beak

beak — 名詞

1. the stiff, narrow front section that forms a bird's jaws and that it uses to pic

1.名詞B1
釋義

鳥喙；鳥嘴

鳥類用來啄食的硬殼狀嘴部

the stiff, narrow front section that forms a bird's jaws and that it uses to pick up food, build nests, or clean its feathers.

例句

The parrot cracked the sunflower seed open with its strong yellow beak.

鸚鵡用牠強壯的黃色鳥喙把葵花籽咬開。

typical collocation: strong / yellow beak

Baby chicks tapped at the eggshell with their tiny beaks until it broke.

小雞們用小小的鳥喙不斷敲打蛋殼，直到蛋殼破掉。

同義詞
  • bill

    everyday alternative, especially for ducks, swans, and other waterbirds with flatter shapes

  • mandible

    technical zoology term for the upper or lower half of a bird's beak

用法筆記

Most often paired with adjectives describing shape, size, or colour (long, curved, sharp, yellow). The plural is regular: beaks.

常見錯誤

❌The bird ate with its mouth.
✅The bird ate with its beak.
💡for birds, English prefers 'beak' or 'bill' over 'mouth' when talking about the hard outer part.

2. a humorous or rude word for a human nose that looks unusually big or sticks out

2.名詞C1
釋義

大鼻子

戲謔指人又大又突出的鼻子

a humorous or rude word for a human nose that looks unusually big or sticks out sharply from the face.

例句

Greta laughed and said her uncle had a beak you could spot from across the street.

Greta 笑著說她叔叔的大鼻子隔著一條街都看得到。

informal register, often in jokes about appearance

The cartoon villain had a huge red beak and a thin black moustache.

那個卡通反派長著一個又紅又大的鼻子，還有一撮細細的黑鬍子。

同義詞
  • schnoz

    very informal American slang, also slightly rude

  • hooter

    British informal, similar joking tone

用法筆記

Informal and can sound rude when used about a real person's face. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'stick / poke your beak in', meaning to interfere in someone else's business.

常見錯誤

❌She has a beautiful beak.
✅She has a beautiful nose.
💡'beak' carries a teasing tone and is not used for compliments.

3. in old-fashioned British slang, a person who has the power to punish you, usuall

3.名詞C2
釋義

法官；校長

英國舊式俚語，指法官或校長

in old-fashioned British slang, a person who has the power to punish you, usually a judge in court or the head teacher of a school.

例句

The pickpocket was hauled before the beak the next morning.

那名扒手隔天早上就被押到法官面前。

fixed phrase: be brought / hauled before the beak

If the old beak catches us climbing the school gate, we'll be in trouble.

如果那個老校長抓到我們爬學校大門，我們就慘了。

同義詞
  • magistrate

    neutral term for a junior judge in lower courts

  • headmaster

    the standard word for the male head of a school

用法筆記

Now dated and chiefly British; mostly seen in older novels, period dramas, and historical references. Modern speakers say 'judge', 'magistrate', or 'headmaster' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The lawyer presented evidence to the beak in the New York court.
✅The lawyer presented evidence to the judge in the New York court.
💡'beak' in this sense is British slang and sounds out of place in American settings.