3on the rackSUFFERBritish EnglishBrE informal in a very difficult situation 处于困境[窘境]
The company is now well and truly on the rack.
公司现在彻底陷入危机。
Examples from the Corpus
on the rack• I'd put the bikeon the rack at the back and secured it with a bungy strap.• His characteristicattitude is one of close scrutiny and interrogation; he puts his documentson the rack, as it were.• It smelt of camphor as if the old clothes hangingon the racks had just been taken out of ancientchests.• There were only face towels left on the rack.• When the fire is hot, lay the mushroomson the rack.• The pound, however, was still on the rack.• He himself was beginning to ache as though stretchedon the rack, with the worst still to come.• When the Babbel incidentblew up, Liverpool really were on the rack.
4go to rack and ruinBADif a building goes to rack and ruin, it gradually gets into a very badcondition because no one has looked after it 〔建筑因缺乏维护而〕破损,毁坏
The house had been left to go to rack and ruin.
房子已无人看管,日渐破败。
Examples from the Corpus
go to rack and ruin• The old farmhouse had gone to rack and ruin.• He's let his father's old house go to rack and ruin.• First they let the house go to rack and ruin, then the garden; now they were shelteringhippies.• It seems that the government is prepared to let all our hospitals and schools go to rack and ruin.• Yet the truth of it was that the estates were going to rack and ruin.
5.American EnglishAmEDSO a three-sided frame used for arranging the balls at the start of a game of snooker or pool 〔斯诺克台球或落袋台球开局时用于排列球的〕三角框
6.a rack of lamb/porkDFFa fairly large piece of meat from the side of an animal, that contains several ribbones 羔羊/猪肋排骨
7off the rackAmerican EnglishAmE if you can buy something off the rack, you can buy it in a shop rather than having it specially made 成品的;现成的SYN British English off the peg
A lot of designer clothes are now available off the rack.
2rack your brainsTHINK ABOUTto try very hard to remember or think of something 绞尽脑汁;冥思苦想
I racked my brains, trying to remember his name.
我绞尽脑汁想记起他的名字。
Examples from the Corpus
rack your brains• I've racked my brains, but at my age there are precious few left to rack.• Desperately, Irvin racked his brains, but there was nothing he could tell them.• There was a silence in the room as we all simultaneously racked our brains for a missingdisease.• They sat in silence, racking their brains for the name of the road.• I waved back, racking my brains to remember who she was.• Which left Fabia racking her brains to think of how next best to get through to the woman.• She racked her brains, trying to remember what David had said.• Rachel racked her brains, trying to remember what Jamie had said of him - ruthless, living only for his ambition.
3rack something ↔ upphrasal verbphr v informalPPVDSto get a number or amount of something, especially a number of points in a competition 取得〔数目或数量〕;〔尤指比赛〕得〔分〕
He racked up 41 points.
他得了41分。
Examples from the Corpus
rack up• Well you wan na, you wan na check this out and see if you can rack your brain up.
Examples from the Corpus
rack• Other times he thrashed all night, thinking nothing, his body cramping, dry, racked, beside itself.• Without it, she was racked by a feeling of utter desolation.• If Liza had been racked by guilt, now, in a way, so was she.• Sharp pains racked his wasting body.• Everyone could feel the abnormalstrains that were now racking the monied world.• Adoberacked up $ 46. 9 million in licensingrevenues during its latest quarter.• Her face was racked with pain and it was clear that she was very ill.
racked ... body• A violentshudderracked his powerful body.• He swallowed deeply and another great shudder racked his body.