就像中国的一些词语经常被误解成其他的意思一样，美国也有这样的词汇。今天
1、ambivalent adj. 有好几种想法，不是“没有想法”。
Being ambivalent doesn't mean you don't care, it means you have contradictory or mixed feelings about it. You do care—and you're torn.
2、suspect adj. 有嫌疑的，不是“有疑虑的”(suspicious)。
If you suspect somebody, just don't say you're suspect. You're not; you're suspicious.
3、bourgeois adj. 中产阶级的，小资的，关心财富与行为的，不是“上层阶级的”或者“极好的”。
Bourgeois may look and sound like a fancy word, but don't be fooled by its French origins. It actually has to do with the middle class. It often describes those members of the middle class who care too much about money and things and looking respectable—and who might aspire to being something fancier than bourgeois.
4、travesty n. 嘲弄，歪曲，不是“悲剧，坏事”。
A travesty is also a terrible thing, but the word does not refer to events that involve death and mayhem. Travesty refers to something that is done in a way that makes a mockery of what it's supposed to be: for example, a contest won by the judge's spouse could be considered a travesty. And a trial in which the defendant wasn't allowed to present evidence could be described as a "travesty of justice."
5、Hoi Polloi n. 寻常百姓，草民，不是“精英”。
A synonym of "the masses," hoi polloi is not the word to use when you want to refer to the elite. You'll be safe from criticism if you use hoi polloi to refer to "the masses" instead, as in "the wealthy elite who think of themselves as too good for the hoi polloi."
6、coin v. 创造新词(让别人用)，不是“给…命名”。
you dub a person or thing by giving the person or thing a name or title; you coin a word or phrase by creating the word or phrase.
She's been dubbed [=called; given the title] the "Queen of Comedy."
Cromulent was coined [=invented, created] by a writer for The Simpsons.
7、chronic adj. 慢性(疾病)的;经常发生的，总是如此的，不是“严重的、急性的”。
The word chronic does not describe the severity of the pain; it describes its frequency. Chronic pain is either constant or recurring. The pain itself can be anywhere on that pain scale of one to ten.
8、methodology n. 一组方法，一组程式化的过程，不是“一个方法”。
A method is simply a way of doing something. Methodology refers to something bigger: a set of methods, rules, or ideas, or an entire procedure or set of procedures.
9、droll adj. 可笑的，不是“无聊的”(dull)。
If someone calls your short story "droll," don't be offended. Although droll may sound like it means "dull," it's actually a word used to describe something or someone pleasantly odd and amusing. The word has its origin in a Middle Dutch word meaning "imp."
10、odious adj. 令人讨厌的，不是“难闻的”。
Odious has a first syllable reminiscent of the word odor, but the two words aren't related. Odious describes terrible things that people hate—like crimes and tyrannical regimes—regardless of how those things smell. Malodorous is the word to describe that garbage.
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