nerve
noun
verb
nɜːv noun
1
WORRIED FEELINGS
担心的情绪
a. used to talk about someone being worried or frightened b. the feeling of being worried or a little frightened 紧张 （担心 ）的情绪 plural 复数
sb’s nerves are on edge/in tatters/frayed
calm/steady your nerves (stop yourself feeling worried or frightened) 定神/稳住情绪
Sean drank a large glass of brandy to calm his nerves.
肖恩喝了一大杯白兰地，好让自己定定神。
be a bundle/bag of nerves (be extremely worried or frightened) 极度焦虑[害怕]
I remember you were a bundle of nerves on your wedding day.
我记得你在婚礼那天紧张极了。
A lot of people suffer from nerves before they go on stage.
很多人登台之前都觉得紧张。
‘What’s wrong with Rachel?’ ‘It’s just nerves. She’s got her driving test tomorrow.’
“雷切尔怎么啦？”“只是紧张，她明天要参加驾照考试”。
exam/first-night etc nerves
2
BODY PART
身体部位
nerves are parts inside your body which look like threads and carry messages between the brain and other parts of the body 神经 C | BrE AmE
a condition which affects the nerves in the back
影响背部神经的疾病
trapped nerve
3
COURAGE
勇气
courage and confidence in a dangerous, difficult, or frightening situation 镇定; 勇气; 意志力 U
the nerve to do sth
Not many people have the nerve to stand up and speak in front of a large audience.
不是很多人都有勇气站在一大群人面前讲话的。
She finally found the nerve to tell him she wanted a divorce.
她终于鼓起勇气告诉他自己想离婚。
It takes a lot of nerve to report a colleague for sexual harassment.
要举报同事的性骚扰行为需要很大的勇气。
lose your nerve (suddenly become very nervous so that you cannot do what you intended to do) 失去勇气
Jensen would’ve won if he hadn’t lost his nerve.
詹森要不是气馁，他就赢了。
hold/keep your nerve (remain calm in a difficult situation) 保持镇静
It’s hard to keep your nerve when people keep interrupting you.
不断被人干扰时你很难保持镇静。
4
get on sb’s nerves
if someone gets on your nerves, they annoy you, especially by doing something all the time [非正式] 烦扰某人; 使某人心神不定 informal
She’s always moaning. It really gets on my nerves.
她老是在呻吟，真令我心烦。
5
LACK OF RESPECT
缺乏尊敬
if you say someone has a nerve, you mean that they have done something unsuitable or impolite, without seeming to be embarrassed about behaving in this way [口] 鲁莽; 冒失; 厚颜; singular 单数 | spoken
He’s got a nerve asking for more money.
他居然有脸要更多的钱。
‘She didn’t say sorry or anything.’ ‘ What a nerve !’
“她没有说任何道歉的话。”“真不要脸！”
have the nerve to do sth
She lets me do all the work, and then she has the nerve to criticize my cooking.
她让我干所有的活儿，竟然还有脸挑剔我的厨艺。
6
touch/hit a (raw) nerve
to mention something that makes someone upset, angry, or embarrassed, especially accidentally 〔尤指无心地〕触到敏感话题，触到痛处
Without realizing, he had touched a raw nerve.
无意间他触到了别人的痛处。
7
nerves of steel
the ability to be brave and calm in a dangerous or difficult situation 坚强的意志; 沉着冷静
The job requires nerves of steel.
做这份工作需要有坚强的意志。
verb
8
nerve yourself to do sth/for sth
to force yourself to be brave enough to do something 鼓起勇气做某事
The parachutist nerved himself for the jump.
跳伞者鼓足勇气准备往下跳。