phony
phony — 形容詞
1. describes something that is not what it claims to be, or someone whose feelings
虛假的
不真誠或不真實的
describes something that is not what it claims to be, or someone whose feelings or personality are not real — like a watch that looks like an expensive brand but is actually cheap, or an apology given just to avoid trouble.
Faisal thought the designer watch was real, but it was completely phony.
Faisal 以爲那隻名牌手錶是真的，結果完全是假的。
be + phony (predicative after linking verb)
Her phony smile fooled nobody at the office party last Friday.
上週五辦公室派對上，她虛假的笑容誰都騙不了。
phony + noun (attributive before noun)
The email from the bank looked phony, so Linh deleted it right away.
那封銀行寄來的電子郵件看起來很可疑，Linh 立刻刪掉了。
Andrés felt that the product's promises were just phony advertising claims.
Andrés 覺得那項產品的承諾不過是虛假的廣告說詞。
Élise spotted the phony sympathy in his voice and walked away.
Élise 聽出他語氣中假裝的同情，轉身走開了。
- fake
more general; can describe objects, documents, people, or emotions just like phony
- bogus
stronger emphasis on deception, often for illegal purposes
- counterfeit
specifically about money, documents, or goods copied to deceive
- insincere
limited to people's feelings or intentions, not objects
文法句型
phony + noun
be phony
seem phony
look phony
用法筆記
Often describes both objects (documents, products, signatures) and behaviour (smiles, apologies, promises). The American spelling is phony; the British spelling is phoney.
常見錯誤
phony — 名詞
1. a person who pretends to be more honest, skilled, or important than they really
冒牌貨
不真誠的人或假冒的東西
a person who pretends to be more honest, skilled, or important than they really are, or an object that is not what it claims to be.
The art dealer turned out to be a phony who sold copied paintings to collectors.
那位藝術經銷商原來是個冒牌貨，專門賣複製畫給收藏家。
turned out to be + a phony
Chidi called him a phony after hearing him change his story completely.
Chidi 聽他完全改口之後，就說他是個冒牌貨。
call someone + a phony
That so-called expert is a complete phony with no real qualifications at all.
那位所謂的專家根本就是個冒牌貨，連一張正式的資格證書都沒有。
Eri realised her new friend was a phony who only pretended to care about others.
Eri 發現她的新朋友只是個假裝關心別人的冒牌貨。
Nobody trusted the candidate because they knew he was a phony from the start.
沒有人信任那位候選人，因為從一開始大家都知道他是個冒牌貨。
- the real thing
informal phrase for something genuinely valuable or authentic
文法句型
a phony
a complete phony
a total phony
用法筆記
Commonly used with intensifiers like 'complete', 'total', or 'real' (e.g., 'a total phony'). Can be directed at people who exaggerate their status or at fake objects.
常見錯誤
phony — 動詞
1. to make a copy of something in order to deceive people — for instance, signing s
偽造
仿造以欺騙他人
to make a copy of something in order to deceive people — for instance, signing someone else's name on a document or inventing false information.
The clerk was fired after trying to phony the manager's signature on the report.
那名職員因為試圖在報告上偽造經理的簽名而被開除。
phony + signature (direct object is a document/stamp)
James phonied his way through the job interview by lying about his degree.
James 靠虛報學歷蒙混過了工作面試。
The company was caught phonying customer reviews to make its products look better.
那家公司被發現偽造客戶評論，讓產品看起來更好。
Esme caught her assistant trying to phony the weekly sales figures.
Esme 抓到她的助理試圖偽造每週的銷售數據。
The museum discovered that someone had phonied the date on an old painting.
博物館發現有人偽造了一幅古畫上的日期。
- fake
much more common as a verb; covers a wider range of objects and situations
- forge
specifically about signatures, documents, or money; implies a crime
- counterfeit
formal; used for money, goods, and official documents
- authenticate
to prove something is genuine or real
文法句型
phony + noun
phony up + noun
用法筆記
Much less common than 'fake' as a verb. Often appears in the phrasal form 'phony up' (e.g., 'phony up a document'). Rare in formal writing.