puppy
puppy — noun
1. a very young dog, especially one that still needs its mother's care and has not
a very young dog, especially one that still needs its mother's care and has not yet grown to its full adult size
Theo's new puppy was so small it could sleep in a shoe box.
Eri feeds her puppy at six o'clock every morning before school.
collocation: feed + puppy
Brandon took the puppy to the vet for its first round of injections.
The children laughed as the puppy chased its own tail in endless circles.
A stray puppy appeared on the porch during the heavy rain last night.
- adult dog
a fully grown dog that has passed the puppy stage
文法句型
a + puppy
plural: puppies
常見錯誤
2. a young man who behaves in a rude, overconfident way that annoys other people, o
a young man who behaves in a rude, overconfident way that annoys other people, often because he lacks real experience or skill
The senior engineer called the new hire a puppy for bragging about his degree.
pejorative use: call + [person] + a puppy
That arrogant puppy thinks he knows more than the entire management team.
phrasal pattern: that + [adjective] + puppy
Hassan's father told him to stop acting like a spoiled puppy.
The coach dismissed him as a puppy after he refused to train with the team.
- brat
focuses on childish, selfish behaviour rather than arrogance; often describes a spoiled child
- upstart
more formal, about someone who has risen to a position too quickly and behaves arrogantly
- whippersnapper
old-fashioned and humorous; a cheeky young person, not truly threatening
- gentleman
a polite, respectful, well-mannered young man
文法句型
call + [person] + a puppy
that + [adjective] + puppy
用法筆記
Always pejorative and dismissive when applied to a person. Commonly appears in the structures 'call someone a puppy', 'that arrogant puppy', and 'a spoiled puppy'. Unlike sense 1, this sense cannot be used affectionately.