- [uncountable, singular]
the ability to say or write things that are both clever and humorous 措辞巧妙的能力；风趣；才思 to have a quick/sharp/dry/ready wit 才思敏捷；敏锐机智；假装正经的诙谐；头脑机敏 a woman of wit and intelligence 才思敏捷、聪颖的女子 a book full of the wit and wisdom of his 30 years in politics 一本有关他 30 年政治生涯中才思与智慧的书
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc1He had a dry wit. 他很会讽刺挖苦。 He has plenty of wit and imagination. 他说话很风趣，也富于想象力。 He was blessed with great charm and a quick wit. 他极富魅力，才思敏捷。 I wanted to bowl him over with my sparkling wit. 我想用我的聪明才智把他打倒。 She had to use all her native wit to convince the police. 她不得不绞尽脑汁去说服警察。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- quick
- ready
- …
- have
- wit and wisdom
- [countable]
a person who has the ability to say or write things that are both clever and humorous 才思敏捷说话诙谐的人；机智幽默的人 a well-known wit and raconteur 一位闻名遐迩、妙语连珠的故事大王
- wits[plural]
your ability to think quickly and clearly and to make good decisions 理解力；颖悟力；头脑；智力 He needed all his wits to find his way out. 他需要绞尽脑汁找到出路。 The game was a long battle of wits. 这场游戏是长时间的斗智。 Kate paused and gathered her wits. 凯特停下来恢复一下理智。 a chance to pit your wits against (= compete with, using your intelligence) our quiz champion 用你的智慧同我们的知识竞赛冠军进行较量的机会
Extra ExamplesShe couldn't seem to gather her wits and tell us what had happened. 她好像还没有恢复理智，还不能告诉我们发生了什么事情。 The game allows you to match wits with a computer criminal. 这个游戏可以让你与计算机罪犯斗智斗勇。 The strike developed into a battle of wits between management and workers. 这场罢工发展成为劳资双方智慧的较量。 Living alone in the country had dulled his wits. 在乡下独自生活磨灭了他的才思。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + wits- use
- have
- gather
- …
- a battle of wits
- have your wits about you
- keep your wits about you
- …
- -witted
(in adjectives 构成形容词 having the type of intelligence mentioned 有…智慧的；头脑…的 a quick-witted group of students 一群头脑聪明的学生
- [uncountable] wit to do something
the intelligence or good sense to know what is the right thing to do （正确判断的）能力，智力；明智 At least you had the wit to ask for help. 你起码还能意识到要求救。 It should not be beyond the wit of man to resolve this dispute. 解决这一纠纷应当是人力所能及的事。
Extra ExamplesI hope he has the wit to take the key with him. 我希望他还知道带钥匙。 I hope you had the wits to apologize. 我希望你能认识到错误去道歉。 You'd think they'd have the wit to ask for help. 你会认为他们会机智地寻求帮助。 It shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to solve this issue. 解决这个问题不应该超出人类的智慧。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- native
- have
- use
- beyond the wit of man
see also witless
Word OriginOld English wit(t), gewit(t), denoting the mind as the seat of consciousness, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch weet and German Witz, also to wit in the archaic sense ‘have knowledge’.
Idioms
be at your wits’ end
- (informal)
to be so worried by a problem that you do not know what to do next 智穷计尽；全然不知所措 She was at her wits’ end wondering how she’d manage it all in the time. 她不知如何在这段时间里处理好这一切。 I'm at my wits' end trying to cope with his moods. 我想让他平静下来，可完全不知道该怎么办。
be frightened/scared/terrified out of your wits
(also to frighten/scare the wits out of somebody)
to be very frightened; to frighten somebody very much 吓得魂不附体 I was scared out of my wits! 我被吓得魂都没了！ The latest news has scared the wits out of investors. 最新的消息把投资者吓坏了。
have/keep your wits about you
to be aware of what is happening around you and ready to think and act quickly 时刻保持头脑冷静；随机应变 They do tough interviews so you'll need to have your wits about you. 他们的面试很难对付，所以你得保持头脑清醒。
live by your wits
to earn money by clever or sometimes dishonest means 靠耍小聪明赚钱；（有时）靠玩花招捞钱
to wit