gruel

/ˈɡruːəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡruːəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrü-əl/ (ame, mw)

gruel — noun

1. a thin, sloppy dish of oats softened by long cooking — traditionally a survival

1.名詞C1
釋義

a thin, sloppy dish of oats softened by long cooking — traditionally a survival food when little else was available — for example, the runny oat soup served to children in Victorian orphanages

例句

Each morning the orphans were given a small bowl of warm gruel and dry bread.

collocation: a bowl of gruel

Hassan stirred the pot of gruel so the oats would not stick to the bottom.

同義詞
  • porridge

    thicker and more substantial; not tied to poverty

  • mush

    American English; usually maize-based

  • slop

    informal and disparaging; suggests poor quality food

文法句型

a bowl of gruel

thin gruel

用法筆記

Uncountable in normal use; quantified with 'a bowl of', 'a pot of', or modified by 'thin' / 'watery'. Strongly associated with historical poverty or institutional settings (workhouses, prisons, orphanages), so most modern uses are literary or describe past hardship.

常見錯誤

❌I ate two gruels for breakfast.
✅I ate two bowls of gruel for breakfast.
💡gruel is uncountable; quantify with 'a bowl of'.
❌She made a delicious gruel with cream and sugar.
✅She made a delicious porridge with cream and sugar.
💡gruel implies thin, watery, and humble; rich tasty versions are 'porridge'.