riddled
riddled — 形容詞
- riddledpositive
- more riddledcomparative
- most riddledsuperlative
1. containing a very large amount of something unpleasant, such as holes made by bu
千瘡百孔
充滿討厭或有問題的事物
containing a very large amount of something unpleasant, such as holes made by bullets, or full of mistakes, problems, or things that should not be there.
The old car was riddled with rust after twenty years of rain and winter salt.
那輛舊車經過二十年的雨淋和冬季鹽蝕，已經鏽跡斑斑。
riddled with + [unwanted substance]
Critics said the government's housing plan was riddled with errors from the very start.
批評者指出，政府的住房計劃從一開始就錯誤百出。
The wooden target at the shooting range was riddled with bullet holes after just one afternoon.
射擊場的木製靶子在一個下午之後就佈滿了彈孔。
Her report was riddled with contradictions that the committee chair pointed out one by one.
她的報告充滿了矛盾，委員會主席一一指出來了。
The abandoned warehouse was riddled with broken windows and crawling with rats.
那間廢棄的倉庫到處都是破窗，而且老鼠橫行。
- full of
neutral register; can be used with both good and bad things
- infested with
stronger negative tone; used for pests, disease, or crime
- strewn with
suggests things are scattered loosely across a surface
- pristine
completely clean and in perfect condition
文法句型
be riddled with + [unwanted thing]
用法筆記
Almost always used in the pattern 'riddled with [something unwanted]'. The subject is usually a physical object, a plan, an argument, or an organisation.
常見錯誤
riddled — 動詞
- riddledpresent simple I / you / we / they
- riddleds3rd person singular
- riddledding-ing form
- riddleddedpast simple
1. to speak in a way that is deliberately mysterious, ambiguous, or difficult to un
說謎語般的話
故意說得隱晦難懂
to speak in a way that is deliberately mysterious, ambiguous, or difficult to understand, often to avoid giving a direct answer.
The old prophet would riddle rather than give a straight answer to the king's questions.
那位老先知寧可說謎語般的話，也不願直接回答國王的問題。
archaic: riddle (verb) = speak mysteriously
Instead of explaining clearly, the oracle would riddle in verses that priests spent days interpreting.
神諭不直接解釋，而是用謎語般的詩句說話，祭司們要花好幾天解讀。
When asked about the treasure, the old sailor just riddled and smiled, leaving the men confused.
被問到寶藏的下落時，老水手只是說些謎語般的話並微笑，讓眾人一頭霧水。
The fortune teller would riddle whenever visitors asked about their future.
那位算命師每當訪客問起他們的未來時，就會說些謎語般的話。
- speak in riddles
the modern phrasal equivalent; much more common
- speak plainly
to say what you mean directly
用法筆記
This sense is archaic and rarely used in modern English. It appears mainly in historical fiction, fantasy, or poetic writing.
2. to find the answer or explanation for a puzzling question or mystery.
解開謎題
找出謎題或奧秘的答案
to find the answer or explanation for a puzzling question or mystery.
The young scholar finally riddled the ancient mystery that had confused kings for centuries.
那位年輕學者終於解開了困擾歷代國王數百年的古老謎團。
riddle + [complex problem] = solve
It took the detective three months to riddle the meaning of the coded message left at the scene.
偵探花了三個月才破解現場留下的密碼訊息。
No one in the village could riddle the strange inscription carved into the stone at the well.
村裡沒有人能解讀井邊石頭上刻著的奇怪銘文。
The team worked together to riddle the puzzle that had stumped every previous group of students.
團隊合力解開了那個難倒之前所有學生的謎題。
- confuse
to make something unclear
文法句型
riddle + [puzzle/question]
用法筆記
Archaic. Modern English would use 'solve' or 'figure out' instead of 'riddle' in this sense.
3. to present someone with a difficult or confusing problem that leaves them unable
使困惑
用難題讓對方無法理解
to present someone with a difficult or confusing problem that leaves them unable to understand or explain it.
The strange behaviour of the compass needles riddled the explorers, who had no explanation for it.
