badger
badger — noun
1. a furry mammal about the size of a small dog, with a black-and-white striped fac
a furry mammal about the size of a small dog, with a black-and-white striped face, that digs deep tunnels in the ground and feeds mostly after dark.
A badger crossed the country lane just before dawn and disappeared into the hedge.
subject: countable noun in narrative past tense
Mei watched a family of badgers come out of their burrow at sunset.
collocation: family of badgers / badger burrow
The farmer in Wales found badgers digging up his vegetable garden every spring.
Badgers have powerful claws that they use to break open old logs and find insects.
The children spotted a badger's black-and-white head poking out of a hole near the oak tree.
用法筆記
Often used as a generic plural ('Badgers are nocturnal') when describing what the species typically does. In British contexts it usually refers to Meles meles; in American contexts to Taxidea taxus.
常見錯誤
badger — verb
1. to keep pressing someone with requests, questions, or complaints over and over a
to keep pressing someone with requests, questions, or complaints over and over again until they feel worn down and either answer you or do what you want.
The reporters badgered the mayor for a clear answer about the housing crisis.
pattern: badger + somebody + for + noun
Liam badgered his parents for weeks until they finally let him get a puppy.
pattern: badger + somebody + until-clause
My little sister keeps badgering me to take her to the new ice-cream shop on Main Street.
The lawyer badgered the witness into changing her story about the night of the accident.
Stop badgering me about my exam results — I'll tell you when I get them.
- pester
very close in meaning, slightly less forceful and more about repeated small annoyances
- nag
usually about repeated reminders to do small daily tasks, often within families
- harass
stronger and more serious; suggests behaviour that may cause real distress
- hound
stronger than 'badger'; suggests relentless chasing, often by media or creditors
- leave alone
stop bothering the person and let them be
文法句型
badger someone to do something
badger someone into doing something
badger someone for something
用法筆記
Object is almost always a person, and the subject sees the asking as legitimate while the object finds it irritating. Common in passive ('I was badgered into signing') when emphasising that the speaker felt pressured.