foil
foil — 名詞
1. a bendable metal sheet, commonly made of aluminium, that you put over or wrap ar
鋁箔紙
包裹食物或烹調的薄金屬片
a bendable metal sheet, commonly made of aluminium, that you put over or wrap around food for cooking or storing it without drying out
Antonia covered the baking tray with foil to stop the food from sticking.
Antonia 在烤盤上鋪了一層鋁箔紙，避免食物黏住。
Emre wrapped his leftover pizza in foil and put it in the refrigerator.
Emre 用鋁箔紙把剩下的披薩包好，放進冰箱。
collocation: wrap [food] in foil
The recipe says to cover the dish with foil before baking it in the oven.
食譜上說放進烤箱烤之前，先用鋁箔紙蓋住盤子。
A roll of foil costs very little and lasts for weeks in the kitchen.
一捲鋁箔紙很便宜，在廚房裡可以用好幾個星期。
- aluminium foil
the exact name of the material; more explicit than 'foil'
- tin foil
older term, still used informally despite modern products being aluminium
- silver foil
common in British English for shiny cooking foil
文法句型
a sheet/roll/piece of foil
wrap [food] in foil
cover with foil
用法筆記
In everyday conversation, 'foil' by itself almost always means aluminium foil used in the kitchen. The older term 'tin foil' is still used informally by some speakers, though modern products are almost never made of tin.
常見錯誤
2. a small piece of thin metal or paper that hairdressers wrap around strands of ha
錫箔
染髮時包裹頭髮的薄片
a small piece of thin metal or paper that hairdressers wrap around strands of hair when colouring or adding highlights
The hairdresser placed a foil under each section of hair before applying the dye.
美髮師在每束頭髮下方墊了一片錫箔紙，才開始上染劑。
place a foil under [hair section]
Romi's highlights took two hours because the stylist used forty small foils.
Romi 的挑染花了兩小時，因為設計師用了四十片小錫箔。
After removing the foils, Christopher's hair had streaks of caramel and gold.
拆掉錫箔紙後，Christopher 的頭髮出現了焦糖色和金色的條紋。
Hari asked for subtle highlights, so the stylist used only eight foils.
Hari 要求低調的挑染，所以設計師只用了八片錫箔。
- highlighting foil
the full term used in salon supply catalogues
- tinfoil
sometimes used informally for home highlighting kits
文法句型
place a foil under [hair section]
remove the foils
use [number] foils
用法筆記
This sense appears almost exclusively in hairdressing contexts. Outside a salon, 'foil' without context is more likely to be understood as kitchen foil (sense 1).
3. a figure or element that, through its own opposing traits, makes the features of
襯托
透過對比凸顯對方的人或物
a figure or element that, through its own opposing traits, makes the features of whoever it accompanies stand out more sharply
In the movie, the quiet librarian is a perfect foil for the loud detective.
在那部電影中，安靜的圖書館員正好是那位大嗓門警探的絕佳襯托。
a perfect foil for [someone]
The plain white wall served as a foil for the bright, colourful paintings.
樸素的白牆襯托出那些鮮豔畫作的色彩。
serve as a foil for
Obi's calm and patient manner was a good foil for Esteban's quick temper.
Obi 冷靜有耐心的態度，正好襯托出 Esteban 急躁的脾氣。
The sweet mango sauce was a foil to the spicy grilled fish on the plate.
甜甜的芒果醬襯托出盤中烤魚的辣味。
- complement
focuses on how two things work well together, not necessarily contrast
- contrast
more general; a foil is a specific kind of contrast that highlights qualities
- opposite
stronger and more absolute; a foil does not need to be a complete opposite
- match
two things that are alike in character do not serve as foils for each other
文法句型
a foil for [something]
a foil to [something]
serve as a foil
be a perfect foil
用法筆記
Very common in literary analysis: authors create a 'foil character' whose traits highlight those of the main character. Distinguish from sense 1 — this is always an abstract or social comparison, never a physical object.
常見錯誤
4. a lightweight, narrow-bladed sword with a flexible rectangular section and a blu
鈍劍
擊劍運動用的輕型細劍
a lightweight, narrow-bladed sword with a flexible rectangular section and a blunted point, employed in fencing competitions
Nicholas picked up his foil and stepped onto the long, narrow fencing strip.
Nicholas 拿起他的鈍劍，踏上狹長的擊劍賽道。
The coach showed the beginners how to hold the foil and move their feet correctly.
教練向初學者示範如何握鈍劍以及如何移動腳步。
hold the foil
A foil is much lighter and more flexible than a traditional military sword.
鈍劍比傳統軍用劍輕巧靈活得多。
Ilan scored the winning point with a fast, clean thrust of his foil.
Ilan 用鈍劍迅速俐落一刺，拿下了致勝分。
文法句型
hold a foil
thrust with a foil
use a foil
用法筆記
One of three weapons in modern fencing, along with the épée (heavier, stiffer) and the sabre (used with cutting motions). The foil is the lightest and is typically used for learning the basics of the sport.
foil — 動詞
1. to stop a plan, attempt, or illegal activity from succeeding, especially before
挫敗
阻止計畫或行動成功
to stop a plan, attempt, or illegal activity from succeeding, especially before it can happen
The airport security team foiled the plan to carry dangerous items onto the plane.
機場安檢小組挫敗了把危險物品帶上飛機的計畫。
foil a plan
Hyun's attempt to climb the mountain was foiled by a sudden snowstorm.
Hyun 的登山計畫被一場突來的暴風雪挫敗了。
foiled by [obstacle]
Police foiled the robbery when an officer noticed something unusual outside the bank.
一名員警察覺銀行外有異狀，警方因而挫敗了這起搶案。
Dario's hopes of winning the competition were foiled by a last-minute spelling error.
Dario 贏得比賽的希望，因為最後一刻的拼字錯誤而破滅了。
文法句型
foil + noun phrase (a plan, attempt, plot, robbery)
be foiled by [obstacle]
用法筆記
Very common in news reporting about stopped crimes, security threats, or failed conspiracies. The object is usually a plan or attempt rather than a person directly, though 'foil someone' is occasionally found in formal writing.
常見錯誤
2. to make the qualities of something stand out more strongly by placing it next to
反襯
透過對比使某物更突出
to make the qualities of something stand out more strongly by placing it next to something very different in character or appearance
The dark velvet background foiled the diamond, making every sparkle visible.
深色天鵝絨背景反襯出鑽石的光芒，讓每一道閃爍都清晰可見。
foil + object; making it [more]
Élise's quiet, thoughtful personality was foiled by her brother's loud enthusiasm.
Élise 安靜深思的性格，與哥哥大聲熱情的個性形成反襯。
The simple white frame foiled the vivid blues and greens in the painting.
簡潔的白色畫框反襯出畫作中鮮明的藍色與綠色。
Silver leaves in the garden foil the deep red flowers planted next to them.
花園裡的銀色葉片反襯出旁邊深紅色花朵的豔麗。
- set off
phrasal verb meaning the same; less formal and more common in speech
- complement
stronger harmony rather than striking contrast; less dramatic
- clash with
to create an unpleasant rather than enhancing contrast
文法句型
foil + noun phrase
be foiled by [contrast]
[quality] foils [quality]
用法筆記
This verb sense is less common than the noun 'foil' (sense 3, contrast). The phrasal construction 'serve as a foil to' is far more frequent in everyday English. This verb form tends to appear in literary or descriptive writing.