| 词汇 | on the rack |
| 释义 | Idiom on the rack anxious, often because you are waiting for something or because people are asking you difficult questions.You're left on the rack for three days waiting for the results from the hospital.Here was a respected politician being put on the rack (= asked a lot of difficult questions) by aggressive junior politicians. on the rackSuffering from great stress or anxiety; in a very difficult or stressful position. The whole family was on the rack waiting for the doctors to give them an update. They had the reigning champions on the rack for first half of the game. on the rackUnder great stress, as in I was on the rack while I waited for the test results. This expression, alluding to a medieval instrument of torture to which the victim was fastened and stretched, has been used figuratively since the late 1500s. Shakespeare had it in The Merchant of Venice (3:2): "Let me choose, for as I am I live upon the rack." on the rackmainly BRITISHIf someone is on the rack, they are in a very difficult situation, often one in which they are suffering anxiety or distress. With ministers again on the rack over this new scandal, you have to wonder how long this government will last. She and Michael listened closely, on the rack of apprehension. Note: You can also say that you put someone on the rack. We were fairly evenly matched in the first half of the game but we really put them on the rack in the second half. Note: The rack was an instrument of torture which was used in the past. Prisoners were tied to the rack, and their arms and legs were stretched until they confessed or told secrets, or died. on the racksuffering intense distress or strain.on the ˈrackin a state of anxiety, stress, pain, etc: After three weeks had passed and she had still not heard from her daughter, Joan was on the rack.The rack was an instrument of torture, used in the past for punishing and hurting people. Their arms and legs were tied to a wooden frame and then pulled in opposite directions, stretching the body.on the rack Under great stress. |
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