sponger
/ˈspʌndʒə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈspʌndʒər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈspənjə(r)/ (ame, mw)
sponger — 名詞
- spongersingular
- spongersplural
1. someone who keeps taking money, meals, or other help from friends or family and
揩油者
靠他人金錢、食物過活又不付出的人
someone who keeps taking money, meals, or other help from friends or family and gives nothing back, so they can avoid working for themselves
Reema finally told her brother to find a job and stop being such a sponger.
Reema 終於告訴弟弟去找份工作，別再當個靠人吃喝的揩油鬼。
informal noun used to criticise a freeloading relative
Everyone at the shared house grew tired of the sponger who never paid for food.
分租公寓裡的每個人都受夠了那個從不出錢買食物的揩油者。
describing a person who takes without contributing
The old farmer had no patience for spongers and made each visitor work the fields.
那位老農夫對揩油者毫無耐心，要求每位來訪的人都得下田幫忙。
Talia lent Leo money for years before realising he was simply a sponger.
Talia 借錢給 Leo 好幾年，才發現他根本只是個揩油的寄生蟲。
Reporters called the prince a sponger who lived off public money for decades.
記者稱那位王子是個揩油者，靠公帑生活了數十年。
- freeloader
very close in meaning; slightly more common in American English
- scrounger
British and informal; stresses repeatedly asking others for things
- parasite
stronger and more insulting; pictures someone feeding off a host
- breadwinner
someone who earns money to support others rather than taking from them
文法句型
a sponger off [someone]
用法筆記
Always disapproving. The person sponges off a specific giver (a parent, partner, friend, or the state), so the giver is usually named or clear from context.