“eggshell” 指蛋壳(鸡蛋等外层坚硬的壳)。在引申用法中,常见于短语 walk on eggshells,表示如履薄冰、说话做事非常小心。
/ˈeɡˌʃel/
The eggshell is fragile, so handle it gently.
蛋壳很脆弱,所以要轻拿轻放。
Ever since the argument, he’s been walking on eggshells around his boss, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
自从那次争吵之后,他在老板面前一直如履薄冰,生怕说错话。
由 egg(蛋)+ shell(壳)构成的复合词,字面意思就是“蛋的壳”。其引申意义多来自“蛋壳很薄、易碎”的联想,因此被用来比喻处境敏感、需要格外谨慎的状态。