ply1 /plaɪ/ verb (plied, plying) 1 ply your trade literaryWORK/DO WORK to work at your business, especially buying and selling things on the street 从事工作;〔尤指在街头〕经营生意 In some areas, drug dealers openly ply their trade on street corners. 某些地区,毒贩公然在街角进行交易。
2 [intransitiveI, transitiveT always + adverbadv/prepositionprep] writtenTTWTTCTRAVEL if a ship, bus etc plies between two places or across a place, it does that journey regularly 〔船、车等〕定期往返ply between/across etc Two ferries ply between Tripoli and Malta every day. 每天有两艘渡船往返于的黎波里和马耳他。
3 ply for hire/trade British EnglishBrETTCWORK/DO WORK to try to get customers or passengers, in order to do business 招揽生意,揽客 Continental airlines ply for trade in the UK. 欧洲大陆的航空公司希望在英国开展业务。
4. [transitiveT] old use or literaryUSE/CONSUME to use a tool skilfully 熟练使用〔工具〕 5 ply somebody with something phrasal verbphr v a) GIVEto keep giving someone large quantities of food or drink 不断地给〔某人大量食物和饮料〕 The local people plied me with beer, until I could barely move. 当地人一个劲地灌我啤酒,最后我几乎动弹不了了。
b) ply somebody with questionsASK A QUESTION to keep asking someone questions 不断向某人提问
ply somebody with questions• She had been there before and was very tolerant of the young man plying her with questions.• Ungerer spent a long time plying them with questions.