| [/ʃelf; ʃɛlf/] n (pl shelves [/ʃelvz; ʃɛlvz/]) 用法:
1 flat rectangular piece of wood, metal, glass or other material fastened horizontally to a wall or in a cupboard, bookcase, etc for things to be placed on （柜橱、 书架等的）搁架, 搁板:
put up a shelf 搭搁板 *
a shelf full of crockery 摆满了陶器的架子 *
a `bookshelf 书架. =>illus at App 1 见附录1插图, page xvi. 用法:
2 thing resembling a shelf, esp a piece of rock projecting from a cliff, etc or from the edge of a mass of land under the sea 搁板状物; （尤指）悬崖等上突出的岩石, 大陆架:
the continental shelf 大陆架. 用法:
3 (idm 习语) on the `shelf (infml) (a) (of a person) put aside as if no longer useful （指人）被闲置（似已无用）:
A retired person should not be made to feel he's on the shelf. 不应该让退休的人感到自己是个闲人.
(b) (often sexist 常含性别偏见) (of an unmarried woman) regarded as being too old to be likely to be asked to marry sb （指未婚女子）被认为年龄较大因而不太可能有人向她求婚:
Women used to think they were on the shelf at 30. 过去女人一到30岁就认为是过了结婚年龄. |