elbow room
elbow room — 名詞
1. enough physical space that allows you to move, change position, or carry out tas
活動空間
可自由移動或工作的空間
enough physical space that allows you to move, change position, or carry out tasks without bumping into things or feeling crowded.
The rush-hour train was so packed that passengers had hardly any elbow room.
尖峰時刻的火車擠得不得了，乘客幾乎沒有任何活動空間。
elbow room in a crowded vehicle
Mei chose a larger apartment so her children would have more elbow room to play.
Mei 選擇了更大的公寓，好讓孩子有更多活動空間可以玩耍。
have more elbow room to [activity]
In the narrow alley, there was barely enough elbow room for two people to walk side by side.
那條窄巷裡，幾乎沒有足夠的活動空間讓兩個人並肩走過。
The team moved to a bigger office because they needed more elbow room for their equipment.
團隊搬到了更大的辦公室，因為他們需要更多活動空間來放設備。
Theo hung his coat on the back of the chair, leaving himself no elbow room to eat comfortably.
Theo 把外套掛在椅背上，結果自己連吃飯的活動空間都沒有了。
Leila struggled to eat at the tiny table because there was no elbow room between the diners.
Leila 在那張小桌子吃飯吃得很辛苦，因為鄰座之間完全沒有活動空間。
Ravi cleared his desk to create more elbow room for the new drawing tablet.
Ravi 把桌上的雜物清乾淨，為新的繪圖板騰出更多活動空間。
- space
broader and more general; 'elbow room' specifically suggests enough space to move without feeling crowded
- room
very close in meaning; 'room' is slightly more common in everyday speech, while 'elbow room' adds a physical, bodily feel
- breathing space
more figurative; can mean a pause or break, whereas 'elbow room' is always about space or freedom
文法句型
have/get/give/need + elbow room
enough/plenty of/little + elbow room
用法筆記
This sense covers a range of physical-space situations: moving around freely in a room or vehicle, having enough width at a table or desk to use your elbows, and having adequate room to work without hitting nearby objects or people.
常見錯誤
2. enough freedom to make your own decisions or take action without being restricte
自主空間
不受限制自行決定或運作的自由
enough freedom to make your own decisions or take action without being restricted by rules, supervision, or other external limits.
The new manager gave her team elbow room to try their own ideas.
新主管給了團隊自主空間，讓他們可以嘗試自己的想法。
give [someone] elbow room to [verb]
Omar felt he needed more elbow room at work to develop creative projects.
Omar 覺得他在工作上需要更多自主空間，才能發展有創意的專案。
need more elbow room at work
Once the contract was signed, the company had little elbow room to change the payment terms.
那份合約一簽下去，公司就幾乎沒有自主空間可以更改付款條件了。
The school gave teachers more elbow room to design their own lesson plans this year.
學校今年給了老師更多自主空間，讓她們自己設計課程。
Sofia wanted a role that offered her some elbow room to make decisions on her own.
Sofia 想要一份能給她一些自主空間、讓她自己做決定的工作。
Priya's supervisor offered her enough elbow room to run the project on her own terms.
Priya 的主管給了她充分的自主空間，讓她按照自己的想法執行專案。
Without some elbow room, the director said she could not make the film the way she imagined it.
導演說如果沒有一些自主空間，她無法按照自己想像的方式拍這部電影。
- leeway
very similar, but 'leeway' focuses on the allowable degree of deviation; 'elbow room' focuses on having space to act freely
- freedom
broader and more general; 'elbow room' carries a sense of being released from unwanted constraints
- scope
emphasises the range of possibilities rather than the absence of restriction
- restriction
a rule or limit that prevents free action
文法句型
give/provide + elbow room
have/need/want + elbow room
elbow room to + infinitive
用法筆記
This sense is figurative and is common in business, legal, and organisational contexts. The freedom can involve either the power to make independent choices (freedom TO do something) or the absence of external restrictions that would block action (freedom FROM interference). Subject is often a person, team, department, or company receiving or lacking the freedom to act.