4pale imitation (of something)something that is similar to, but not as good as, something else 不如某物的类似物品
The cheese is a pale imitation of real Parmesan.
这种干酪是帕尔梅森干酪的仿制品,但味道要差一些。
Examples from the Corpus
pale imitation (of something)• It had been a pale imitation.• These, however, are but a pale imitation of the History file.• These programs are still only a pale imitation of the original human operators, however.• But this time round, they're pathetic, pale imitations of the planetdestroyers that went before.• To its critics, it became a mildtabloid and a very pale imitation of what was originally intended.
deathly pale• He stared back at the ancientchurch, his eyes wide and face deathly pale.• He was deathly pale and obviously still in the first shock of grief but it had taken him differently.• She was lying not far from her fiancé, eyes closed, deathly pale but apparently hardly injured.• She was deathly pale, her face almost swollen as if she had spent her life in tears.• May become deathly pale if the room is overheated; kick off the bedcovers if they are able to.• Her daughter-in-law was deathly pale, looking as if she would faint.• He went as thin as a rake, and deathly pale then for a couple of weeks.
pale2 verb [intransitiveI]
1COLOUR/COLOR literary if your face pales, it becomes whiter than usual because you have had a shock 〔脸色〕变苍白
Kent’s face paled when he saw that Rob had a knife.
The amounts of money involved pale into insignificance when compared with the sums spent each year on research.
涉及的金额与每年花在研究上的费用相比就是沧海一粟。
Examples from the Corpus
pale into insignificance• This can also happen if a pain is very severe and strong such that it makes all the other symptomspale into insignificance.• Such faultspale into insignificance against performances of such magnitude as these.• But all of this pales into insignificance compared with one majoradvantage.• There are still some problems, but they pale into insignificance when compared to the difficulties facing Russia.• Our difficulties pale into insignificance when compared to the problems of the homeless.• However, definitional factorspale into insignificance when compared with recent changes in householdsize.
3pale in/by comparisonSMALLto seem small or unimportantcompared to something else 相比之下微不足道,相形失色
pale in/by comparison to/with
Today’s economic problems pale in comparison with those of the 1930s.
如今的经济问题和20世纪30年代的相比是小巫见大巫。
Examples from the Corpus
pale to/with• Everything pales in comparison to a creation of this awesomemagnitude.• The two disputes he mentionedpale in comparison with others looming on the horizon.• But the nine goalspaled in comparison to the 16-plusaverage the stars have produced over the past seven games.• But even these concernspale by comparison with the fears that people have about trafficsafety.• The number fired and to be fired at Burlington Northernpales in comparison with the number to be let go at AT.• They also prevail in an era where travelabusespale in comparison to those of earlier years.• But that pales in comparison to what he brings to this city.
(1400-1500)pale“limit”((15-18 centuries)), from “fence”((14-19 centuries)), from “pointed piece of wood driven into the ground”((14-20 centuries)), from Old Frenchpal, from Latinpalus