broken-backed
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- (Of a ship): Weakened or damaged to the point where the hull sags or droops at both ends, compromising its structural integrity.
- (Of an animal, especially a horse): Having a back that is deformed, often due to a spinal injury, a bony growth, or a congenital condition causing a dip or curvature.
- (Of a book): Having a spine that is damaged, cracked, or broken, often causing the covers to detach or the pages to become loose.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The storm left the vessel a broken-backed wreck, barely afloat.
- The old mare was broken-backed and could no longer be ridden.
- I found a broken-backed copy of the novel in the attic.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: Can describe anything that is severely damaged, weakened, or no longer functional in its structure or support.
- After the scandal, the company was like a broken-backed institution, struggling to survive.
Variants and Related Words
- Broken (adj): Separated into pieces; fractured; not functioning.
- Decrepit (adj): Worn out or ruined because of age or neglect.
- Damaged (adj): Harmed or injured, impairing value or usefulness.
Synonyms
- Hogged (adj, nautical): Specifically for a ship having a hull that droops at the ends).
- Deformed (adj): Misshapen or distorted in form.
- Dilapidated (adj): In a state of disrepair or ruin.
Related Phrases
- To be broken-backed: To exist in a state of severe structural failure or weakness.
- The administration was broken-backed after the series of resignations.
Related Idioms
- On its last legs: Very weak or near the end of its functional life (similar in conveying a state of near collapse).
- The broken-backed truck was finally on its last legs.
Adjective
- (of a ship) so weakened as to sag at each end
- (of a horse) having bones of the back united by a bony growth
- having the spine damaged
- a broken-backed book
- a broken-backed old horse