spanking
spanking — noun
- spankingsingular
- spankingsplural
1. a punishment where a person is hit repeatedly on the buttocks with an open hand,
a punishment where a person is hit repeatedly on the buttocks with an open hand, especially to discipline a child
Feng threw a tantrum in the shop, so his mother gave him a spanking.
give someone a spanking — common verb + noun pattern
Many parents today believe that a spanking does not help children learn right from wrong.
a spanking — used as countable noun; subject of a clause
Andrés remembered the spanking he got as a child for running into the street.
The babysitter was told never to give the children a spanking, whatever they did wrong.
Élise took her son's tablet away, not giving him a spanking for the broken rule.
- reward
a positive reinforcement used instead of punishment
用法筆記
Most commonly used with the verb 'give': 'give someone a spanking'. The practice of spanking children has become increasingly controversial in recent decades, and many parenting experts advise against it.
常見錯誤
spanking — adjective
- spankingpositive
- more spankingcomparative
- most spankingsuperlative
1. moving or happening very quickly and with noticeable energy — used before nouns
moving or happening very quickly and with noticeable energy — used before nouns such as 'pace', 'speed', or 'tempo' to describe an impressively fast rate
Sahil set off at a spanking pace and soon left the other runners behind.
spanking pace — collocation with pace/speed
The horse moved at a spanking speed around the track, impressing the trainers.
The orchestra played the final piece at a spanking tempo that thrilled the audience.
Kian's spanking typing speed helped him finish the report in just twenty minutes.
用法筆記
Only used before a noun — you cannot say 'The pace is spanking'. Most common with 'pace', 'speed', and 'tempo'. The expression sounds slightly old-fashioned or literary.
常見錯誤
spanking — adverb
1. to an extreme degree; used with a small group of adjectives — most often 'new',
to an extreme degree; used with a small group of adjectives — most often 'new', 'clean', and 'bright' — to say that something is fully and impressively in that state
Nikhil parked his spanking new car in the driveway and admired its shine.
spanking new — most common intensifier collocation
Nadia scrubbed the kitchen until every surface was spanking clean.
spanking clean — common intensifier collocation
The nursery walls were painted a spanking white that made the room feel much larger.
Esme bought a spanking new laptop before starting her online design course.
- completely
much broader use across many adjectives; neutral register
- brand
used only with 'new' ('brand new'); similar intensity but more common
- perfectly
broader range of adjectives; less emphatic
文法句型
spanking + adjective (new, clean, bright)
用法筆記
Cannot be freely used as a general intensifier like 'very'. It works only with a fixed set of adjectives — 'new', 'clean', 'bright', 'white' being the most common. The combination 'spanking new' is the most frequent. This use is informal and somewhat dated.