yo-yo
yo-yo — noun
1. a toy with two round sides on an axle that spins down and climbs back up a strin
a toy with two round sides on an axle that spins down and climbs back up a string when your hand gives it a quick pull
Walid showed his cousin how the yo-yo climbed back after one sharp tug.
show how the yo-yo climbs back
At lunch break, Mira practiced yo-yo tricks beside the basketball court.
collocation: practice yo-yo tricks
The toy shop window had a wooden yo-yo painted with red stars.
Femi wound the yo-yo string carefully before putting it into his bag.
- spinning toy
a broad description that includes other toys, not only this string toy
- skill toy
stresses that you control it with practice and tricks
文法句型
play with + a yo-yo
do + yo-yo tricks
wind + the yo-yo string
用法筆記
Usually used for the toy itself or for the skill object used in tricks. Unlike sense 2, this sense refers to something you hold and play with.
常見錯誤
2. a round piece of cloth pulled tight with stitching around the edge so it forms s
a round piece of cloth pulled tight with stitching around the edge so it forms small folds and can be used as decoration
Tanvi stitched a yo-yo onto the pillow cover to brighten the corner.
sew a yo-yo onto + cloth
The sewing guide showed how each yo-yo could become a flower on the quilt.
yo-yo on a quilt
Romi arranged six fabric yo-yos around the lamp shade before sewing them down.
At the craft fair, one bag was trimmed with tiny yo-yos in pastel colours.
- fabric rosette
a more general sewing term for a round cloth ornament
- cloth trim piece
describes its use, but not every trim piece has this gathered shape
文法句型
sew + a yo-yo + onto + cloth
make + fabric yo-yos
trim + something + with + yo-yos
用法筆記
Used mainly in quilting and sewing. Unlike sense 1, it names a gathered fabric ornament rather than the toy on a string.
常見錯誤
yo-yo — adjective
1. describing something that keeps jumping between higher and lower levels, or movi
describing something that keeps jumping between higher and lower levels, or moving sharply up and down, so that it feels unstable
The club endured another yo-yo season between the top two leagues.
yo-yo season
Analysts warned that yo-yo prices were making it hard for families to plan ahead.
yo-yo prices
Justin's yo-yo moods made the children wait by the kitchen door.
The company faces yo-yo demand whenever fuel prices jump.
- unstable
more neutral and does not strongly suggest repeated ups and downs
- volatile
more formal and especially common in business writing
- up-and-down
informal like 'yo-yo', often used for uneven results or moods
文法句型
yo-yo + prices
yo-yo + season
yo-yo + demand
yo-yo + moods
用法筆記
Common in news and informal comment for repeated rises and falls in prices, results, demand, or form. It is more vivid and less formal than words like 'unstable' or 'volatile'.
yo-yo — verb
- yo-yopresent simple I / you / we / they
- yo-yoshe / she / it
- yo-yoedpast simple
- yo-yoing-ing form
1. to shoot down and spring back up again, or to keep changing between higher and l
to shoot down and spring back up again, or to keep changing between higher and lower levels again and again
The elevator cable made the load yo-yo above the workers' heads.
make something yo-yo
Oil prices yo-yoed for days after the storm damaged the main port.
prices yo-yoed
As the beginner learned the trick, the toy kept yo-yoing near his knees.
Attendance yo-yoed all winter because snow kept closing the mountain road.
文法句型
prices yo-yo
yo-yo between + levels
make + something + yo-yo
用法筆記
Often used for prices, support, attendance, or other numbers that change sharply again and again. For the physical movement, the subject is usually the object bouncing on the string or the force making it move.