1 a piece of metal that a rider wears on the back of his/her boots to encourage the horse to go faster 马刺(镶在马靴后跟的金属片,用于踢马使它快跑)
☞picture at horse 见horse插图
2a spur (to sth) something that encourages you to do sth or that makes sth happen more quickly 激励;鞭策;鼓舞
3 (in geography 地理学) a part of a hill that sticks out from the rest, often with lower ground around it 山嘴,坡尖,山鼻子(指山的突出部份)
on the spur of the moment without planning; suddenly 一时冲动;心血来潮
spur²
/spɜ:(r) ||; spɝ/verb
[T] (spurring;spurred)spur sb/sth (on/onto sth) to encourage sb or make him/her work harder or faster 激励;鞭策;催促:
The letter spurred me into action.这封信促使我采取行动。We were spurred on by the positive feedback from customers.顾客的正面反应令我们大受鼓舞。
spur1/spɝ; spɜː/n [C] 1 a fact or event that encourages you to do something 激励因素﹐鼓舞﹐鞭策: +to Ill health is often the spur to lifestyle changes. 健康不佳常常是改变生活方式的动力。2 on the spur of the moment suddenly and without any planning 一时冲动: We decided to go to Paris on the spur of the moment. 我们一时冲动决定去巴黎。
spur2v [T] spurred , spurring 1 also 又作 spur on to encourage someone and make them want to do something 激励﹐鼓舞: The band were spurred on by the success of their last CD. 乐队因他们最近这张唱片的成功受到了鼓舞。2 to make an improvement or change happen faster 促进﹐刺激: The growth of the city was spurred by cheap housing. 廉价住房促进了这座城市的发展。