形容词 — 形容一个人脾气暴躁、容易发怒,稍有不顺就会大发雷霆。
/ˌhɒt ˈtɛmpəd/(英式) /ˌhɑːt ˈtɛmpərd/(美式)
My grandfather was a hot-tempered man who would shout at the slightest inconvenience.
我爷爷是个脾气暴躁的人,稍有不顺就会大喊大叫。
Although she is known to be hot-tempered, her colleagues have learned that her outbursts are brief and that she is quick to apologize afterward.
虽然她以脾气火爆著称,但同事们都知道她发火来得快去得也快,而且事后总是很快道歉。
hot-tempered 由 hot(热的、激烈的)和 tempered(有某种脾气的)组合而成。temper 源自拉丁语 temperare,原意为"调和、适度",后来在英语中逐渐引申为"脾气、性情"。用 hot 来形容脾气,是一种隐喻,将愤怒比作热量——怒火中烧,难以控制。这种"热=怒"的隐喻在许多语言中都存在,中文里也有"火冒三丈""怒火中烧"等类似表达。