gems
gems — noun
1. small hard stones such as diamonds, rubies, or emeralds that have been shaped an
small hard stones such as diamonds, rubies, or emeralds that have been shaped and smoothed so they shine, often set into rings, necklaces, or crowns.
Theo's grandmother kept three small gems inside a velvet box on her dresser.
concrete: gems kept in a container
Smugglers tried to hide the stolen gems inside hollow soap bars at the border.
collocation: stolen / smuggled gems
The crown was set with seven blue gems that flashed under the museum lights.
Imani polished the small gems one by one before placing them in the silver ring.
Workers in the dusty mine searched for rough gems hidden inside the cracked rock.
- jewels
near-identical; 'jewels' often suggests the finished piece (ring, necklace), 'gems' the stones themselves
- precious stones
more formal; emphasises material rather than ornamental use
文法句型
set with gems
gems from [place]
rare gems
用法筆記
Almost always plural in practice; the singular 'gem' is also common. Often paired with adjectives naming colour ('blue gems'), origin ('African gems'), or condition ('rough', 'polished', 'cut').
常見錯誤
2. people, places, books, songs, or other things that you find unusually good, love
people, places, books, songs, or other things that you find unusually good, lovely, or valuable, especially when others have not yet noticed how special they are.
The old bookshop near the harbour is full of forgotten gems from the 1960s.
collocation: forgotten / hidden gems (places of value)
Aoi's debut album has two real gems that critics have completely missed.
phrase: real gems = standout pieces
Some of the village's best cooks are quiet gems who never travel outside the valley.
Faisal collects gems of folk poetry from villages across the northern hills.
Among the dozen new restaurants, two turned out to be quiet hidden gems.
- duds
informal opposite — things that turn out disappointing
文法句型
gems of [noun]
hidden gems
real gems
用法筆記
Almost always positive and slightly enthusiastic. Often modified by 'hidden', 'real', 'true', or 'forgotten' to stress that the value has been overlooked. Distinguish from sense 1: here the noun is figurative — no actual stones involved.
常見錯誤
3. small, sweet, dome-shaped quick breads baked in a special heavy iron pan with ro
small, sweet, dome-shaped quick breads baked in a special heavy iron pan with round cups — a regional American name for what most people today call muffins.
Grandma Linh still bakes warm gems in the same heavy iron pan she used in 1972.
collocation: bake gems in an iron pan
The old farmhouse cookbook listed cornmeal gems on the breakfast page.
context: traditional American recipe collection
Tomás pulled the steaming gems from the oven and brushed them with melted butter.
Every Sunday Yara served buttermilk gems with honey for her three foster children.
- muffins
the everyday modern term; 'gems' is the older regional name for the same baked item
文法句型
bake gems
iron-pan gems
用法筆記
Mostly found in older American cookbooks and regional New England usage. Modern Taiwanese learners are very unlikely to meet this sense outside historical food writing; recognise it but do not produce it in normal speech.
gems — verb
1. to cover the surface of something with jewels, or to make something sparkle in a
to cover the surface of something with jewels, or to make something sparkle in a way that looks as if jewels had been placed on it; mostly used in poetry and old-fashioned writing.
Morning dew gems the long grass behind Sade's farmhouse every spring.
literary: dew gemming grass
The royal jeweller gems the small silver cup with tiny green stones for the queen.
transitive: gems [object] with [stones]
Frost gems the iron gate every January morning in the old churchyard.
Diego watched the stars gem the night sky above the silent fishing village.
文法句型
gems [object] with [decoration]
be gemmed with
用法筆記
Very rare in modern speech. Most often passive ('was gemmed with') or in nature writing where dew, frost, or stars are described as gems on a surface. Learners should recognise it but choose 'decorate', 'cover', or 'stud' in normal writing.