whip-smart
whip-smart — 形容詞
1. having a sharp, fast-working mind that easily understands new information, solve
聰明絕頂
形容人（或動物）極度聰明、反應極快
having a sharp, fast-working mind that easily understands new information, solves problems, or learns skills — used to describe people or animals.
Sana is whip-smart and finished the advanced coding course in just six months.
Sana 聰明絕頂，只花六個月就完成了進階程式設計課程。
whip-smart describing a person; informal register
The border collie was so whip-smart that it learned twenty different commands in a single week.
那隻邊境牧羊犬聰明絕頂，一週之內就學會了二十種不同的指令。
whip-smart + animal (dog)
Everyone at the lab agrees that Adisa is whip-smart — he spots mistakes in data faster than anyone else.
實驗室裡的每個人都認同 Adisa 聰明絕頂——他發現資料錯誤的速度比誰都快。
Greta described her little sister as whip-smart, even though the girl had only just started elementary school.
Greta 說她妹妹聰明絕頂，儘管那女孩才剛開始上小學。
Tamar's whip-smart argument convinced the whole committee to change their decision.
Tamar 那聰明絕頂的論點說服了整個委員會改變決定。
- sharp
more common and slightly less informal than whip-smart; can also describe senses (sharp eyes) or objects (sharp knife)
- quick-witted
focuses on the ability to think and respond fast, especially in conversation
- brilliant
higher register; implies outstanding talent or intelligence, not just speed
- brainy
very informal; emphasises academic smarts rather than practical quickness
- dull
direct opposite — slow to understand or lacking mental sharpness
- slow-witted
emphasises the inability to grasp ideas quickly
文法句型
whip-smart + noun (attributive)
be + whip-smart (predicative)
用法筆記
This sense applies to living beings (people and animals) or to a person's mental output (e.g. argument, analysis) that directly reflects their quick intelligence. It is not used for machines, software, or inanimate objects that perform tasks.
常見錯誤
2. showing original, exciting intelligence in the way something is written, spoken,
機智巧妙
形容文字、對話等機智有趣、令人驚豔
showing original, exciting intelligence in the way something is written, spoken, or performed — especially dialogue, humour, scripts, or reviews that feel quick, incisive, and surprising.
The critics loved the play for its whip-smart dialogue that kept the audience laughing and thinking at the same time.
評論家對這齣劇機智巧妙的對白讚不絕口，讓觀眾又笑又思考。
whip-smart + dialogue; describes a creative work
Jin's whip-smart tweets about politics earned him a huge following on social media.
Jin 那些機智巧妙的政治推文為他在社群媒體上吸引了大量粉絲。
The film's whip-smart script was packed with jokes that adults appreciated but children missed.
這部電影的劇本機智巧妙，充滿了大人能體會、孩子卻聽不懂的笑點。
Yara wrote a whip-smart review of the novel, pointing out flaws that other critics had completely overlooked.
Yara 寫了一篇機智巧妙的書評，點出了其他評論家完全忽略的缺點。
Feng delivered a whip-smart comeback that left everyone at the dinner table speechless for a moment.
Feng 機智巧妙的反駁讓餐桌邊的每個人都愣了半晌。
- clever
common and neutral; can apply to people, objects, or ideas without the informal, energetic quality of whip-smart
- incisive
more formal; emphasises the sharpness of analysis or commentary
- witty
overlaps in the humour sense; focuses on amusing cleverness rather than general intelligence
- savvy
informal; suggests practical, streetwise intelligence rather than intellectual sharpness
- dull
lacking sharpness or interest — the opposite of excitingly intelligent
- uninspired
describes writing or performance that shows no originality or cleverness
文法句型
whip-smart + noun (attributive)
用法筆記
This sense describes the quality of language or performance — dialogue, script, joke, review, tweet, or verbal retort. Do not use it for music, visual art, or architecture unless the work contains verbal/language-based cleverness.