misdirection

misdirection — 名詞

1. a situation in which a letter, package, vehicle, or stream of energy is sent to

1.名詞B2
釋義

誤送

將物品送到錯誤地點或瞄向錯誤方位

a situation in which a letter, package, vehicle, or stream of energy is sent to or aimed at a place it was not meant to reach.

例句

An error caused the misdirection of João's package to a warehouse across the city.

系統出錯導致 João 的包裹被誤送到城市另一端的倉庫。

misdirection of + [item] + to + [place]

The misdirection of emergency supplies during the earthquake slowed the rescue operation by several days.

地震期間救災物資的誤送，使救援行動延誤了數天。

同義詞
  • misrouting

    more specific to letters, parcels, and data traffic; narrower in scope than misdirection

  • wrong delivery

    an informal, everyday phrase rather than a single noun

反義詞

文法句型

misdirection + of + noun + to/toward + place

用法筆記

Frequently followed by 'of' + noun phrase identifying the item that went astray. The destination is introduced with 'to'.

常見錯誤

❌The misdirection of the package caused by error.
✅The misdirection of the package was caused by an error.
💡'misdirection' is a noun, not a verb; it needs a verb like 'was' to complete the sentence.

2. the act of using money, resources, or abilities for a purpose they were never in

2.名詞C1
釋義

誤用；濫用

以不當的方式使用資源或資金

the act of using money, resources, or abilities for a purpose they were never intended to serve, rather than for the ends originally planned.

例句

The report exposed the misdirection of government funds meant for school improvement programs.

報告揭露政府原本撥給學校改善計畫的資金遭到濫用。

misdirection of [funds/resources] meant for [purpose]

Dario argued that the misdirection of resources into luxury stadiums hurt the poorest citizens.

Dario 指出，資源被誤用於興建豪華體育場，反而傷害了最貧窮的市民。

同義詞
  • misuse

    more common and less formal; covers a wider range from small-scale to large-scale

  • misapplication

    slightly more formal, often used for funds or rules applied wrongly

  • abuse

    stronger connotation of deliberate wrongdoing or corruption

反義詞

文法句型

misdirection + of + noun + toward/into + purpose

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'of' + the resource being misused, then optionally 'into' or 'toward' + the unintended purpose. Common in formal or journalistic writing about corruption and poor governance.

常見錯誤

❌The misdirection of using funds wrongly.
✅The misdirection of funds into private accounts was discovered.
💡'misdirection' already implies wrong use; do not add 'using wrongly' as a separate description.

3. the deliberate act of making people look at or think about one thing so that the

3.名詞B2
釋義

轉移注意

刻意引導他人注意錯誤目標以隱藏真相

the deliberate act of making people look at or think about one thing so that they fail to notice something else that is more important, often used in magic tricks, crime, and political strategy.

例句

Clever misdirection made the audience watch the magician's left hand as he palmed the coin.

魔術師巧妙地運用轉移注意的手法，讓觀眾只盯著他的左手，而他趁機把硬幣藏了起來。

clever misdirection — common modifier in magic contexts

Opposition parties accused the mayor of using misdirection to hide the city's growing debt problem.

在野黨指控市長利用誤導手段來掩蓋城市日益嚴重的債務問題。

use misdirection to + [verb] — intentional deception pattern

同義詞
  • distraction

    broader and less intentional; can be accidental. Misdirection is always deliberate.

  • deception

    wider term covering all forms of trickery; misdirection is a specific method within deception

  • red herring

    a concrete misleading clue, especially in mysteries; misdirection is the general strategy

  • sleight of hand

    manual trickery in magic; misdirection is the mental technique that often accompanies it

反義詞
  • revelation

    the act of making something known rather than hiding it

  • clarification

    making things clear rather than confusing them

文法句型

piece of misdirection

act of misdirection

use misdirection to + verb

用法筆記

Can be countable (a piece of misdirection, several misdirections) when referring to a single technique or trick. Frequently appears with modifiers like 'clever,' 'brilliant,' or 'simple.' In narrative contexts (films, novels), it describes a plot device that leads the audience to a false conclusion.

常見錯誤

❌The magician used misdirection to distract the audience's attention.
✅The magician used misdirection to make the audience look somewhere else.
💡'distract attention' is redundant with 'misdirection'; choose one or rephrase.
❌He misdirected the police.' (using 'misdirect' as a verb)
✅He used misdirection to confuse the police.
💡This entry covers the noun; the verb 'misdirect' exists but is not the focus here.