cripple
英 ['krɪpl] 美 ['krɪpl]
n.跛者；残废 v.削弱；使...瘫痪
◉Etymology
“Cripple” 源自古英语 “crypel”，意为“残疾人”或“跛足的人”。该词的词源与“creopan”有关，意为“弯曲”或“弯曲的姿态”，这反映了该词最初的含义。随着时间的推移，“cripple” 不仅指身体上的残疾，还延伸到比喻意义，指某种严重的损害或缺乏能力。
◉外刊例句
① 《纽约时报》 (The New York Times), 2023年5月10日
The economic downturn has crippled many small businesses, leaving them unable to pay their employees or cover essential expenses.
经济衰退使许多小企业瘫痪，导致它们无法支付员工工资或承担基本开支。
② 《经济学人》 (The Economist), 2023年2月18日
The new regulations are designed to prevent scams but could inadvertently cripple innovation in the tech industry.
新规定旨在防止欺诈行为，但可能会无意中抑制科技行业的创新。
◉经典名著
在查尔斯·狄更斯的小说《老古玩店》（The Old Curiosity Shop）中，可能提到 “cripple” 来描绘人物的身体状况和社会对待他们的态度：
The young boy, a cripple by birth, faced challenges that few could understand in a world often unkind to the disabled.
那个从出生就残疾的小男孩面临着少有人能理解的挑战，因为这个世界对残疾人往往不够友善。
◉Usage Notes
(1) They helped the cripple up to the bank.
(2) It is impolite to make fun of a cripple.
(3) A long delay might cripple me in a way.
(4) His first task was to cripple the enemy at sea.
(5) Seablockades can be performed to cripple the economy of other nations.
(6) This can cripple a firm through lost sales and damaged relationships.
(1) 他们把那跛脚的人扶上岸。
(2) 取笑一个跛足是不礼貌的。
(3) 长期拖下去可能在某些方面把我拖垮了。
(4) 他的首要任务是使海上的敌人失去战斗力。
(5) 实施海上封锁可以瘫痪其他国家的经济。
(6) 公司因此被拖累，订单流失，与客户关系恶化。
◉Usage Notes
To cripple is to leave someone unable to walk. Terrible car accidents, for example, can sometimes cripple their victims.
Use the verb cripple to describe what is done to a person whose legs are so badly injured that they can't be used. You can also use the word in a figurative way, as when a parent's criticism and high expectations cripple a child's self esteem. In other words, they take away his strength and make him feel useless and unsuccessful. In the thirteenth century, cripple meant "to move slowly," from the Old English root crypel, "to bend."
◉Colins
1. [N-COUNT 可数名词]瘸子；残疾人 A person with a physical disability or a serious permanent injury is sometimes referred to as a cripple . [OFFENSIVE 冒犯]
She has gone from being a healthy, fit, and sporty young woman to being a cripple.
她从一个健康、强壮、爱好运动的年轻女性变成了一个跛子。
2. [VERB 动词]使残疾；使成为跛子 If someone is crippled by an injury, it is so serious that they can never move their body properly again. [be V-ed] [V n] [V-ed]
Mr Easton was seriously crippled in an accident and had to leave his job...
伊斯顿先生在一次事故中重度伤残，不得不离职。
He had been warned that another bad fall could cripple him for life...
医生警告他，如果再次严重摔伤他可能会终身残疾。
He heaved his crippled leg into an easier position.
他把自己的一条瘸腿抬到一个更加舒服的位置。
3. [N-COUNT 可数名词](心理上或情感上)有缺陷的人 If you describe someone as an emotional cripple, you mean that they have a particular psychological or emotional problem which prevents them from living a normal life.
4. [VERB 动词]使(心理上或情感上)出现问题 If something cripples a person, it causes them severe psychological or emotional problems. [V n] [V-ed]
Howard wanted to be a popular singer, but stage fright crippled him...
霍华德想成为流行歌手，但因怯场而心生畏惧。
I'm not perfect but I'm also not emotionally crippled or lonely.
我并不完美，但我也没有什么心结，也不孤独。
5. [VERB 动词]严重毁坏(机器)；破坏(组织、体系) To cripple a machine, organization, or system means to damage it severely or prevent it from working properly. [V n] [V-ed]
Let's try to cripple their communications...
我们试着破坏他们的通讯设备吧。
A total cut-off of supplies would cripple the country's economy...
全面切断物品供应会使该国经济陷入瘫痪。
The pilot was able to maneuver the crippled aircraft out of the hostile area.
飞行员成功地驾驶严重损坏的飞机驶出敌区。
