take the bait

take the bait — 慣用語

1. to respond to something someone has said or done, especially when they were tryi

1.慣用語B2
釋義

上鉤；中計

被引誘而做出對方預期的反應

to respond to something someone has said or done, especially when they were trying to make you react in a particular way that suits their purpose

例句

Rafael knew his brother was teasing him, but he took the bait and started arguing anyway.

Rafael 知道哥哥在逗他，但他還是上鉤了，開始跟哥哥爭論。

collocation: took the bait + and started [doing something]

The journalist tried to provoke the politician, but she refused to take the bait.

那位記者想激怒這名政治人物，但她拒絕上鉤。

negative structure: refused to take the bait

常見搭配
  • take the bait
  • refuse to take the bait
  • don't take the bait
  • nearly took the bait
同義詞
  • rise to the bait

    same meaning but slightly more formal; 'rise' emphasises the emotional reaction

  • fall for it

    broader meaning — can refer to any trick or deception, not just verbal provocation

  • bite

    one-word verb version, e.g. 'I offered him a deal and he bit'

反義詞
  • ignore

    deliberately not reacting

文法句型

take the bait

refuse/don't take the bait

用法筆記

Frequently used in negative constructions (don't take the bait, refuse to take the bait) or as advice to ignore a provocation. The metaphor comes from fishing — a fish that takes the bait gets caught.

常見錯誤

The dog took the bait and ate the treat.
The dog fell for the trick and ate the treat.
'take the bait' is figurative; it means reacting to a provocation or trick, not literally eating food.
She took the bait and understood what he meant.
She took the bait and responded angrily.
'take the bait' implies reacting emotionally, not understanding a hint.