boggle
boggle — verb
- bogglepresent simple I / you / we / they
- boggleshe / she / it
- boggledpast simple
- boggling-ing form
1. to surprise or shock a person so strongly that they lose the ability to think cl
to surprise or shock a person so strongly that they lose the ability to think clearly or react normally
The sheer size of the ancient temple boggled the visiting archaeologists.
The speed at which the toddler learned to read boggled his parents.
something + boggles + someone (person as object)
The complexity of the legal case boggled even the most experienced lawyer in the room.
The forty thousand dollars spent on the wedding venue alone boggled the bride's grandmother.
- clarify
to make something easy to understand instead of confusing
文法句型
something + boggles + someone
用法筆記
Object is always a person or group of people who experience confusion or surprise.
常見錯誤
2. describes a situation so strange or remarkable that you cannot easily believe it
describes a situation so strange or remarkable that you cannot easily believe it or picture it clearly in your head
The mind boggles at the thought of travelling to another galaxy within a single lifetime.
intransitive pattern: the mind boggles at [something]
It boggles the mind how anyone could eat fifty dumplings in one sitting.
transitive pattern: it + boggles + the mind + how/that clause
The variety of cakes at the county fair boggled the mind of every visitor.
My uncle says the price of cooking oil at the corner shop boggles the mind.
- blow one's mind
more informal and stronger in emotional impact
- stagger the imagination
more formal; similar meaning but less common
文法句型
the mind boggles (at something)
something + boggles + the mind
用法筆記
This sense appears almost exclusively in the fixed phrases 'the mind boggles' (intransitive) and 'it boggles the mind' or '[something] boggles the mind' (transitive). It is the most frequent and widely understood use of the word.
常見錯誤
3. describes something so complex or surprising that you find it extremely hard to
describes something so complex or surprising that you find it extremely hard to grasp what it means or how it works
It boggles the imagination that humans once walked on the Moon.
pattern: it + boggles + the imagination + that-clause
For a newcomer, the rules of this board game boggle the understanding completely.
object is abstract 'understanding', not a person
The exact path the signal takes through the circuit boggles the imagination of students who have not studied electronics.
It boggles the understanding why the same recipe turns out well in one oven but fails in another.
- baffle
stronger emphasis on confusion rather than amazement
- defy comprehension
more formal and literary
文法句型
it + boggles + the imagination/understanding + that-clause
something + boggles + the imagination/understanding
用法筆記
Only used with abstract objects like 'the imagination' or 'the understanding'; not used with a person as the object. Distinguish from sense 1 (CONFUSE OR SURPRISE): in sense 1, the object is always a person or group; in sense 3, the object must be abstract.
常見錯誤
4. to pause or hold back because a situation is so surprising or shocking that you
to pause or hold back because a situation is so surprising or shocking that you do not know how to react or what to do next
The committee boggled at the proposal when they saw how much it would cost.
pattern: someone + boggles at + something
Even the seasoned mountaineer boggled at the thought of climbing the north face in winter.
The young lawyer boggled when the judge asked her to argue an unfamiliar case.
The villagers boggled at the stranger's huge offer to buy their farmland.
- accept readily
to agree without hesitation
文法句型
someone + boggles at + something
用法筆記
This sense is the oldest historically but is now rare in everyday speech. It often carries a slight tone of disbelief mixed with hesitation. The subject is a person or group, and 'at' introduces the cause of the reaction.