cripple
/ˈkrɪp.əl/ (bre, ipa) · [krˈɪpəl] /ˈkrɪp.əl/ (ame, ipa) · [krˈɪpəl] /ˈkri-pəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈkrɪpl/ (bre, ipa) · [krˈɪpəl] /ˈkrɪpl/ (ame, ipa)
cripple — 名詞
- cripplesingular
- cripplesplural
1. a harsh slur aimed at someone who has serious difficulty walking or moving becau
殘廢
極冒犯地辱稱肢體障礙者
a harsh slur aimed at someone who has serious difficulty walking or moving because of physical disability.
Jin reported the man for calling a passenger a cripple.
Jin 聽到那名男子把乘客叫成殘廢後，立刻去檢舉。
reporting the word as abusive language
At dinner, Zuri told her cousin that cripple was a cruel word.
晚餐時，Zuri 告訴表親，cripple 是拿殘廢來羞辱人的殘忍字眼。
metalinguistic warning about the label
In the article, wheelchair users explained why they reject the label cripple.
在那篇文章裡，輪椅使用者解釋了為什麼他們拒絕殘廢這個標籤。
Rania winced when a classmate joked that the new student was a cripple.
Rania 聽到同學開玩笑說新同學是殘廢時，立刻皺起眉頭。
文法句型
call someone a cripple
use the word cripple
用法筆記
This noun is highly offensive in modern English. Use respectful alternatives such as disabled person, wheelchair user, or the specific term a person chooses for themself.
常見錯誤
2. a rude insult for a person thought to be emotionally shut down or unable to show
情感殘廢
辱稱無法表達感情的人
a rude insult for a person thought to be emotionally shut down or unable to show feeling.
Constanza said the novel's father was called a cripple for never showing love.
Constanza 說，小說裡那位父親因從不表達愛而被叫成情感殘廢。
used to criticize emotional coldness
On the podcast, the host described quiet men as cripples, and Dahlia objected.
在那集 Podcast 上，主持人把安靜的男人說成情感殘廢，Dahlia 立刻反對。
plural insult in media discussion
Hoa read that some tabloids used cripple for people seen as emotionally cold.
Hoa 讀到有些小報曾用情感殘廢來稱呼被認為冷漠的人。
Élise warned her brother that calling his ex a cripple was needlessly insulting.
Élise 警告哥哥，把前任叫成情感殘廢只是多餘的羞辱。
- emotional cripple
full phrase that states the same insulting idea more explicitly
- icebox
older informal insult for someone seen as emotionally cold
文法句型
describe someone as a cripple
call someone an emotional cripple
用法筆記
This sense is rare and insulting. It attacks a person through a hurtful stereotype, so writers usually prefer emotionally closed, detached, or unable to express feelings.
常見錯誤
cripple — 動詞
- cripplepresent simple I / you / we / they
- crippleshe / she / it
- crippledpast simple
- crippling-ing form
1. to hurt someone so severely that their body can no longer move normally.
致殘
重傷到失去正常行動能力
to hurt someone so severely that their body can no longer move normally.
The blast crippled Noa's left leg and ended the season early.
那場爆炸讓 Noa 的左腿致殘，也提早結束了賽季。
direct object = body injury victim
Before the rescue team arrived, falling ice had crippled William's shoulder.
在救援隊趕到前，掉落的冰塊已讓 William 的肩膀致殘。
A factory accident crippled Abigail, leaving her unable to climb stairs alone.
工廠意外使 Abigail 致殘，讓她無法獨自爬樓梯。
The land mine crippled Sade's foot during the long walk home.
地雷在回家長路上把 Sade 的腳炸到致殘。
文法句型
cripple somebody
cripple somebody's leg
用法筆記
This sense usually refers to grave, lasting injury. When the person is the focus, many modern writers avoid cripple because it can sound harsh or outdated.
常見錯誤
2. to limit a person's life or confidence so severely that they struggle to functio
拖垮
讓人在心理上失去力量
to limit a person's life or confidence so severely that they struggle to function well.
Years of debt crippled Sana's confidence before she opened the shop.
多年的債務拖垮了 Sana 的信心，讓她遲遲不敢開店。
figurative object: confidence
Months of fear crippled the swimmer's confidence after the near-drowning.
那次差點溺水後，長期的恐懼拖垮了這名游泳者的信心。
After the leak, the singer's trust in her team was crippled by shame.
外洩事件後，羞恥感拖垮了那位歌手對團隊的信任。
Constant threats crippled the witness, so she refused to return to court.
持續的威脅拖垮了那名證人，所以她拒絕再回到法庭。
文法句型
cripple somebody's confidence
cripple somebody emotionally
用法筆記
This figurative sense is often used with confidence, trust, ambition, or a person's daily life. It is stronger than simply upset or discourage and suggests deep damage.
常見錯誤
3. to damage an organization, service, or economy so badly that it can barely keep
癱瘓
使系統或產業幾乎無法運作
to damage an organization, service, or economy so badly that it can barely keep working.
The cyberattack crippled the hospital network for two full days.
那次網路攻擊讓醫院網路整整兩天陷入癱瘓。
common with services and networks
Local farms were crippled by weeks of flooding and rising costs.
當地農場被連續幾週的洪水癱瘓，成本上升，糧價也跟著走高。
By dawn, the strike had crippled train services across the region.
到天亮前，那場罷工已癱瘓整個地區的火車服務。
That winter, a fuel shortage crippled the island's fishing industry.
那年冬天，燃料短缺癱瘓了島上的漁業。
文法句型
cripple a service
cripple an industry
cripple an economy
用法筆記
This is the most common modern figurative sense. It usually refers to systems, services, industries, or finances that lose much of their ability to operate.
常見錯誤
4. to make a program or machine stop working properly, often as a deliberate act.
鎖死
故意讓軟體或裝置失常
to make a program or machine stop working properly, often as a deliberate act.
The fake update crippled the tablet until the owner paid again.
那次假更新把平板鎖死，直到機主再次付錢。
device disabled until payment
By Monday morning, software demanding payment had crippled the office printer.
到了週一早上，要求付款的軟體已把辦公室印表機鎖死。
After one virus hit, the school laptops were crippled and every login screen froze.
一支病毒入侵後，學校的筆電全被鎖死，每個登入畫面都卡住了。
One careless click left the camera crippled by a pirate program.
一次大意點擊後，那個盜版程式就把相機鎖死了。
文法句型
cripple software
cripple a device
用法筆記
This sense is common in security or software discussions. It usually implies that something was intentionally damaged, locked, or disabled rather than simply broken by accident.