| Title | bedevil |
|---|---|
| Text |
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary be·dev·il DATE 1574 1. to possess with or as if with a devil 2. to cause distress : trouble 3. to change for the worse : spoil 4. to confuse utterly : bewilder English Etymology bedevil 1768, "to treat diabolically, abuse," from be- + verbal use of devil (q.v.). Meaning "to drive frantic" is from 1823. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 bedevil be·devil / bi5devl / verb(-ll-, NAmE -l-) [VN] (formal) to cause a lot of problems for sb / sth over a long period of time 长期搅扰 SYN beset :
The expedition was bedevilled by bad weather. 探险队深受恶劣天气的困扰。 Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged be·devil \bə̇, bē+\ transitive verb (bedeviled or bedevilled ; bedeviled or bedevilled ; bedevilingor bedevilling ; bedevils) Etymology: be- + devil 1. : to possess with or as if with a devil : bewitch 2. : to change for the worse < a room bedeviled by a poor decorator > : spoil , corrupt 3. a. : to treat diabolically : torment and abuse or maltreat b. : to drive frantic with or as if with care and worry c. : harass , vex , annoy , pester < bedeviling city officials in little matters — Green Peyton > < hard to hold the horses on a straight course with the insects bedeviling them — H.L.Davis > d. : to make worse often by obscuring or muddling : confuse and aggravate < racial tensions that bedevil politics — Times Literary Supplement > < how tendentious maps can bedevil an international problem — G.R.Crone > |
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