ax(e)
ax(e) — 名詞
1. a tool with a heavy blade on a long handle that you swing to cut trees or split
斧頭
有長柄重刃的砍木工具
a tool with a heavy blade on a long handle that you swing to cut trees or split wood.
Owen kept the axe by the shed for splitting winter firewood.
Owen 把斧頭放在棚子旁，準備拿來劈冬天要燒的柴。
collocation: split firewood with an axe
After the storm, Yael borrowed an axe to clear the fallen branch.
暴風雨過後，Yael 借了一把斧頭來清掉倒下的樹枝。
The guide warned Ayana to swing the axe with both hands.
嚮導提醒 Ayana 揮斧頭時要用雙手握穩。
When the handle cracked, Esteban stopped using the axe at once.
手柄一裂開，Esteban 就立刻停用那把斧頭。
文法句型
use an axe to + verb
swing an axe
split wood with an axe
用法筆記
Usually countable. People often mention the handle or blade when talking about safe use, because an axe is swung with force rather than pressed like a knife.
常見錯誤
2. the sudden loss of a job, service, plan, or budget after someone decides to cut
裁撤；砍掉
解雇人或停止計畫服務
the sudden loss of a job, service, plan, or budget after someone decides to cut it.
After sales fell again, several warehouse staff feared the axe.
銷售再次下滑後，幾名倉庫員工都怕下一波裁撤會輪到自己。
fixed phrase: fear the axe
The council's youth program escaped the axe after parents protested.
家長抗議後，市議會的青年計畫躲過了被砍掉的命運。
By Friday, Henrik knew his department would face the axe first.
到了星期五，Henrik 知道自己的部門會最先面臨裁撤。
The museum cafe got the axe when the building closed for repairs.
那間博物館咖啡館在大樓關閉維修時還是被砍掉了。
- dismissal
fits the job-loss meaning, but not cuts to plans or budgets
- cut
broader and more neutral; it can refer to money, services, or staff
- cancellation
fits plans or events that are stopped, not people losing jobs
- retention
keeping staff or services instead of removing them
文法句型
face the axe
get the axe
escape the axe
用法筆記
Usually appears in the phrases face the axe, get the axe, or escape the axe. With people it means losing jobs; with projects or services it means they are stopped or cut sharply.
常見錯誤
ax(e) — 動詞
1. to strike wood or another hard thing with an axe so that it is cut, shaped, or b
用斧頭砍
用斧頭砍或劈開
to strike wood or another hard thing with an axe so that it is cut, shaped, or broken apart.
Cyrus axed the thick root before the workers moved the stump.
工人搬動樹樁前，Cyrus 先用斧砍斷了那條粗根。
axe + hard object
Jin axed the frozen log into shorter pieces for the stove.
Jin 用斧頭把結冰的木頭砍成較短的幾段，好放進爐子。
axe + object + into pieces
After marking the line, Jessica carefully axed the branch from the trunk.
先畫好線之後，Jessica 小心地用斧頭把樹枝從樹幹上砍下來。
The carpenter axed the rough edges off the post before painting it.
上漆前，那名木匠先用斧頭把柱子邊緣的粗糙部分削掉。
文法句型
axe + noun phrase
axe + object + into pieces
axe + object + off
用法筆記
Object is usually wood or another hard material such as a root, post, or beam. This sense describes the physical action with the tool, not the figurative budget-cutting sense in verb sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. to remove someone from a job or to stop something by cutting it quickly and comp
開除；刪掉
突然解雇或大幅刪除
to remove someone from a job or to stop something by cutting it quickly and completely.
The airline axed its late-night route after months of low demand.
那家航空公司在需求低迷了好幾個月後，刪掉了深夜航線。
axe + service or route
Nila was axed from the sales team before the merger was announced.
合併消息公布前，Nila 就已經被業務團隊開除了。
passive: be axed from a job
To save money, the college axed three weekend classes this term.
為了省錢，那所大學這學期刪掉了三門週末課。
Aaron's editor axed the final chapter because the book was too long.
因為書太長了，Aaron 的編輯把最後一章刪掉了。
文法句型
axe + jobs/services/classes
be axed
axe + part of a text or plan
用法筆記
Common with jobs, routes, classes, budgets, and other planned things. In passive use with a person, it usually means losing a job, not simply being removed from a casual group.