contortion
contortion — 名詞
- contortionsingular
- contortionsplural
1. an unnatural shape or position into which someone twists their body, face, or a
扭曲
身體或部位彎成不自然形狀
an unnatural shape or position into which someone twists their body, face, or a limb, or the action that creates this shape
The young acrobat amazed the audience with her back contortion on the silk rope.
那位年輕特技演員在吊繩上做出背部扭曲的動作，讓觀眾讚嘆不已。
collocation: back contortion / facial contortion
Darius felt a sudden contortion in his stomach muscles after the intense workout.
劇烈運動後，Darius 感到腹部肌肉一陣扭曲。
A painful contortion crossed Adaeze's face when the doctor re-set her wrist bone.
醫生替 Adaeze 重新接好手腕骨頭時，她臉上掠過一陣痛苦的扭曲。
The yoga teacher bent into a contortion that left the class amazed and confused.
瑜伽老師做出一個扭曲姿勢，令全班學生既驚訝又困惑。
Years at a low desk gave the old tailor a permanent contortion in his shoulders.
多年坐在矮桌前工作，使那位老裁縫的肩膀出現永久性扭曲。
- twist
more general; a contortion is always an extreme or unnatural twist
- distortion
can apply to images/sounds as well as bodies; contortion is specific to physical shape
- deformation
often implies permanent structural damage; contortion can be temporary or deliberate
- straightness
the opposite of a twisted position
文法句型
a contortion of + body part
in contortion
2. a way of thinking, arguing, or explaining something that is unnaturally twisted
曲解
扭曲事實或邏輯的思考方式
a way of thinking, arguing, or explaining something that is unnaturally twisted or needlessly complicated, often used to avoid admitting the truth
The CEO's excuse was a logical contortion that fooled no one in the room.
執行長的藉口是邏輯上的曲解，在場沒有人上當。
collocation: logical contortion
Only through extreme contortion of the facts could the lawyer claim her client was innocent.
律師只能極度曲解事實，才能主張她的當事人是無辜的。
pattern: contortion of + facts/truth
Eve had to perform a mental contortion to explain why she had missed three deadlines.
Eve 必須在腦中繞個大彎，才能解釋自己為何錯過了三個截止日期。
The new tax rule required a contortion of logic that confused even the accountants.
新的稅務規定需要曲解邏輯，連會計師都感到困惑。
Alessia's reasoning was a rhetorical contortion designed to hide the real problem.
Alessia 的說詞是修辭上的曲解，目的是隱藏真正的問題。
- distortion
broader; contortion implies more effort and unnaturalness
- perversion
stronger moral judgement; contortion focuses on complexity rather than corruption
- sophistry
specifically about deceptive reasoning in argument; contortion can also apply to internal thought
- straightforwardness
the quality of being clear and direct
- simplicity
the opposite of needless complication
文法句型
a contortion of + noun
用法筆記
In this sense, contortion is almost always used with a modifier (logical, mental, rhetorical) or in the pattern 'contortion of + abstract noun' to make the figurative meaning clear.