cobra
cobra — noun
1. a highly venomous snake found in Africa and parts of Asia, known for raising the
a highly venomous snake found in Africa and parts of Asia, known for raising the front of its body and stretching the loose skin around its neck outward into a wide hood when it feels threatened or wants to appear larger.
The zookeeper warned visitors that the cobra in the glass cage could spit venom.
warning pattern: warned that + [clause]
A cobra rose from the basket and spread its hood at the snake charmer's tune.
descriptive: cobra + spread its hood
Farmers in rural Thailand often see cobras near their rice paddies at dusk.
The wildlife documentary showed a king cobra hunting another snake in the forest.
Priya froze when she spotted a cobra sliding across her garden path at sunset.
- viper
Vipers and cobras are both venomous but belong to different families; vipers have heat-sensing pits and thicker bodies, while cobras are elapids with neurotoxic venom.
- mamba
Like the cobra, the mamba is an elapid snake with neurotoxic venom, but mambas are native only to Africa and are generally faster and more aggressive.
文法句型
cobra + verb (e.g. spreads, rises, strikes)
用法筆記
Can be combined with species names such as king cobra (a separate, larger species, Ophiophagus hannah) or spitting cobra (which sprays venom). The snake's defensive posture — raising the forebody and expanding the neck into a hood — is a widely recognised trait in popular culture and nature media.
常見錯誤
2. a group of senior UK government officials, military leaders, and expert advisers
a group of senior UK government officials, military leaders, and expert advisers that meets during major national emergencies to decide on and coordinate the country's response.
COBRA met at dawn to discuss the emergency response to the widespread flooding.
The prime minister chaired a COBRA meeting after the cyber attack was reported.
collocation: chair a COBRA meeting
A COBRA session was called to coordinate rescue efforts across the affected region.
Reporters waited outside the Cabinet Office as COBRA officials arrived for emergency talks.
文法句型
COBRA + verb (e.g. meets, convened)
chair + a + COBRA + meeting
用法筆記
Always written in capital letters (COBRA) when referring to the committee. In news coverage, 'COBRA' usually refers to the group of officials and the meeting itself rather than the physical rooms. The acronym is occasionally spelled COBR, but COBRA is far more common in British media. The name comes from the Cabinet Office's briefing rooms where these meetings first took place, though the term now refers mainly to the committee itself.