overdone
overdone — 形容詞
1. When food, especially meat, is overdone, it has been left on the heat past the r
煮過頭的
食物加熱過久而變得乾柴或老韌
When food, especially meat, is overdone, it has been left on the heat past the right point, so the texture is tough, dry, or chewy instead of tender.
Mayumi sliced the steak and saw it was overdone — grey all the way through with no pink at the centre.
Mayumi 切開牛排，發現整塊已經煮過頭，從外到內都是灰色，中心完全沒有粉紅。
predicative use: be overdone (of food)
The fish was so overdone it crumbled into dry flakes when Christopher touched it with a fork.
魚煮得太過頭，Christopher 用叉子一碰就碎成乾乾的薄片。
intensifier pattern: so overdone (that)
Even the roast potatoes looked overdone, with hard black edges and a bitter smell.
連烤馬鈴薯看起來都過熟了，邊緣焦黑發硬，還帶著苦味。
Inês ordered her lamb medium, but the kitchen sent it back overdone three times in a row.
Inês 點的是五分熟的羊排，但廚房連續三次都把肉煮過頭再送出來。
- overcooked
near-identical meaning; slightly more common in everyday speech
- burnt
stronger — implies black or charred surface, not just dry
- dry
broader; refers to loss of moisture without specifying cause
用法筆記
Almost always used of food items (meat, fish, vegetables, pasta). Subject is usually the food itself, not the cook. Distinguish from sense 'exaggerated' (see verb sense 3 of overdo) — when describing food, only 'cooked too much' is meant.
常見錯誤
overdone — 動詞
1. to do an activity or use a behaviour so much that it stops being good for you or
做過頭
做某活動的程度超出對自己有益的範圍
to do an activity or use a behaviour so much that it stops being good for you or for the situation, often causing tiredness, illness, or a bad effect.
Jisoo overdid the running this week and now her knees hurt every morning.
Jisoo 這週跑步跑過頭，現在每天早上膝蓋都會痛。
overdo + activity noun (the running)
Don't overdo it on your first day back at the gym, or you'll be sore for a week.
回到健身房第一天別做過頭，不然你會痠痛整整一週。
set phrase: overdo it (warn against effort)
Mateo overdid the celebrations after the wedding and missed his flight home the next day.
Mateo 婚禮後慶祝得太過頭，隔天就錯過了回家的班機。
The trainer reminded the swimmers not to overdo their lap counts before the big race.
教練提醒泳隊隊員在大賽前別把練習圈數做過頭。
Tariq tends to overdo things when he gets excited about a new project at work.
Tariq 一遇到工作上的新案子，就容易做過頭。
- overdo it
the fixed phrasal form; usually preferred in spoken English
- go overboard
more informal; suggests crossing into excess by choice
- push it
informal; implies testing one's own limit on purpose
- pace yourself
the standard advice opposite — work at a sustainable rate
文法句型
overdo + noun (activity)
overdo it
用法筆記
Often takes a generic object like 'it' or 'things' when the activity is clear from context. Distinguish from sense 2 (use too much of a substance): sense 1 is about the level of activity, sense 2 is about quantity of a material.
常見錯誤
2. to put in or add a larger amount of something — usually a flavour, decoration, o
加太多
某種材料或裝飾用量超出合理範圍
to put in or add a larger amount of something — usually a flavour, decoration, or feature — than the situation needs, so the result feels heavy or unbalanced.
Obi overdid the salt in the soup and nobody could finish their bowl at dinner.
Obi 鹽加太多，整鍋湯沒有人能喝完。
overdo + the [ingredient]
Noa overdid the perfume before her date and the smell filled the whole taxi.
Noa 約會前噴了太多香水，味道整輛計程車裡都聞得到。
overdo + the [substance applied to body]
The interior designer warned the couple not to overdo the gold accents in such a small living room.
室內設計師提醒這對夫婦，這麼小的客廳別放太多金色裝飾。
Kabir overdid the chilli flakes and his guests reached for water with every bite.
Kabir 辣椒片放太多，客人每咬一口就要喝一次水。
- use too much of
plain paraphrase; works in any register
- go heavy on
informal; very common in cooking talk
- lay it on thick
idiomatic; more about display than substance
- go easy on
informal opposite — use a small amount
文法句型
overdo + the + [substance/feature noun]
用法筆記
Object is usually a mass noun for a substance (salt, perfume, paint) or a count noun for a recurring feature (gold accents, exclamation marks). Distinct from sense 1: here the issue is quantity of material, not level of personal effort.
