ruffle

verb

/ˈrʌfl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they ruffle	/ˈrʌfl/ /ˈrʌfl/
he / she / it ruffles	/ˈrʌflz/ /ˈrʌflz/
past simple ruffled	/ˈrʌfld/ /ˈrʌfld/
past participle ruffled	/ˈrʌfld/ /ˈrʌfld/
-ing form ruffling	/ˈrʌflɪŋ/ /ˈrʌflɪŋ/

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to alter the smooth surface of something, so that it is not even弄皱；弄乱；使不平整
- ruffle something She ruffled his hair affectionately.她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
- A light breeze ruffled the surface of the lake.微风吹皱了湖面。
- ruffle something up The bird ruffled up its feathers.这只鸟竖起了羽毛。
[often passive] ruffle somebody to make somebody annoyed, worried or upset搅扰；激怒；使沮丧；使担心 synonym fluster
- Nothing ever seems to ruffle Susan.似乎从来没有什么让苏珊心烦意乱。
- She was obviously ruffled by his question.她显然被他的问题激怒了。
- He never gets ruffled, even under pressure.即使在压力之下，他也从不感到沮丧。

Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): of unknown origin. Current noun senses date from the late 17th cent.

Idioms

ruffle somebody’s/a few feathers

(informal) to annoy or upset somebody or a group of people激怒；骚扰；使不安
- The senator's speech ruffled a few feathers in the business world.这位参议员的讲话惹恼了一些商界人士。

smooth (somebody’s) ruffled feathers

noun

/ˈrʌfl/

[usually plural]

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a narrow piece of cloth that is sewn in folds and is used to decorate a piece of clothing at the neck or wrists（领口、袖口等的）褶饰，花边，荷叶边 synonym frill
Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): of unknown origin. Current noun senses date from the late 17th cent.