maul

Word family

maul /mɔːl $ mɒːl/ verb [transitiveT] → mall

1 ATTACKif an animal mauls someone, it injures them badly by tearing their flesh 〔動物〕襲擊，撕咬

A mentally ill man was mauled after climbing into the lions’ enclosure at London Zoo.

一個精神病人爬進倫敦動物園的獅子圍場後遭獅子襲擊。

2 CRITICIZEto strongly criticize something, especially a new book, play etc 抨擊〔尤對新書、新戲劇等〕

Her latest book was absolutely mauled by the critics.

她的新書被評論家們批得體無完膚。

3 SYto touch someone in a rough sexual way which they think is unpleasant 對〔某人〕粗野地動手動腳

What makes you think you’ve got the right to maul me like that?

你憑什麽認爲你可以對我那樣動手動腳的？

4 informal to defeat someone very easily – used especially in sports reports 輕鬆擊敗〔尤用於體育報道中〕

Stanford have looked quite good lately. They absolutely mauled Notre Dame last weekend.

斯坦福大學隊最近表現很好，他們上周末輕鬆擊敗了聖母大學隊。

—mauling noun [singular]

Brown got a mauling over the government’s failure to fulfil its promises.

布朗因政府未兌現承諾而飽受批評。

Examples from the Corpus

maul• Tiny Tabard's hopes were dashed after taking a 7-0 lead as they were mauled 50-13 by mighty Northampton.• A six-year-old boy was mauled by a mountain lion.• Slabs of dough lay covered under a gauzy fabric, waiting to be pummeled and mauled by Mrs Bay.• His ads mauling Feinstein were brutal, as were hers in return.• The offending picture was confiscated and Professor Jones was mauled for permitting its exhibition.• The assailant approached another woman on Baden Avenue near Maple Avenue, grabbed her shoulders, kissed and mauled her.• Cincinnati mauled the Oilers 41-14 at Riverfront Stadium.

Origin maul

(1300-1400) maul “hammer” ((13-20 centuries)), from Old French mail, from Latin malleus

Corpus