gutter
gutter — 形容詞
- gutterpositive
- gutterercomparative
- gutterestsuperlative
1. relating to the kind of language, entertainment, or behaviour that is regarded a
低俗的
粗鄙、低級趣味的
relating to the kind of language, entertainment, or behaviour that is regarded as crude, offensive, or morally low, like that found in the poorest parts of society.
Kabir refused to buy the newspaper because of its gutter journalism.
Kabir 拒絕買那份報紙，因為它報導低俗的新聞。
gutter + noun attributive
The comedian's act relied on gutter humour that made half the audience walk out.
那位喜劇演員的表演靠低級笑話撐場，結果一半觀眾離席了。
gutter humour — fixed phrase
The mayor said the campaign had turned into a gutter fight full of personal insults.
市長抱怨競選活動已經淪為充滿人身攻擊的低級戰。
Ilan refused to watch the show because it was full of gutter language.
Ilan 拒絕看那個節目，因為裡面全是低俗的語言。
- refined
implies elegance and good taste, the opposite of gutter coarseness
- respectable
suggests socially approved standards
文法句型
gutter + noun (e.g. gutter press, gutter humour)
用法筆記
Attributive only — always placed immediately before a noun. Most common in fixed phrases such as gutter press, gutter humour, and gutter language.
常見錯誤
gutter — 名詞
- guttersingular
- guttersplural
1. the shallow open trough that runs beside a street and collects falling rain, car
排水溝
路邊排放雨水的溝渠
the shallow open trough that runs beside a street and collects falling rain, carrying it into the drainage system below ground.
Felipe's keys slipped out of his hand and fell into the gutter.
Felipe 的鑰匙從手中滑落，掉進了排水溝裡。
into the gutter — movement into the channel
After the storm, the gutter outside Mira's house was blocked with wet leaves.
暴風雨過後，Mira 家門前的排水溝被濕樹葉堵住了。
blocked gutter — common collocation
The children watched a paper boat float along the gutter after the rain stopped.
雨停後，孩子們看著紙船沿著排水溝漂流。
Sumin swept the mud out of the gutter so the water could reach the drain.
Sumin 把泥巴從排水溝裡掃出來，好讓水流到下水道。
文法句型
the gutter
in the gutter
into the gutter
gutter + of + road/street
用法筆記
Often used with the definite article (the gutter) because the roadside channel is a specific feature of a street. Clean the gutter(s) refers to removing debris from this channel.
常見錯誤
2. a narrow channel fixed along the eaves of a house that gathers rainwater from th
屋簷水槽
屋簷下收集雨水的管道
a narrow channel fixed along the eaves of a house that gathers rainwater from the roof and sends it down through a pipe to the ground.
Otis climbed a ladder to check whether autumn leaves were blocking the roof gutter.
Otis 爬上梯子檢查秋天的樹葉是否堵住了屋簷水槽。
roof gutter — specifying phrase
A bird had built a nest inside the gutter, and water overflowed down the wall.
鳥在水槽裡築了巢，水從牆壁溢流下來。
blocked gutter leading to overflow
Amihan hired a handyman to clean the gutters before the rainy season began.
Amihan 請人來清理水槽，準備迎接雨季。
The old iron gutter on the shed rusted through, dripping water onto the doorstep.
棚子上那條舊鐵製水槽已經生鏽穿洞，水現在滴在門檻上。
- eavestrough
Canadian and some US regional usage, referring to the same roof channel
- rain gutter
clearer term; includes the word 'rain' to distinguish from roadside gutter
文法句型
the gutters
gutter + on/above + roof
用法筆記
Usually used in the plural (gutters) because a typical house has gutters running along several edges of the roof. A gutter system includes both the horizontal channels (gutters) and the vertical downpipes (downspouts).
常見錯誤
3. the lowest, most unpleasant level of society or human behaviour, often associate
最底層
社會或道德的最低層次
the lowest, most unpleasant level of society or human behaviour, often associated with poverty, crime, or moral degradation.
The scandal dragged the politician's reputation into the gutter.
那樁醜聞把那位政治人物的名聲拖進了最底層。
drag [something] into the gutter — figurative idiom
Adaeze's novel follows a young boy escaping the gutter of a sprawling city slum.
Adaeze 的小說講述一名小男孩試圖逃離廣大城市貧民窟底層的故事。
the gutter of + group — specifying the context
Zayd felt that the country's political debate had sunk to the gutter.
Zayd 覺得該國的政治辯論已淪落到了最不堪的地步。
The tabloid newspaper was accused of dragging journalism into the gutter with its celebrity gossip.
那家八卦報紙用名人緋聞把新聞業拖進了低俗泥沼。
- depths
slightly more formal; 'the depths of despair/society' suggests a low point without the criminal association
- bottom
less vivid; 'the bottom of society' is factual rather than emotive
- underclass
a sociological term for a group at the bottom of the social hierarchy, not a metaphor
文法句型
the gutter (of + group)
in the gutter
drag into the gutter
rise from the gutter
用法筆記
Always takes the definite article (the gutter). Used metaphorically — there is no literal gutter. Common in fixed phrases: drag/sink/descend into the gutter, and the gutter of politics/society/culture.
常見錯誤
gutter — 動詞
- gutterpresent simple I / you / we / they
- gutters3rd person singular
- guttering-ing form
- gutteredpast simple
1. if a flame, candle, or lamp gutters, it burns unevenly and unsteadily with a fli
搖曳將熄
火焰不穩定搖擺，即將熄滅
if a flame, candle, or lamp gutters, it burns unevenly and unsteadily with a flickering motion, usually because it is about to go out or because air is moving over it.
The candle guttered in the draft from the open window.
蠟燭在敞開的窗戶吹進來的風中搖曳不定。
gutter + in the draft — typical cause
Zayd watched the campfire gutter as the wind picked up over the beach.
Zayd 看著營火隨著海灘上的風勢增強而搖曳將熄。
The oil lamp guttered twice before the flame went out completely.
油燈搖曳了兩次，然後火焰完全熄滅了。
Mira's candle guttered and died, leaving the room in darkness.
Mira 的蠟燭搖曳了一下便熄滅了，房間陷入一片黑暗。
- blaze
to burn strongly and steadily, the opposite of faltering
文法句型
[candle/lamp/flame] + gutter(s)
gutter + out
用法筆記
Intransitive only — you cannot say 'someone gutters a candle'. The verb describes an involuntary behaviour of a flame. Often used in literary or descriptive writing rather than everyday speech.
常見錯誤
2. if a liquid gutters, it flows in small, irregular streams, often over a surface
細流
液體成小股緩慢流動
if a liquid gutters, it flows in small, irregular streams, often over a surface or through a narrow channel, rather than in a smooth, full flow.
After the ice melted, water guttered along the side of the driveway.
冰融化後，水沿著車道邊緣細細地流動。
gutter + along — path preposition
Feng watched the rainwater gutter down the cracked pavement towards the drain.
Feng 看著雨水沿著裂開的人行道流向下水道。
The stream had guttered to a thin trickle by the end of the dry summer.
那條小溪在乾旱的夏季結束時已經縮成細細的水流。
Meltwater from the glacier gutters through rock channels before joining the river below.
冰川融水穿過岩石上的小溝渠，然後匯入下方的河流。
文法句型
[water/river/melt] + gutters + preposition (along/down/through)
用法筆記
A rare literary or descriptive verb. More common alternatives are trickle, stream, or flow. The sense is closely related to the noun gutter (the channel) — the liquid is flowing in a way that resembles the water in a gutter.