black eye
black eye — noun
1. dark, bruised skin around a person's eye, caused by being hit or knocked against
dark, bruised skin around a person's eye, caused by being hit or knocked against something
Sahil arrived at school with a black eye after his bike crashed into a tree.
arrived with a black eye
The boxer's black eye began to swell shut during the fight.
black eye began to swell
Nala covered her black eye with sunglasses so her friends would not ask about it.
Eshe's black eye took about ten days to fade after she slipped in the kitchen.
João got a black eye when he walked into a door in the dark.
- shiner
informal, mainly British English
- bruised eye
more clinical, less idiomatic
- mouse
old-fashioned slang, still used in boxing contexts
常見錯誤
2. harm or damage to the good opinion that other people have of a person, organizat
harm or damage to the good opinion that other people have of a person, organization, or thing; also a serious setback or difficulty that reflects poorly on someone or something
The scandal gave the company a black eye that hurt sales for years.
gave [sb/sth] a black eye
Asher's team received a black eye when the report showed major problems in their work.
received a black eye when
The mayor's black eye from the scandal made it hard to win the next election.
The hotel chain suffered a black eye after guests posted videos of dirty rooms online.
Megan knew the failed presentation would give her department a black eye.
The loss of the contract was a black eye for Wren's small company.
Ari's campaign suffered a black eye when the main donor withdrew their support.
Daniel took the budget rejection as a black eye yet refused to give up.
- blot on the escutcheon
formal, old-fashioned; stain on a family or organization's reputation
- stain
more general; can apply to any record or reputation
- blemish
milder; suggests a small, fixable flaw in an otherwise good reputation
- setback
neutral; focuses on the obstacle or failure itself rather than the reputational damage
- blow
suggests a harder, more unexpected impact on reputation or progress
- feather in one's cap
achievement that brings honour or praise
用法筆記
Commonly used with verbs like give, receive, or suffer to describe damage to the reputation of a person, company, or institution. Also used more broadly for any serious defeat or setback that tarnishes someone's image or slows their progress. The thing that causes the damage usually follows — for example, 'the company suffered a black eye after the product recall' or 'losing the contract was a black eye for the small firm.'