本义指两人用loggers(长柄木槌)互相敲击头部,引申为“激烈争吵、各执己见、互不相让”。核心义项有三:1)因意见分歧而争吵不休,如“The two parties are at loggerheads over the budget.”;2)长期不和、对立,如“The brothers have been at loggerheads for years.”;3)在具体问题上僵持不下,如“Management and unions are at loggerheads over pay.”。三个义项由具体肢体冲突逐渐抽象为言语和立场上的对立,程度从“争吵”到“长期敌对”再到“僵局”,但都保留“互不相让”的意象。
词源解析
loggerhead由log(木头)加head(头)构成,原指一种长柄木槌或铁头工具,也指愚笨的人。短语be at loggerheads最早出现于17世纪,可能源于两人用loggerhead对打的情景,后比喻言辞交锋。记忆时可联想“两个人用木槌互敲脑袋”,形象地表示“硬碰硬、谁也不服谁”。
be at loggerheads为系表结构,其中at loggerheads是介词短语作表语,主语通常为复数或表示双方的名词(如the two countries, they, the parties)。常见句型:A and B are at loggerheads (with each other) over/on/about sth.;也可说A is at loggerheads with B。易错点:1)不能直接说“at loggerhead”,必须用复数loggerheads;2)介词常用with引出对方,用over/on/about引出争议点;3)该短语本身不含动作,不能用于进行时表示“正在争吵”,但可说“They are at loggerheads.”表示状态。
该短语语域中等,既可用于正式报道,也可用于日常对话,但不宜用于极正式的法律文书。褒贬色彩为中性,仅描述对立状态,不暗示谁对谁错。常见误用:1)误写为at loggerhead(漏掉s);2)误用单数主语,如“He is at loggerheads with himself”不合逻辑,除非指内心矛盾(较少见);3)与“at odds”混用,忽略程度差异。使用时注意搭配介词:with后接对手,over/on/about后接争议点。
常见搭配
be at loggerheads with sb
be at loggerheads over sth
be at loggerheads on sth
be at loggerheads about sth
remain at loggerheads
find oneself at loggerheads with sb
be at loggerheads for years
用法示例
The two countries are at loggerheads over trade tariffs.两国在贸易关税问题上争执不下。
The manager and the union have been at loggerheads for months.经理和工会已经对立了好几个月。
She is at loggerheads with her colleague about the new project.她和新项目上的同事意见严重分歧。
The Senate and the House are at loggerheads on the budget bill.参议院和众议院在预算案上僵持不下。
The couple is at loggerheads over where to spend their vacation.这对夫妇在去哪里度假的问题上争吵不休。
Environmentalists and developers remain at loggerheads over the land use.环保人士和开发商在土地使用问题上仍然对立。