honed
honed — 動詞
- honedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- honeds3rd person singular
- honeding-ing form
- honededpast simple
1. to gradually develop a skill, ability, or quality over many years of practice so
磨練；精進
經長期練習而使技能精熟
to gradually develop a skill, ability, or quality over many years of practice so that it becomes very good and exactly right for what you need it for.
Apinya honed her knife skills during ten years as a sushi chef in Bangkok.
Apinya 在曼谷當壽司師傅的十年間磨練出精湛的刀工。
hone + skill + during [time period]
The young pianist honed her technique by practising four hours every morning before school.
那位年輕鋼琴家每天清晨上學前練四小時，藉此精進她的技巧。
hone + technique by + ing-clause
Selim spent five summers in the village pottery shop, honing his craft alongside his grandfather.
Selim 在村裡的陶藝坊待了五個夏天，跟著祖父一起磨練手藝。
honing + craft alongside [person]
Years of debate club had honed Megan's ability to argue calmly under pressure.
多年的辯論社經歷磨練出 Megan 在壓力下冷靜論述的能力。
had honed + someone's ability to do something
The basketball coach told the team that footwork must be honed in slow drills, not games.
籃球教練告訴隊員，腳步要靠慢速練習來磨練，不是在比賽中養成。
passive: must be honed
- hone a skill
- hone your craft
- hone your technique
- finely honed
- carefully honed
- honed over the years
- refine
more general; refine can apply to plans, ideas, processes, not only skills
- perfect
stronger claim — perfecting suggests reaching a peak; honing is the ongoing process
- polish
informal; suggests final small improvements rather than years of build-up
- sharpen
common metaphor for skills (sharpen your writing); slightly more dramatic, often shorter timeframe
文法句型
hone + skill/ability/technique
hone + something + over + time period
用法筆記
Object is almost always something positive that takes long practice — a skill, craft, technique, instinct, ability, or eye for something. Distinguish from sense 2 (sharpening a physical blade): if the object is abstract, it is this sense.
常見錯誤
2. to rub a knife, razor, or other cutting edge against a fine stone so that the bl
磨利；磨快
用細磨石把刀刃磨得鋒利
to rub a knife, razor, or other cutting edge against a fine stone so that the blade becomes very sharp and ready to cut cleanly.
Reuben honed the kitchen knife on a wet stone before slicing the roast.
Reuben 切烤肉前先用濕磨石把廚刀磨利。
hone + knife on + stone
The old barber honed his straight razor every morning before opening the shop.
那位老理髮師每天早上開店前都會把直式剃刀磨利。
hone + razor (typical noun)
Gabriela honed the axe blade carefully so it would split firewood without slipping.
Gabriela 仔細把斧頭刃磨利，這樣劈柴時才不會打滑。
hone + blade so + purpose-clause
Chef Min honed her cleaver against a fine grey stone she had brought from Korea.
Min 主廚用一塊她從韓國帶回來的細灰色磨石把剁刀磨利。
hone + blade against + stone
- hone a knife
- hone a blade
- hone an edge
- hone on a stone
- finely honed blade
文法句型
hone + blade/knife/edge
hone + blade + on/against + stone
用法筆記
Object is a literal cutting edge — knife, razor, axe, cleaver, chisel. Distinguish from sense 1 (developing a skill): if the object is a physical blade, it is this sense. Often paired with a fine stone or whetstone as the instrument.
常見錯誤
honed — 名詞
1. a small block of very fine stone that craftsmen rub against a knife or razor to
細磨石
供刀刃修出細利刃的細紋石塊
a small block of very fine stone that craftsmen rub against a knife or razor to give the blade a smooth, sharp edge.
Saira keeps a small ceramic hone in the drawer next to her chef's knife.
Saira 把一塊小型陶瓷磨石放在主廚刀旁邊的抽屜裡。
keep a hone (typical possession verb)
The barber wet the hone, then drew the razor across it in long, even strokes.
理髮師先把磨石沾濕，再把剃刀以長而平穩的動作在上面拉過。
wet the hone + then + action
Élise inherited a fine Arkansas hone from her grandfather, who had been a butcher.
Élise 繼承了一塊祖父留下的優質阿肯色磨石，祖父生前是肉販。
inherited + a fine [origin] hone
A good hone costs more than the cheap knives most home cooks buy.
一塊好的細磨石比大多數家庭煮夫煮婦買的便宜刀還要貴。
A good hone costs + comparison
- a fine hone
- a ceramic hone
- wet the hone
- draw a blade across the hone
- whetstone
the everyday word; almost always preferred over 'hone' in modern speech
- sharpening stone
the plainest term; what most people call it today
文法句型
a fine hone
use a hone to + verb
用法筆記
Mostly used by chefs, barbers, butchers, and woodworkers; an ordinary speaker would say 'sharpening stone' or 'whetstone' instead. The word survives in shop talk and specialist catalogues.