spirit away
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To remove or carry someone or something away rapidly and secretly, as if by mysterious or supernatural means.
- To make something disappear or be taken in a swift, secretive, and often inexplicable manner.
Usage
This verb is used to describe an action where a person or object is taken or removed in a way that is sudden, stealthy, and seemingly magical or unexplained. It often implies a sense of mystery or lack of obvious agency.
Examples
- Verb:
- The valuable manuscript was spirited away from the library overnight.
- Fearing for her safety, her friends spirited her away to a remote cottage.
- The magician appeared to spirit the coin away with a wave of his hand.
Advanced Usage
- "to spirit someone/something away to a place": Emphasizes the secretive transportation to a specific destination.
- The agents spirited the witness away to a secure location.
- Often used in passive voice to emphasize the mysterious nature of the removal.
- After the party, the leftover cake had been spirited away.
Variants and Related Words
- Spirit (verb): The base verb, meaning to carry off mysteriously or secretly. "Spirit away" is the more common phrasal form.
- Whisk away: A synonym implying quick and light movement, but without the strong connotation of mystery or secrecy.
Synonyms
- Abduct (specifically for people, implies force).
- Snatch: To take quickly or abruptly.
- Make off with: To steal and escape with something.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Spirit off: A less common variant with the same meaning as "spirit away".
- He was spirited off before the press could interview him.
Related Idioms
- Vanish into thin air: To disappear completely and mysteriously. While similar, this idiom focuses on the disappearance itself, not the act of secretly carrying away.
- The jewels seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Verb
- carry away rapidly and secretly, as if mysteriously
- carry off mysteriously; as if by magic