nerve

noun

1. 神经
   any of the long threads that carry messages between the brain and parts of the body, enabling you to move, feel pain, etc.
   1. the optic nerve
      视神经
   2. nerve cells
      神经元
   3. nerve endings
      神经末梢
   4. Every nerve in her body was tense.
      她的每一根神经都绷得紧紧的。
2. 神经质；神经紧张
   feelings of worry or anxiety
   1. Even after years as a singer, he still suffers from nerves before a performance.
      尽管已做歌手多年，他在演出前仍然神经紧张。
   2. I need something to calm/steady my nerves .
      我需要点东西来稳定一下我的情绪。
   3. Everyone's nerves were on edge (= everyone felt tense ) .
      人人都觉得紧张。
   4. He lives on his nerves (= is always worried) .
      他就爱神经紧张。
3. 勇气；气魄
   the courage to do sth difficult or dangerous
   1. It took a lot of nerve to take the company to court.
      将这个公司告上法庭需要极大的勇气。
   2. I was going to have a go at parachuting but lost my nerve at the last minute.
      我想尝试一下跳伞，可到最后关头却没有勇气了。
   3. He kept his nerve to win the final set 6–4.
      他鼓足斗志以6：4赢了最后一盘。
4. 鲁莽；冒失；厚颜
   a way of behaving that other people think is rude or not appropriate
   1. I don't know how you have the nerve to show your face after what you said!
      真不知道你说了那些话以后怎么还有脸露面！
   2. He's got a nerve asking us for money!
      他还觍着脸跟我们借钱！
   3. ‘Then she demanded to see the manager!’ ‘ What a nerve! ’
      “她还要求见经理！”“真不要脸！”

verb

1. 鼓足勇气；振作精神
   to give yourself the courage or strength to do sth
   1. He nerved himself to ask her out.
      他鼓足勇气去约她出来。

1. N-COUNT 神经
   Nerves are long thin fibres that transmit messages between your brain and other parts of your body.
   1. ...spinal nerves.
      脊神经
   2. ...in cases where the nerve fibres are severed.
      在一些神经纤维被割断的病例中
2. N-PLURAL 承受力;意志力
   If you refer to someone's nerves, you mean their ability to cope with problems such as stress, worry, and danger.
   1. Jill's nerves are stretched to breaking point...
      吉尔的神经绷紧到了极点。
   2. I can be very patient, and then I can burst if my nerves are worn out.
      我很有耐心，可如果我的承受力到了极限，我就撑不住了。
3. N-PLURAL 神经紧张;情绪不安
   You can refer to someone's feelings of anxiety or tension as nerves .
   1. I just played badly. It wasn't nerves.
      我只是打得很糟，不是紧张造成的。
4. N-UNCOUNT 勇气;胆量;气魄
   Nerve is the courage that you need in order to do something difficult or dangerous.
   1. The brandy made him choke, but it restored his nerve...
      虽说白兰地呛了他一下，却让他恢复了勇气。
   2. He never got up enough nerve to meet me.
      他从没有足够的胆量来见我。
5. VERB 使鼓起勇气;使振作精神
   If you nerve yourself to do something difficult or frightening, you prepare yourself for it by trying to be brave.
   1. I nerved myself to face the pain.
      我鼓足勇气去面对痛苦。
6. PHRASE 使…烦恼;使…心烦
   If someone or something gets on your nerves, they annoy or irritate you.
   1. Lately he's not done a bloody thing and it's getting on my nerves.
      近来他没有干任何坏事，这让我心神不定起来。
7. PHRASE 胆敢;竟敢;厚颜
   If you say that someone has a nerve or has the nerve to do something, you are criticizing them for doing something which you feel they had no right to do.
   1. They've got a nerve, complaining about our behaviour...
      他们竟敢对我们的行为表示不满。
   2. He had the nerve to ask me to prove who I was.
      他竟敢要求我证明我自己的身份。
8. PHRASE 保持镇静;坚定不移
   If you hold your nerve or keep your nerve, you remain calm and determined in a difficult situation.
   1. He held his nerve to beat Andre Agassi in a five-set thriller on Court One...
      他镇定自若，在1号场地惊心动魄的5盘3胜对决中击败了安德鲁·阿加西。
   2. We need to keep our nerve now.
      我们现在需要保持镇静。
9. PHRASE 紧张不安地度日;神经紧张
   If someone is living on their nerves, they are continually worried and anxious about the situation that they are in.
   1. Eileen, mother of three, had been living on her nerves for some considerable time.
      艾琳是3个孩子的母亲，已有相当一段时间总是感到紧张不安。
10. PHRASE 失去勇气;变得胆怯;惊慌失措
    If you lose your nerve, you suddenly panic and become too afraid to do something that you were about to do.
    1. The bomber had lost his nerve and fled.
       放炸弹的人没了胆子，逃之夭夭。
11. PHRASE 触及痛处;触及要害
    If you say that you have touched a nerve or touched a raw nerve, you mean that you have accidentally upset someone by talking about something that they feel strongly about or are very sensitive about.
    1. Alistair saw Henry shrink, as if the words had touched a nerve...
       阿利斯泰尔看到亨利向后缩了一下，好像那些话触到了他的痛处。
    2. The mere mention of John had touched a very raw nerve indeed.
       提到约翰就真的让人心痛。

