wit

noun

1. 措辞巧妙的能力；风趣；才思
   the ability to say or write things that are both clever and amusing
   1. to have a quick/sharp/dry/ready wit
      才思敏捷；敏锐机智；假装正经的诙谐；头脑机敏
   2. a woman of wit and intelligence
      才思敏捷、聪颖的女子
   3. a book full of the wit and wisdom of his 30 years in politics
      一本有关他30年政治生涯中才思与智慧的书
2. 才思敏捷说话诙谐的人；机智幽默的人
   a person who has the ability to say or write things that are both clever and amusing
   1. a well-known wit and raconteur
      一位闻名遐迩、妙语连珠的故事大王
3. 理解力；颖悟力；头脑；智力
   your ability to think quickly and clearly and to make good decisions
   1. He needed all his wits to find his way out.
      他需要绞尽脑汁找到出路。
   2. The game was a long battle of wits .
      这场游戏是长时间的斗智。
   3. Kate paused and gathered her wits .
      凯特停下来恢复一下理智。
   4. a chance to pit your wits against (= compete with, using your intelligence) our quiz champion
      利用你的智慧同我们的知识竞赛冠军进行较量的机会
4. 有…智慧的；头脑…的
   having the type of intelligence mentioned
   1. a quick-witted group of students
      一群头脑聪明的学生
5. （正确判断的）能力，智力；明智
   the intelligence or good sense to know what is the right thing to do
   1. At least you had the wit to ask for help.
      你起码还能意识到要求救。
   2. It should not be beyond the wit of man to resolve this dispute.
      解决这一纠纷应当是人力所能及的事。

1. N-UNCOUNT （说话的）风趣，机智，巧妙
   Wit is the ability to use words or ideas in an amusing, clever, and imaginative way.
   1. Boulding was known for his biting wit...
      博尔丁爱说尖酸的俏皮话是出了名的。
   2. They love her practical attitude to life, her zest and wit.
      他们喜欢她务实的人生态度、她的热情和幽默。
2. N-COUNT 风趣的人;机智的人
   If you describe someone as a wit, you mean that they have the ability to use words or ideas in an amusing, clever, and imaginative way.
   1. Holmes was gregarious, a great wit, a man of wide interests.
      福尔摩斯爱交际,非常风趣，兴趣广泛。
3. N-SING 头脑；智慧
   If you say that someone has the wit to do something, you mean that they have the intelligence and understanding to make the right decision or take the right action in a particular situation.
   1. The information is there and waiting to be accessed by anyone with the wit to use it.
      资料就摆在那儿，等着有头脑的人去利用。
4. N-PLURAL 机智
   You can refer to your ability to think quickly and cleverly in a difficult situation as your wits .
   1. She has used her wits to progress to the position she holds today.
      她凭借个人才智升到了今天的职位。
5. N-PLURAL 把…吓得魂不附体
   You can use wits in expressions such as frighten someone out of their wits and scare the wits out of someone to emphasize that a person or thing worries or frightens someone very much.
   1. You scared us out of our wits. We heard you had an accident.
      你把我们吓坏了，我们听说你出事了。
   2. ...a huge bass drum which frightened the wits out of the organist each time it was banged.
      每次敲起来都让风琴师惊慌失措的巨型低音鼓
6. PHRASE 时刻保持警惕;随机应变
   If you have your wits about you or keep your wits about you, you are alert and ready to act in a difficult situation.
   1. Travellers need to keep their wits about them.
      旅行者需要随机应变。
7. PHRASE 智穷才尽;黔驴技穷;无计可施
   If you say that you are at your wits' end, you are emphasizing that you are so worried and exhausted by problems or difficulties that you do not know what to do next.
   1. We row a lot and we never have time on our own. I'm at my wit's end.
      我们经常争吵，从无在一起的时间，我真是没有办法了。
8. PHRASE 与…斗智;与…比学问
   If you pit your wits against someone, you compete against them in a test of knowledge or intelligence.
   1. He has to pit his wits against an adversary who is cool, clever and cunning.
      他不得不与一个冷静、聪明而又狡猾的对手斗智。
9. PHRASE （用于更准确地描述）亦即，也就是
   To wit is used to indicate that you are about to state or describe something more precisely.
   1. He'd like 'happiness' to be given a new and more scientifically descriptive label, to wit 'Major affective disorder, pleasant type'.
      他想给“幸福”一个更为科学的新称谓，准确地说即“愉悦型重度情感障碍”。
10. battle of wits → see: battle