指南針指針的異常行為讓探險者困惑不已，他們完全無法解釋。
riddle + [person] = confuse
The philosopher's final argument riddled his students, who debated its meaning for weeks afterward.
那位哲學家的最終論證讓學生們百思不解，他們在之後的幾個星期裡反覆辯論其含義。
The sudden disappearance of the ship riddled everyone in the port town, and no theory seemed to fit.
船隻的突然消失讓港口的每個人都困惑不已，沒有任何理論說得通。
The riddle the old traveller told us completely riddled our group for the rest of the evening.
那位老旅人告訴我們的謎題，讓我們一群人困惑了整個晚上。
- enlighten
to give someone understanding or clarity
文法句型
riddle + [person]
用法筆記
Archaic and very rare in modern English. Use 'puzzle', 'baffle', or 'confuse' instead in everyday speech and writing.
4. to separate larger pieces of grain, soil, or other material from smaller pieces
用篩子分離
用粗篩過濾穀物或土壤
to separate larger pieces of grain, soil, or other material from smaller pieces by passing them through a coarse sieve or screen.
The workers riddled the wheat to remove the husks before grinding it into flour.
工人們篩過小麥，去除穀殼之後再磨成麵粉。
Before planting, the gardener riddled the soil to take out the larger stones and roots.
播種前，園丁篩過土壤，挑出較大的石頭和根。
riddle + soil + to remove
Farmers traditionally riddled the barley three times to ensure only the finest grains reached the mill.
農夫傳統上會將大麥篩過三次，以確保只有最優質的穀粒送到磨坊。
The miller riddled the oats twice to separate the chaff from the edible grain.
磨坊主人將燕麥篩了兩次，以分離穀殼和可食用的穀粒。
- mix
to combine rather than separate
文法句型
riddle + [grain/soil] + from + [unwanted material]
用法筆記
Archaic. In modern English, 'sift', 'strain', or 'screen' are the usual verbs.
5. to make many small holes through something, especially by shooting bullets or ot
使佈滿孔洞
用子彈等打出許多小洞
to make many small holes through something, especially by shooting bullets or other projectiles through it.
The rebels riddled the abandoned truck with bullets after mistaking it for a military vehicle.
叛軍誤把那輛廢棄卡車當作軍用車輛，朝它打了許多子彈。
The old metal sign at the firing range had been riddled by years of target practice.
靶場那塊舊金屬標靶經過多年的射擊練習，已經佈滿彈孔。
passive: be riddled by [something]
Woodpeckers had riddled the dead tree trunk with hundreds of small holes over several seasons.
啄木鳥在枯樹幹上啄出了數百個小洞，歷經了好幾個季節。
The termites riddled the wooden floorboards so badly that the boards had to be replaced entirely.
白蟻把木地板蛀得千瘡百孔，最後只好整片更換。
- patch
to cover or repair holes
文法句型
riddle + [object] + with + [projectiles/holes]
用法筆記
This verb is the origin of the common adjective 'riddled'. Often used in the passive voice ('the wall was riddled with bullet holes').
常見錯誤
6. to spread through every part of something, especially an organisation, system, o
充斥；瀰漫
負面事物遍布整個系統或組織
to spread through every part of something, especially an organisation, system, or society, typically with negative effects.
A culture of secrecy riddled the entire department and made reform almost impossible.
保密文化瀰漫了整個部門，使得改革幾乎不可能推行。
Deep corruption riddled the national police force, from the lowest officer to the highest commander.
嚴重的貪腐滲透了國家警察隊伍，從最低階的警員到最高層的指揮官無一倖免。
Inefficiency riddled every level of the old government, causing delays that frustrated ordinary citizens.
低效率充斥著舊政府的每一個層級，導致的延誤讓普通市民深感困擾。
Deep internal rivalries riddled the organisation and stopped it from reaching its stated goals.
深厚的內部派系鬥爭充斥了該組織，使其無法達成既定目標。
- purge
to remove unwanted elements from something
文法句型
be riddled with + [abstract quality]
用法筆記
Often used in the passive with 'with' for abstract negative qualities (corruption, inefficiency, secrecy, doubt). Very similar in meaning to the adjective sense but grammatically verbal.