1. The chemical agent, whether it be mustard gas or nerve gas, can be absorbed by the skin.
   这类化学制剂，不管是芥子气还是神经瓦斯，都会被皮肤吸收。
2. I had the conviction Larkin's nerve would crack and he'd squeeze the trigger in a reflex action
   我确信拉金会神经崩溃，他会反射性地扣动扳机。
3. The virus remains dormant in nerve tissue until activated
   病毒潜伏于神经组织里直到被激活。
4. He remained on his knees for a long time afterwards, ashamed by his failure of nerve.
   他后来在地上跪了很久，为自己缺乏胆量而感到羞耻。
5. The method they pioneered remains fundamental to research into the behaviour of nerve cells.
   他们首创的方法在神经细胞活动的研究中一直是不可或缺的。
6. Lately he'd been making mistakes; his nerve was beginning to go.
   他近来老犯错误，胆子也开始变小了。
7. Nerve cells, after all, do not have intelligence of their own.
   毕竟，神经细胞自身并没有智力。
8. Jill's nerves are stretched to breaking point
   吉尔的神经绷紧到了极点。
9. I can be very patient, and then I can burst if my nerves are worn out.
   我很有耐心，可如果我的承受力到了极限，我就撑不住了。
10. I just played badly. It wasn't nerves.
    我只是打得很糟，不是紧张造成的。
11. The brandy made him choke, but it restored his nerve
    虽说白兰地呛了他一下，却让他恢复了勇气。
12. He never got up enough nerve to meet me.
    他从没有足够的胆量来见我。
13. I nerved myself to face the pain.
    我鼓足勇气去面对痛苦。
14. Lately he's not done a bloody thing and it's getting on my nerves.
    近来他没有干任何坏事，这让我心神不定起来。
15. They've got a nerve, complaining about our behaviour
    他们竟敢对我们的行为表示不满。
16. He had the nerve to ask me to prove who I was.
    他竟敢要求我证明我自己的身份。
17. We need to keep our nerve now.
    我们现在需要保持镇静。
18. Eileen, mother of three, had been living on her nerves for some considerable time.
    艾琳是3个孩子的母亲，已有相当一段时间总是感到紧张不安。
19. The bomber had lost his nerve and fled.
    放炸弹的人没了胆子，逃之夭夭。
20. Alistair saw Henry shrink, as if the words had touched a nerve
    阿利斯泰尔看到亨利向后缩了一下，好像那些话触到了他的痛处。
21. The mere mention of John had touched a very raw nerve indeed.
    提到约翰就真的让人心痛。
22. My office is the nerve centre of the operation.
    我的办公室是此次行动的控制中心。
23. The reason for this is that the optic nerve is a part of the brain.
    这其中的原因在于视神经是大脑的一部分。
24. He is a democrat with the skill, nerve, and ingenuity to push the limits of the possible.
    他是一个手腕高超、富有胆识、足智多谋的民主党人，能够让不可能的事成为可能。
25. Nerve cells have limited ability to regenerate if destroyed
    如果受到损伤，神经细胞再造的能力有限。
26. The hands are richly supplied with nerve endings.
    手上布满了神经末梢。
27. These nerve centres generate rhythmic movements; or to be more specific, rhythmic stomach movements
    这些神经中心产生有节奏的运动，或者更确切地说，是有节奏的肠胃蠕动。
28. The problem was finally, though not conclusively, identified as a severely pinched nerve
    问题终于被认定为是神经受到严重挤压，尽管这还不是最终结论。
29. Fancy his doing that sort of thing and then having the nerve to talk about it!
    做了这种事，亏他还好意思说呢！

n.

be a bag/bundle of nerves

• 非常紧张
  to be very nervous

get on sb's nerves

• 烦扰；使心神不定
  to annoy sb

have nerves of steel

• 意志坚强；沉着冷静
  to be able to remain calm in a difficult or dangerous situation

hit/touch a (raw/sensitive) nerve

• 触及要害；触动痛处
  to mention a subject that makes sb feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc.
  1. You touched a raw nerve when you mentioned his first wife.
     你谈起他的第一个妻子，这就触到了他的痛处。

brass neck/nerve

• 自以为是；傲慢无理
  a combination of confidence and lack of respect
  1. I didn't think she would have the brass neck to do that.
     我本以为她不会胆大妄为地去做了那件事。

strain every nerve/sinew (to do sth)

• 竭尽全力（做某事）
  to try as hard as you can to do sth

a war of nerves

• 神经战（利用心理压力摧毁对方的斗志）
  an attempt to defeat your opponents by putting pressure on them so that they lose courage or confidence

noun

1. impudent aggressiveness
   1. I couldn't believe her boldness
   2. he had the effrontery to question my honesty

   Synonym:    boldnessbrassfacecheek

2. the courage to carry on
   1. he kept fighting on pure spunk
   2. you haven't got the heart for baseball

   Synonym:    heartmettlespunk

3. any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body

   Synonym:    nervus

verb

1. get ready for something difficult or unpleasant

   Synonym:    steel