1. He was acclaimed for his acerbic wit and repartee
   他以一针见血的妙语巧辩而备受好评。
2. His abrasive wit and caustic comments were an interviewer's nightmare
   他睿智刁钻，评论尖刻，对任何采访他的人而言都是梦魇。
3. Mr Brooke is renowned for his dry wit.
   布鲁克先生因他不露声色的机智而闻名。
4. The essays could do with a flash of wit or humor.
   这些散文需要一些出其不意的风趣或幽默。
5. Ellie uses wit as a goad to try to force people to see what is in front of them.
   埃莉运用自己的机智风趣启发人们，努力使他们看清眼前的东西。
6. He was a man of great charm and not inconsiderable wit.
   他是魅力十足、机智过人的男人。
7. Wit Wolzek claimed the legislation could impinge on privacy, self determination and respect for religious liberty
   威特·沃尔泽克声称这项法律可能会对隐私权和自主权造成侵犯，并破坏对宗教自由的尊重。
8. Julie Burchill is famous for her precocity and rapier wit.
   朱莉·伯奇尔因其早慧和机敏而闻名。
9. her sharp wit and quick tongue
   她敏捷的才思和伶俐的口齿
10. Much of the wit is lost in translation
    很多诙谐的成分都在翻译中丢失了。
11. Boulding was known for his biting wit
    博尔丁爱说尖酸的俏皮话是出了名的。
12. They love her practical attitude to life, her zest and wit.
    他们喜欢她务实的人生态度、她的热情和幽默。
13. Holmes was gregarious, a great wit, a man of wide interests.
    福尔摩斯爱交际，非常风趣，兴趣广泛。
14. The information is there and waiting to be accessed by anyone with the wit to use it.
    资料就摆在那儿，等着有头脑的人去利用。
15. She has used her wits to progress to the position she holds today.
    她凭借个人才智升到了今天的职位。
16. You scared us out of our wits. We heard you had an accident.
    你把我们吓坏了，我们听说你出事了。
17. Travellers need to keep their wits about them.
    旅行者需要随机应变。
18. We row a lot and we never have time on our own. I'm at my wit's end.
    我们经常争吵，从无在一起的时间，我真是没有办法了。
19. He has to pit his wits against an adversary who is cool, clever and cunning.
    他不得不与一个冷静、聪明而又狡猾的对手斗智。
20. He'd like 'happiness' to be given a new and more scientifically descriptive label, to wit 'Major affective disorder, pleasant type'.
    他想给“幸福”一个更为科学的新称谓，准确地说即“愉悦型重度情感障碍”。
21. Wit bought is better than wit taught.
    亲身经验最可贵。
22. Ladies and gentlemen paraded their fine manners, wit, and charm.
    女士们和绅士们卖弄他们的美妙姿态、才智和魅力。
23. A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.
    吃一堑，长一智。
24. Better a witty fool man than a foolish wit.
    宁做聪明的傻子，不做愚蠢的聪明人。
25. He is a nimble and versatile wit.
    他是一个机敏而又多才多艺的才子。
26. With her beauty, wit and charm, he found her irresistible.
    她漂亮、聪明、帅气，他不由得一见倾心。
27. There is wit enough, and to spare.
    有用之不尽的智慧。
28. He reasons well, and his wit is bold.
    他善于说话，而且机智过人。
29. She marries wit with scholarship in her writing.
    她把才智与学问融合在写作中。
30. It is moreover a Book of astonishing wit and verve.
    这还是一本充满惊人的机智和活力的小说。

  mind brain intelligence wit【导航词义：智力】

  mind n. 头脑，智力

〔辨析〕普通用词，指人的思维或感知、想象等能力，无褒贬之意。

  brain n. 智力，智慧，头脑

〔辨析〕指能理解思考和快速学习的能力，通常用复数。

  intelligence n. 智力，理解力；聪明

〔辨析〕指学习、理解、思维、判断等的能力，也指聪明、聪慧。

  wit n. 头脑，机智

〔辨析〕指思维敏捷并能作出正确判断的能力，强调机敏，通常用复数。

n.

be at your wits' end

• 智穷计尽；全然不知所措
  to be so worried by a problem that you do not know what to do next

be frightened/scared/terrified out of your wits

• 吓得魂不附体
  to be very frightened

have/keep your wits about you

• 时刻保持头脑冷静；随机应变
  to be aware of what is happening around you and ready to think and act quickly

to wit

• 也就是说；即
  you use to wit when you are about to be more exact about sth that you have just referred to
  1. Pilot error, to wit failure to follow procedures, was the cause of the accident.
     飞行员的失误，即没有遵守操作程序，是事故的原因。

live by your wits

• 靠耍小聪明赚钱；（有时）靠玩花招捞钱
  to earn money by clever or sometimes dishonest means

noun

1. mental ability
   1. he's got plenty of brains but no common sense

   Synonym:    brainbrainpowerlearning abilitymental capacitymentality

2. a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

   Synonym:    humorhumourwitticismwittiness

3. a witty amusing person who makes jokes

   Synonym:    wagcard