carom
/ˈkær.əm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈker.əm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈker-əm How to pronounce carom (audio) ˈka-rəm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈkærəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkærəm/ (ame, ipa)
carom — 名詞
1. a shot in cue sports where the white ball hits two other balls, one straight aft
雙球連擊
母球一次擊中兩顆目標球的技巧
a shot in cue sports where the white ball hits two other balls, one straight after the other, in one go
Yuna won the frame with a carom that touched both the black and yellow balls.
Yuna 靠著一記雙球連擊碰觸黑球與黃球，贏下這一局。
collocation: win with a carom / neat carom
Referee Kwon leaned over the green baize to check the carom before raising his hand for the point.
裁判 Kwon 俯身越過綠色檯布檢查這次雙球連擊，然後舉手示意得分。
With a single clean carom, Chao earned three points without sending a single ball into a pocket.
Chao 以一記俐落的雙球連擊拿下三分，完全不必將任何球打進袋口。
Kwame practised the same carom shot for two hours until his aim was sharp.
Kwame 花了兩小時練習同一種雙球連擊打法，直到瞄得夠準為止。
- cannon
the standard British term for exactly the same billiard shot
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this is the scoring shot itself, not the game variant.
2. a cue sport played on a table that has no pockets, where players score by making
無袋撞球
在無袋口的球檯上進行的撞球遊戲
a cue sport played on a table that has no pockets, where players score by making the cue ball touch two object balls in one stroke
Fatima discovered a dusty carom table tucked behind stacks of old chairs in the social club's basement.
Fatima 在社團俱樂部的地下室裡，發現一張滿是灰塵的無袋撞球檯，塞在層層疊疊的舊椅子後方。
Every Thursday at the veterans' hall, Anaya played carom with old school friends, matches often stretching late into the evening.
每週四 Anaya 都在退伍軍人會館跟老同學打無袋撞球，比賽常常一路打到入夜。
collocation: play carom at + place / with + people
Sven grew up playing carom with his grandfather on a heated slate table.
Sven 從小跟祖父在加熱石板檯上打無袋撞球長大。
The carom tournament drew players from Belgium, Japan, and Egypt to the small town hall in rural Kerala.
這場無袋撞球比賽吸引了來自比利時、日本和埃及的選手，齊聚在 Kerala 鄉間的小鎮會堂。
- carambole
an alternative name for the same game, more common in French-influenced regions
- carom billiards
the fuller, more formal name for the pocketless game
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this names the whole game, not the individual shot.
3. an instance of something — usually a ball — hitting a surface and bouncing away
斜向反彈
物體撞擊表面後以斜角彈開
an instance of something — usually a ball — hitting a surface and bouncing away at a slant instead of straight back
The tennis ball took a wild carom off the net post and flew into the crowd.
網球碰到網柱後猛烈斜向反彈，飛進了觀眾席。
collocation: took a wild carom / carom off + surface
Dmitri followed the puck's carom off the boards and caught it on his stick.
Dmitri 盯著冰球從圍板斜向反彈的路線，用球桿接住了它。
A sharp carom off the rough pitch sent the cricket ball flying past Ramesh's outstretched gloves.
板球在粗糙的球場上猛烈斜向反彈，越過 Ramesh 伸出的手套飛了出去。
The squash ball's carom off the back wall gave Yuki just enough time to reach the return.
壁球從後牆斜向反彈，正好給 Yuki 足夠的時間跑到位回擊。
- ricochet
suggests a faster, more violent bounce, often of a bullet or projectile
- glance
emphasises light, brushing contact rather than a full rebound
- deflection
focuses on the change of direction more than the bounce itself
用法筆記
Object is usually a ball, stone, or roundish thing. The carom is the bounce itself — not the original throw or hit that caused it.
常見錯誤
4. the small seed of the ajwain plant, used to add a sharp, herbal flavour in India
藏茴香籽
南亞料理中使用的辛香種子
the small seed of the ajwain plant, used to add a sharp, herbal flavour in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking
Hassan added a small spoon of carom seeds to the hot vegetable soup.
Hassan 舀了一小匙藏茴香籽，加進熱騰騰的蔬菜湯裡。
You can find carom seeds at Patel Brothers on Oak Street, shelved right next to the cumin and mustard seeds.
你可以在 Oak Street 的 Patel Brothers 找到藏茴香籽，就放在孜然和芥末籽旁邊。
Siobhan had never tasted carom before, but its sharp, thyme-like flavour surprised her.
Siobhan 從未嚐過藏茴香籽，但那尖銳、類似百里香的氣味令她驚喜。
Crush the carom seeds lightly before you stir them into the hot samosa filling.
