crunch
crunch — 名詞
- crunchsingular
- crunchesplural
1. the short, sharp, loud noise made when something hard is pressed, broken, or bit
碎裂聲
硬物被壓碎或咬碎時發出的清脆聲音
the short, sharp, loud noise made when something hard is pressed, broken, or bitten forcefully
The loud crunch of gravel under the delivery van told Sofia that her package had arrived.
送貨車壓過碎石的碎裂聲告訴 Sofia 她的包裹到了。
collocation: crunch of [material]
A crisp crunch came from the kitchen when Wei bit into the fresh celery stick.
Wei 咬下新鮮芹菜梗時，廚房傳來清脆的碎裂聲。
There was a sharp crunch as Diego stepped onto the fallen branch hidden in the leaves.
Diego 踩到樹葉下藏著的枯枝時，發出一聲尖銳的碎裂聲。
The crunch of dry snow under Lin's boots was the only sound in the empty street.
Lin 的靴子踩在乾雪上發出的碎裂聲，是空蕩街道上唯一的聲響。
Hana loved the satisfying crunch of pickled vegetables in her lunchbox every day.
Hana 每天都很享受午餐盒裡醃蔬菜那令人滿足的酥脆口感。
文法句型
the crunch of [material]
a + adjective + crunch
用法筆記
Typically used in singular form with 'the' or 'a' — for example, 'the crunch of gravel' or 'a satisfying crunch'. Often followed by 'of' plus the material that makes the sound.
2. a situation in which someone is forced to make a difficult choice because existi
困境；難關
迫使做出決定或行動的困難局面
a situation in which someone is forced to make a difficult choice because existing arrangements have become unworkable
The manager faced a crunch when two equally strong candidates applied for the same position.
經理陷入了困境——兩位實力相當的候選人申請了同一個職位。
pattern: face a crunch when...
The hospital faced a crunch when several nurses called in sick at the same time.
好幾位護理師同時請病假，醫院陷入了困境。
pattern: face a crunch when [event]
The owner faced a real crunch when the head chef quit just before the holiday season.
主廚在旺季前辭職，老闆陷入了真正的困境。
Facing a crunch over which university to attend, Priya compared each program carefully.
面臨選擇大學的難關，Priya 仔細比較了每所學校的課程。
Omar found himself in a real crunch when both his car and his laptop broke down.
Omar 的車和電腦同時故障，他陷入了真正的難關。
- crisis
a more serious and dangerous situation, often with wider impact
- dilemma
a difficult choice between two options, not necessarily due to pressure
- predicament
an unpleasant situation that is hard to get out of
- solution
an answer that resolves the difficulty
文法句型
a + adjective + crunch
face a crunch
用法筆記
Describes a specific difficult situation that forces a decision — not an ongoing shortage of a resource. For resource-shortage compounds such as 'credit crunch', 'housing crunch', or 'cash crunch', see sense 5 (SHORTAGE). This sense does not form compounds with resource nouns.
常見錯誤
3. the moment when a situation reaches its most serious point and a choice or actio
關鍵時刻
情況最危急必須立即決定的時刻
the moment when a situation reaches its most serious point and a choice or action can no longer be postponed
When it came to the crunch, Maria chose to resign rather than fire her team members.
到了關鍵時刻，Maria 選擇辭職而不是開除她的團隊成員。
fixed phrase: when it comes to the crunch
If the crunch comes and we cannot pay the rent, we will stay with my parents.
如果關鍵時刻來到，我們付不出房租，就去住我爸媽家。
fixed phrase: if the crunch comes
At the crunch, the politician finally admitted that the plan had not been fully prepared.
在關鍵時刻，這位政治人物終於承認計劃尚未準備周全。
The crunch arrived when both suppliers demanded payment before the end of the month.
關鍵時刻來了——兩家供應商都在月底前要求付款。
Chen knew that when the crunch came, only the most hard-working students would pass.
Chen 知道當關鍵時刻來臨時，只有最努力的學生才能通過。
- moment of truth
the point when something important is revealed or decided
- showdown
a final confrontation, more combative than a crunch
文法句型
when it comes to the crunch
at the crunch
if the crunch comes
用法筆記
Almost always used in fixed expressions: 'when it comes to the crunch', 'if/when the crunch comes', or 'at the crunch'. The definite article is required — never 'a crunch' in this sense.