常見錯誤
3. to show a feeling, reaction, or performance in a way that is much stronger or mo
演過頭
情緒或反應表現得太誇張，讓人覺得不真實
to show a feeling, reaction, or performance in a way that is much stronger or more dramatic than it should be, so other people notice it as fake or forced.
Otis overdid the surprise when his sister brought out the birthday cake — everyone could tell he already knew.
妹妹端出生日蛋糕時，Otis 把驚喜演得太過頭——每個人都看得出他早就知道了。
overdo + emotional reaction noun
The young actor overdid the sadness in the funeral scene and the audience started to giggle.
那位年輕演員把告別式那場戲的悲傷演過頭，台下觀眾反而開始笑出聲。
overdo + the [performed emotion]
Élise overdid the apology so much that the manager began to wonder whether anything had really gone wrong.
Élise 道歉得太誇張，經理反而開始懷疑到底是不是真的出了什麼事。
Don't overdo the modesty — if you really won three awards, just say so plainly.
別把謙虛演過頭——你真的拿了三個獎，就大方說出來吧。
- overact
specific to performance and theatre
- exaggerate
broader; works for facts and feelings alike
- ham it up
informal; about overly dramatic performance
- underplay
perform with deliberately less intensity
文法句型
overdo + the [reaction/emotion noun]
用法筆記
Object is typically an emotion or attitude being performed (surprise, sadness, modesty, sympathy). Distinguish from sense 1 (effort/activity): here the criticism is about a performance reading as insincere, not about physical strain.
常見錯誤
4. to leave food on the heat past the point at which it is properly cooked, so it b
煮過頭
食物加熱時間過長，口感變乾或變老
to leave food on the heat past the point at which it is properly cooked, so it becomes dry, tough, or rubbery to eat.
Hyun overdid the salmon by leaving the pan on the stove and walking out to answer the phone.
Hyun 把鍋子留在爐上、走出去接電話，結果鮭魚煮過頭了。
overdo + the [meat/fish noun]
Try not to overdo the eggs — soft and slightly runny is what the recipe asks for.
蛋別煮過頭——食譜要的是軟嫩、中心略帶流動的口感。
imperative: try not to overdo
Mayumi's mother always overdoes the broccoli until it turns a sad olive colour.
Mayumi 的媽媽老是把花椰菜煮到變成一種沒精神的橄欖綠。
The chef apologised for overdoing the duck breast at table seven.
主廚向七號桌客人道歉，因為把鴨胸煮過頭了。
- undercook
leave food on the heat for too little time
文法句型
overdo + the [food noun]
用法筆記
Object is the specific food (the steak, the eggs, the broccoli), not a meal or course. Use the adjective 'overdone' for the resulting state of the food itself.
常見錯誤
5. to push your body or energy so far during work, exercise, or recovery that you b
操勞過度
把體力或精神用到過勞甚至生病的程度
to push your body or energy so far during work, exercise, or recovery that you become very tired or actually ill afterwards.
The nurse told Tariq not to overdo himself in the first week after surgery.
護士交代 Tariq，手術後第一週別把自己操勞過度。
reflexive: overdo + oneself, in recovery context
Kabir overdid it in the garden on Saturday and spent all of Sunday in bed with back pain.
Kabir 星期六在花園裡操勞過度，星期天一整天都因背痛躺在床上。
overdo it + physical activity context
Older runners are warned not to overdo themselves during the first hot week of summer training.
年長的跑者被提醒，在夏季訓練最熱的第一週別把自己逼到操勞過度。
Inês overdid it at the family wedding and ended up with a bad cold by Monday morning.
Inês 在家族婚禮上忙到操勞過度，到星期一早上就感冒得很嚴重。
- wear yourself out
everyday equivalent; very common
- exhaust yourself
stronger; suggests near-complete depletion
- overexert yourself
more formal; common in medical advice
- rest
the recommended opposite; pause to recover
- take it easy
informal; slow down deliberately
文法句型
overdo + oneself
overdo it (in this physical-effort reading)
用法筆記
Usually reflexive ('overdo yourself / himself / herself') or with 'it' when the activity is contextually obvious. Often appears in advice from a doctor, coach, or carer. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the general 'do too much' use, while sense 5 zooms in on bodily exhaustion or illness as the outcome.