kilter
kilter — 名詞
1. a state in which a machine, system, or process is not working the way it normall
失靈；故障
機器或系統運作異常
a state in which a machine, system, or process is not working the way it normally should, often because something has changed or broken.
The air conditioner has been out of kilter ever since the storm last week.
上週暴風雨過後，冷氣就一直處於故障狀態。
out of kilter (machine not working properly)
Amira called a repair person because her refrigerator was completely out of kilter.
Amira 叫了維修人員，因為她的冰箱完全壞了。
When the factory assembly line went out of kilter, the manager stopped production immediately.
工廠的組裝線出問題時，經理立刻停止了生產。
The old washing machine is so out of kilter that it floods the floor.
那台老舊的洗衣機壞得太嚴重，地板都淹水了。
A single loose screw can throw the entire printing press out of kilter.
只要一顆螺絲鬆了，就可能讓整台印刷機失常。
- broken
more general and common; 'kilter' specifically suggests something has shifted out of its normal state
- malfunctioning
more technical; 'out of kilter' is less formal and more idiomatic
文法句型
out of / off + kilter
用法筆記
Almost always used in the fixed phrases 'out of kilter' or 'off kilter'. The verb 'throw' is a common collocation with 'out of kilter' to describe causing the malfunction.
常見錯誤
2. a state in which different parts of a situation, arrangement, or set of things a
失調；失衡
事物之間比例或協調不當
a state in which different parts of a situation, arrangement, or set of things are not in the correct proportion or alignment with each other, causing imbalance or disharmony.
Indra felt that her work and home life were out of kilter after the promotion.
Indra 升職後覺得工作與生活失去了平衡。
out of kilter (imbalance between two things)
The numbers in the quarterly report are out of kilter with the actual sales figures.
季度報告裡的數字與實際銷售數據對不上。
out of kilter with [something] (not matching)
Selim's sleep schedule was completely off kilter after flying across three time zones.
Selim 飛越三個時區之後，作息完全亂掉了。
The garden looked odd because the left-side trees were off kilter from the right.
花園看起來怪怪的，因為左邊的樹和右邊的不對稱。
Eri noticed that one shelf was slightly off kilter, making the whole bookcase appear crooked.
Eri 發現其中一個層板有點歪，讓整個書櫃看起來是斜的。
- misaligned
more formal; 'out of kilter' is more idiomatic
- imbalanced
focuses on uneven distribution; 'kilter' implies a mismatch
- off
informal and shorter; 'off kilter' is more vivid
- in balance
properly aligned or proportioned
- aligned
correctly arranged
文法句型
out of / off + kilter
out of kilter with + noun phrase
用法筆記
Both 'out of kilter' and 'off kilter' are used interchangeably for this more abstract sense. 'Off kilter' is slightly more common when describing visual/temporal misalignment rather than mechanical failure.