snag

Word family

snag1 /snæɡ/ noun [countableC]

1 PROBLEMa problem or disadvantage, especially one that is not very serious, which you had not expected 〔意料之外的〕小问题，小障碍

It’s an interesting job. The only snag is that it’s not very well paid.

这是一份有趣的工作，唯一的缺憾是工资不高。

hit/run into a snag

The grand opening hit a snag when no one could find the key.

盛大的开幕典礼上出了个小小的意外: 谁也找不到那把钥匙了。

► see thesaurus at problem

Snag is slightly informal. In written English, people usually prefer to use problem or disadvantage instead: 略为不正式。在书面英语中,人们一般更喜欢说 problem 或 disadvantage

The only disadvantage is that it takes a little longer.

唯一的不足之处是时间长了一点。

2. a part of a dead tree that sticks out, especially one that is under water and can be dangerous 〔死树伸出水面的〕残桩；〔尤指水下死树的〕暗桩

3. a sharp part of something that sticks out and holds or cuts things that touch it 尖突部分

Examples from the Corpus

snag• The case hit a snag in October when the judge handling it had to be replaced.• The process hit a snag Tuesday when a vital meeting had to be canceled.• However, there's a snag in this intergalactic transportation scheme.• The House worked out some last-minute snags on the legislation.• The cleanup effort was delayed for a few days by some technical snags and equipment problems.• The snag is that online users are reluctant to give out information about themselves to Web sites.• The snags offer safe nesting sites for birds, as thousands of young trees and plants sprout up on the surrounding riverbank.• This is much easier than it sounds but not without snags.

hit/run into a snag• The nature study project has run into a snag.• Then I ran into a snag - the newspaper had no printed address.

snag2 verb (snagged, snagging) [transitiveT]

1 TEARto damage something by getting it stuck on something sharp 划破，钩破

Oh no! I’ve snagged my stockings.

哎呀，坏了！我把长筒袜给钩破了。

2 American EnglishAmE informalATTENTION to succeed in getting something, especially something difficult to get 获得，抢到〔尤指难以得到的东西〕

I snagged a parking space in the last row.

我抢到了最后一排的一个停车位。

Examples from the Corpus

snag• The parking lot was almost full, but I snagged a space in the last row.• However the textured topside can easily mark or snag, and paste can not be successfully removed from it.• This savvy-enough production will snag hordes who love a mindless evening.• A similar experiment was attempted in mid-1992, but it was interrupted when the tether became snagged in a deployer mechanism.• Danny's kite snagged in the upper branches of a tree.• The trial follows the Antares tragedy in which four fishermen drowned after a submarine snagged its nets in the Firth of Clyde.• His eyes snagged on some of them, the infamous dates-I 917,1 929-and skated right over others.• And then the hospital just goes and snags some other kid on the hook.• Don't open the packet with your teeth and be careful not to snag the rubber with rings or finger-nails.

Origin snag1

(1500-1600) Probably from a Scandinavian language

snag1 noun →REGISTER1snag2 verb

Chinese

Corpus