(使)凝固;(使)结块;(尤指牛奶)变酸而结成凝乳。也可引申为(使)感情、气氛等“变坏、恶化、变得令人不适”。
/ˈkɝːd(ə)l/
The milk will curdle if you leave it out too long.
牛奶如果在外面放太久就会凝固(变酸结块)。
His friendly smile seemed to curdle into suspicion as the questions continued.
随着盘问继续,他友好的微笑似乎变得带有疑心,让人不舒服。
“Curdle”来自“curd(凝乳、凝块)”相关的古英语/中古英语词源,原本指液体(尤其是牛奶)因酸化或受热而形成凝块;后来语义扩展到比喻用法,形容情绪、关系或气氛从“顺畅/友好”转为“糟糕/令人反感”。