quicksand
/'kwiksænd/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A mass of loose, wet sand that yields easily to pressure and sucks in anything resting on or falling into it: A natural hazard where saturated sand loses its strength and behaves like a fluid.
- A situation or course of action that is dangerously unstable or entangling: A metaphorical use describing something that is difficult to escape from and can lead to ruin.
Examples of Usage
- Literal meaning:
- The explorers were warned to avoid the area of quicksand near the riverbank.
- The heavy truck began to sink slowly into the quicksand.
- Figurative meaning:
- Their financial investment turned out to be quicksand, swallowing all their savings.
- Getting involved in that legal dispute was like stepping into quicksand.
Advanced Usage
- "To be caught in quicksand": To be trapped in a situation that is difficult to escape from.
- The company was caught in the quicksand of bureaucracy and couldn't innovate.
- "Quicksand of debt": A common collocation describing a worsening cycle of owing money.
- After losing his job, he found himself in a quicksand of debt.
Variants and Related Words
- Quicksandy (adj, rare): Resembling or characteristic of quicksand.
- The ground had a quicksandy consistency after the heavy rains.
Synonyms
- Mire: A stretch of swampy or boggy ground; a difficult situation.
- Morass: An area of muddy or boggy ground; a complicated or confused situation.
- Bog: Wet, spongy ground; to become stuck or hindered.
Related Phrases
- "Like quicksand": Used as a simile to describe something that entraps or engulfs.
- His lies were like quicksand; the more he told, the deeper he sank.
Idioms
- "To be on quicksand": To be in a very insecure or unstable position.
- Without a solid contract, our business agreement is on quicksand.
Noun
- a pit filled with loose wet sand into which objects are sucked down
- a treacherous situation that tends to entrap and destroy