4. a physical exercise done while lying on the back with knees bent, lifting the sh
捲腹
鍛鍊腹肌的運動，仰臥並微微抬起肩膀
a physical exercise done while lying on the back with knees bent, lifting the shoulders slightly off the floor to strengthen the stomach muscles
The fitness instructor asked the class to do three sets of fifteen crunches each.
健身教練要求全班做三組捲腹，每組十五下。
pattern: do + number + crunches
Aisha felt her stomach muscles burn after twenty crunches on the gym mat.
Aisha 在 gym 墊上做了二十下捲腹後，感覺到腹肌在燃燒。
Doing crunches every morning helped Pablo improve his posture within a few weeks.
Pablo 每天早上做捲腹，幾週後他的姿勢就好多了。
The trainer showed Yuna the correct form for crunches to avoid back strain.
教練向 Yuna 示範正確的捲腹姿勢，以避免背部受傷。
Lying on the blue mat, the students began their crunches while the music played.
學生們躺在藍色墊子上，隨著音樂開始做捲腹。
- sit-up
a fuller movement where the whole back leaves the floor, working more muscle groups
文法句型
do + number + crunches
a set of crunches
用法筆記
Countable — you do 'a crunch' or 'crunches'. A crunch is different from a sit-up: in a crunch only the shoulders lift off the floor, while the lower back stays down, targeting the upper abdominal muscles more directly.
常見錯誤
5. a situation in which there is not enough of a specific resource — such as money,
短缺
資金或資源不足造成的壓力狀態
a situation in which there is not enough of a specific resource — such as money, housing, or fuel — creating financial or operational pressure
The oil crunch of the 1970s led to long lines at petrol stations across the country.
1970 年代的石油短缺導致全國加油站大排長龍。
collocation: oil crunch
A severe housing crunch in the city has pushed rental prices beyond reach for many people.
市區嚴重的住房短缺已將租金推升至許多人負擔不起的程度。
collocation: housing crunch
The water crunch became so bad that the town banned outdoor use of hoses.
用水短缺變得非常嚴重，鎮上禁止在戶外使用水管。
A cash crunch forced the small business to delay payments to its part-time workers.
現金短缺迫使這家小企業延遲支付兼職員工的薪水。
During the energy crunch, families were asked to turn down their heaters at night.
能源短缺期間，家庭被要求在夜間調低暖氣溫度。
文法句型
a + [resource] + crunch
用法筆記
Always paired with a specific resource noun before it: 'oil crunch', 'credit crunch', 'housing crunch', 'cash crunch', 'budget crunch', 'energy crunch', 'staffing crunch'. Unlike sense 2 (DIFFICULT SITUATION), which is about a general decision-pressure moment, this sense specifically describes a shortage of a particular resource.
crunch — 動詞
- crunchpresent simple I / you / we / they
- crunches3rd person singular
- crunching-ing form
- crunchedpast simple
1. to press or bite something hard so that it makes a loud, sharp, crushing sound,
喀嚓咬碎
用力咬或壓硬物發出清脆響聲
to press or bite something hard so that it makes a loud, sharp, crushing sound, or to make such a sound while moving over a surface
The children crunched their breakfast cereal loudly while watching the morning cartoons.
孩子們一邊看早上的卡通，一邊喀嚓喀嚓地咬碎早餐麥片。
transitive: crunch + food object
Santiago crunched the ice cube between his teeth and immediately regretted it.
Santiago 用牙齒喀嚓一聲咬碎冰塊，隨即就後悔了。
Grandma's boots crunched the dried leaves as she walked across the garden path.
奶奶的靴子踩在枯葉上，嘎吱作響地走過花園小徑。
Kim crunched an apple during the exam and the sound echoed through the quiet room.
Kim 在考試時咬了一口蘋果，清脆的聲音在安靜的教室裡迴盪。
The tires crunched the loose stones on the mountain road as the jeep climbed higher.
吉普車往山上爬時，輪胎壓過鬆動的石頭發出喀嚓聲。
文法句型
crunch + object (food / ice / leaves)
subject (boots / tires / teeth) + crunch + on [surface]
用法筆記
Describes both the action of crushing and the sound produced. Use transitively with a direct object ('crunch an apple') or intransitively describing the source of the sound ('the snow crunched under his boots'). The object should be something hard or crisp — soft items like bread or bananas do not 'crunch'.