注：Yiddish：意第绪语，依地语（犹太人使用的国际语）

Examples

• The festival had an excellent lineup of performers, and the few glitches with the sound system did not seriously detract from the overall quality of the entertainment.

这个宴会有强大的演出阵容，少数几处音响系统上的小瑕疵不会严重的影响整体的演出效果。

注：lineup：选手阵容，行列

• “A computer glitch delayed the start of the Saturday press run; by the time it was fixed, the judgment call was made to postpone distribution until Sunday, rather than send carriers out after dark on Saturday.”
  — Jeff Pieters, The Post-Bulletin (Rochester, Minnesota), 9 Mar. 2019

  一个电脑临时故障导致星期六的新闻发布会被推迟了；等电脑被修好时，临时决定将发布会推迟到星期天，而不是让媒体加个星期六的夜班。

  注：judgment call：n. 主观判断；没有明确的规则或原则；所以必须依靠自己的判断和本能