in foal

IPA/ɪn fˈəʊl/
IPA/ɪn fˈoʊl/

in foal — 慣用語

1. used to describe a female horse that is carrying a growing baby inside its body

1.慣用語B2
釋義

懷孕（母馬）

母馬懷孕的狀態

used to describe a female horse that is carrying a growing baby inside its body and will give birth to a foal.

例句

Andrei's mare Bella was in foal, and the family eagerly awaited the foal's arrival.

Andrei 的母馬 Bella 懷孕了，全家人都在期盼小馬誕生。

collocation: was in foal (predicative be-verb pattern)

The manager put the mare in foal to a champion stallion from a nearby farm.

主管讓那匹母馬懷上一匹來自附近農場的冠軍種公馬的馬駒。

collocation: put [mare] in foal (active breeding sense)

常見搭配
  • be in foal
  • get in foal
  • put [a mare] in foal
  • fall in foal (archaic / literary)
  • pronounced in foal
  • confirmed in foal
同義詞
  • pregnant (with foal)

    the general term; adding 'with foal' makes the species clear, but 'in foal' is the standard equestrian expression

  • expecting a foal

    a descriptive, more informal alternative often used by horse owners

反義詞
  • empty

    the farming term for a mare that is not pregnant at a given time

  • barren

    a stronger term describing a mare that has difficulty or is unable to become pregnant

文法句型

be + in foal

get + in foal

put + [mare] + in foal

用法筆記

This phrase applies only to horses and other equines (mares, fillies, donkeys, zebras). For other mammals, use 'pregnant' instead. A mare that is not in foal is sometimes described as 'empty' in farming contexts.

常見錯誤

The cat is in foal.
The cat is pregnant.
'in foal' is only correct for horses and other equines; never use it for other animals.
She saw an in foal mare in the field.
She saw a mare in foal in the field.
'in foal' is predicative only and cannot be placed before a noun as an attributive adjective.