fluke

/fluːk/ (bre, ipa) · /fluːk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈflük/ (ame, mw)

fluke — 名詞

  • flukesingular
  • flukesplural

1. a positive outcome that happens by chance rather than because someone planned it

1.名詞C1
釋義

僥倖；好運

靠運氣而非實力的好結果

a positive outcome that happens by chance rather than because someone planned it or had the ability to make it happen.

例句

Otis insists his promotion was a fluke and not the result of hard work.

Otis 堅稱他升職完全是僥倖，不是努力的結果。

subject-complement: X was a fluke

Passing the chemistry exam without studying felt like a complete fluke to Padma.

沒讀書就通過化學考試，對 Padma 來說感覺完全是僥倖。

intensifier: a complete fluke

同義詞
  • stroke of luck

    more neutral phrase, fluke implies the outcome looked like skill

  • lucky break

    informal, emphasises a turning point rather than a one-off result

  • coincidence

    neutral about whether the result was good; fluke is usually positive

反義詞
  • design

    the planned-on-purpose opposite of a fluke

  • achievement

    result of skill and effort, not luck

文法句型

a fluke that-clause

by a fluke

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the structures 'a fluke', 'by (sheer) fluke', or 'it was a fluke that …', often paired with a contrast against skill, effort, or planning.

常見錯誤

❌Winning the lottery was a fluke for me' (ordinary chance event).
✅Winning a prize on my first lottery ticket was a fluke.
💡'fluke' suggests a surprising lucky outcome, not just any random result.
❌It happened by fluke accident.
✅It happened by sheer fluke.
💡'by fluke' already implies accident; do not add the word 'accident'.

2. a strange event produced by chance, where the outcome itself is not necessarily

2.名詞C1
釋義

巧合；意外

結果不一定好的奇特巧合

a strange event produced by chance, where the outcome itself is not necessarily good but the circumstances are surprising or unexpected.

例句

Through some fluke of the wind, Shirin's hat landed on the roof of a passing bus.

因為一陣怪風的巧合，Shirin 的帽子飛上了一輛行經公車的車頂。

pattern: a fluke of [noun]

The matching birthmarks on the twins are a genetic fluke, doctors told Mayumi.

醫生告訴 Mayumi，那對雙胞胎相同位置的胎記是一種基因上的巧合。

modifier: a genetic fluke

同義詞
  • freak event

    stronger word, suggests something dramatic; fluke is milder

  • quirk

    implies a small odd feature; fluke implies a one-off happening

反義詞
  • pattern

    expected, repeated outcome rather than a one-off

文法句型

a fluke of [noun]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense covers any unusual chance event, not just lucky outcomes. Often follows the pattern 'a fluke of [system]' (a fluke of nature, of the wind, of genetics).

常見錯誤

❌It was a fluke he was injured.' (sounds insensitive).
✅By a strange fluke, he was injured the same day his brother was.
💡pair this sense with circumstance, not bad outcomes alone.

3. one half of the wide, flat horizontal tail on a whale, dolphin, or similar sea m

3.名詞C2
釋義

鯨尾葉

鯨豚尾巴左右各一的扁平半片

one half of the wide, flat horizontal tail on a whale, dolphin, or similar sea mammal; the animal uses both halves together to push itself through water.

例句

Christopher watched as the humpback lifted its huge flukes clear of the water before diving.

Christopher 看著座頭鯨在下潛之前把巨大的尾葉整個抬出水面。

collocation: lift the flukes

Each whale can be identified from the unique markings on the underside of its flukes.

每隻鯨魚都可以透過尾葉下方獨特的斑紋來辨識。

anatomical reference: underside of its flukes

同義詞
  • tail lobe

    more general term used in zoology

  • tail fin

    non-technical, applies to fish as well

文法句型

the flukes of a [whale/dolphin]

用法筆記

Almost always plural ('the flukes') because every whale has two. Common in marine biology writing and whale-watching contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The whale lifted its fluke and dived.' (singular, only one half).
✅The whale lifted its flukes and dived.
💡refer to both halves together.

4. a small, flattened worm that hooks onto a host animal or person, lives by drawin

4.名詞C2
釋義

吸蟲

寄生在動物體內的扁形蟲

a small, flattened worm that hooks onto a host animal or person, lives by drawing nutrients from it, and can cause damage to organs such as the liver.

例句

Élise's vet found liver flukes in the goat after several weeks of unexplained weight loss.

Élise 的獸醫在那隻山羊體內找到肝吸蟲，山羊已經不明原因瘦了好幾週。

compound: liver fluke

Sheep grazing on wet pasture can pick up flukes that damage the bile ducts.

在潮濕草地上吃草的綿羊，可能會感染破壞膽管的吸蟲。

transmission: pick up flukes

同義詞
  • trematode

    scientific name for the same group of worms

  • flatworm

    wider category; not every flatworm is a fluke

文法句型

[type] fluke (e.g. liver fluke)

用法筆記

Often prefixed by the body part or host the parasite targets: 'liver fluke', 'blood fluke', 'sheep fluke'. Use this sense in veterinary, medical, or biology contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I caught a fluke and got sick.' (sounds like a fish).
✅I caught a liver fluke infection.
💡specify which type when the context is medical.

5. the flat, pointed metal tip on each anchor arm, shaped so it bites into the sand

5.名詞C2
釋義

錨爪

錨臂末端用來抓地的扁平三角片

the flat, pointed metal tip on each anchor arm, shaped so it bites into the sand or mud of the seabed and keeps a boat from drifting.

例句

Greta felt the anchor jolt as one fluke finally caught on a rocky ridge below.

Greta 感覺到錨猛地一頓，原來其中一片錨爪終於勾住了下方的岩脊。

verb collocation: the fluke catches

Sand grains were still wedged between the flukes when the crew hauled the anchor in.

船員把錨拉上來時，沙粒還卡在兩片錨爪之間。

location: between the flukes

同義詞

文法句型

the flukes of an anchor

用法筆記

An anchor typically has two flukes, one at the end of each arm. Use this sense in sailing, boating, or nautical-history writing.

常見錯誤

❌The fluke of the boat dropped overboard.
✅The anchor's fluke caught on the seabed.
💡'fluke' here is part of the anchor, not the boat itself.