將藏茴香籽輕輕壓碎，再拌進熱騰騰的 samosa 餡料中。
用法筆記
Also called ajwain or ajowan. Found mainly in South Asian grocery shops. The flavour is sharp and herbal — closer to thyme than to cumin or fennel.
常見錯誤
carom — 動詞
- carompresent simple I / you / we / they
- caromshe / she / it
- caromedpast simple
- caroming-ing form
1. to strike a surface and fly away sideways at a sharp angle rather than bouncing
撞擊彈開
碰觸表面後快速偏向彈開
to strike a surface and fly away sideways at a sharp angle rather than bouncing straight back
The stone caromed off the wall and hit the lamp post with a loud bang.
石頭從牆壁撞擊彈開，砰的一聲打在燈柱上。
Javier's kick caromed off a player's leg and rolled into the empty goal.
Javier 踢出的球從一名球員腿上撞擊彈開，滾進了空門。
pattern: [subject] + caromed off + surface
A stray squash ball caromed from wall to wall in the empty court before rolling under the bench.
一顆亂飛的壁球在空無一人的球場裡四處撞擊彈開，最後滾到長椅底下。
Hugo's shot caromed off the iron rim and flew back over the heads of the waiting defenders.
Hugo 的投球從鐵框撞擊彈開，飛越防守球員的頭頂彈了回去。
The tennis ball caromed off the net cord and landed just inside the baseline.
網球從網帶撞擊彈開後，剛好落在底線內側。
文法句型
carom off + surface
carom against + surface
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'off' + the surface struck. Subject is typically a ball, stone, or other projectile. Contrast with verb sense 3, which is the technical transitive billiards use.
常見錯誤
2. to bounce unpredictably from one topic, activity, or place to another, without a
飄忽不定
不受控制在話題或地點間切換
to bounce unpredictably from one topic, activity, or place to another, without any clear direction or control
At Priya's birthday dinner, talk caromed from wedding gossip to layoffs to the price of rice in under an hour.
Priya 的生日晚宴上，對話從婚禮八卦飄忽不定地跳到裁員，又轉到大米價格，前後不到一小時。
pattern: carom from X to Y to Z (rapid topic shifts)
Mei-Lin's thoughts caromed between excitement and worry before the big exam.
大考前，Mei-Lin 的思緒在興奮與擔憂之間飄忽不定。
For six months, Olu caromed from a café kitchen to a delivery van to a warehouse, never staying anywhere long.
六個月來，Olu 從咖啡館廚房飄忽不定地換到送貨廂型車，又換到倉庫，從不長留任何地方。
The rumour about the merger caromed through the open-plan office on the eighth floor, growing wilder with each retelling.
關於合併的謠言在八樓的開放式辦公室裡飄忽不定地傳開，每轉述一次就變得更誇張。
Linh's mood caromed from tears to laughter and back again within a single afternoon.
Linh 的情緒在一個下午內從淚水飄忽不定地轉為笑聲，又再轉回來。
- veer
suggests a sharp change of direction but lacks the bouncing, back-and-forth quality
- zigzag
emphasises the repeated changes of direction; more informal than carom
- bounce around
an informal phrasal verb with much the same meaning; carom is the more literary choice
文法句型
carom from + topic + to + topic
carom between + plural
用法筆記
Figurative use. Subject is abstract — conversations, thoughts, moods, careers. Compare with verb sense 1, which describes a physical bounce.
常見錯誤
3. to successfully play the billiard shot in which the cue ball hits two object bal
擊出連撞
成功打出母球連碰兩球的擊球
to successfully play the billiard shot in which the cue ball hits two object balls, one after the other
Amina caromed the white ball off the red and watched it roll gently against the yellow near the far cushion.
Amina 擊出連撞，讓母球碰完紅球後，輕輕滾向遠端顆星邊旁的黃球。
With only eight points left, Rashid needed to carom twice in a row without letting the white touch the floor.
只剩八分就能贏，Rashid 必須連續兩次擊出連撞，且不能讓母球落地。
Keiko caromed perfectly, sending her white ball into the blue and then the red in one smooth stroke.
Keiko 完美擊出連撞，一桿將母球打向藍球再撞上紅球，動作一氣呵成。
The champion caromed three times in one break, drawing gasps from the silent crowd.
冠軍在一輪擊球中三次擊出連撞，讓安靜的觀眾倒抽一口氣。
- cannon
the British verb for making the same shot; used identically in UK billiards commentary
文法句型
carom + the cue ball
carom + the white
用法筆記
Technical billiards term. Object is the cue ball. Compare with noun sense 1, which names the shot itself rather than the act of playing it.