pet peeve

IPA/ˌpet ˈpiːv/
IPA/ˌpet ˈpiːv/

pet peeve — 名詞

1. a small, specific thing that annoys you more than it seems to bother other peopl

1.名詞B2
釋義

小困擾；地雷

經常困擾你並讓你抱怨的小事

a small, specific thing that annoys you more than it seems to bother other people, and that you often complain about — for example, a bad habit someone has, or a minor inconvenience that irritates you every time it happens.

例句

Benjamin's biggest pet peeve is people who talk loudly on their phones in the library.

Benjamin 最惱人的小事，就是有人在圖書館裡大聲講電話。

someone's + pet peeve + is + [annoying behaviour]

Ayesha has a pet peeve about colleagues leaving dirty coffee cups in the sink.

Ayesha 有一個地雷，就是同事把髒咖啡杯留在水槽裡。

have a pet peeve about + [noun phrase]

同義詞
  • annoyance

    more general; can be serious or minor — 'pet peeve' is specifically minor and recurring

  • irritation

    more neutral and less personal in tone

  • grievance

    more formal and implies a stronger sense of unfairness

  • bugbear

    similar meaning but less common in everyday speech

文法句型

someone's + pet peeve

a pet peeve of + someone

用法筆記

Frequently used with possessive adjectives or noun possessors: 'my pet peeve', 'his biggest pet peeve', 'a pet peeve of hers'. The thing that annoys you typically follows 'is' or 'when/people who...' — never use 'pet peeve' for serious or major problems; it is reserved for minor, personal annoyances.

常見錯誤

❌My pet peeve is when people are dishonest at work.
✅My pet peeve is when people tap their pens loudly during meetings.
💡'pet peeve' describes a minor, specific annoyance, not a serious moral issue like dishonesty.
❌I have many pet peeves.
✅I have a few pet peeves.
💡Although the plural exists, 'pet peeve' is most commonly used in the singular with 'one of my...' or 'my biggest...'.