1
a gremlin + verb
gremlin常与不定冠词连用，表示一个具体的小妖精。
A gremlin hid the car keys.
一个小鬼把车钥匙藏起来了。
小妖精
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
小妖精
An imaginary creature believed to be mischievous, especially one that causes machinery to break or malfunction.
A gremlin hid the car keys.
一个小鬼把车钥匙藏起来了。
一种想象中喜欢恶作剧的生物,例如损坏或拆卸机器。
An imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined, for example, to damage or dismantle machinery.
任何神秘、未知的恶作剧或麻烦的来源,或由此产生的问题。
Any mysterious, unknown source of mischief or trouble, or the problem created thereby.
被认为类似虚构的鬼灵精的人,尤指调皮捣蛋、惹麻烦、矮小或烦人的。
A person regarded as similar to a fictional gremlin, in particular: mischievous, troublesome, short, or annoying.
The mechanic couldn't find the gremlin that was causing the engine to misfire.
机械师找不到导致引擎失火的那个小鬼。
We need to debug the software to eliminate any gremlins before launch.
我们需要调试软件，在发布前消除任何小问题。
The project was delayed by a series of gremlins, from lost files to power outages.
项目因一系列小麻烦而延误，从文件丢失到停电。
gremlin常与不定冠词连用，表示一个具体的小妖精。
A gremlin hid the car keys.
一个小鬼把车钥匙藏起来了。
复数形式表示多个小鬼或泛指这类生物。
Gremlins caused the engine failure.
小妖精们导致了引擎故障。
用于解释难以理解的问题时，常归因于gremlins。
We blamed gremlins for the missing documents.
我们把文件丢失归咎于小鬼们。
Not this
A gremline caused the engine failure.
Use this
A gremlin caused the engine failure.
拼写错误：单词应为gremlin，结尾是lin而非line，发音为/'gremlɪn/，不是/'gremlaɪn/。
Not this
There are several gremlin in the system.
Use this
There are several gremlins in the system.
复数形式错误：gremlin是可数名词，复数需加-s，即gremlins。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
莫名的技术故障；技术小毛病
We had to postpone the online event because of technical gremlins.
由于莫名的技术故障，我们不得不推迟线上活动。
机器里捣乱的鬼灵精；难以查明的机械故障
There's a gremlin in the machine that keeps resetting the settings.
机器里有个鬼灵精在捣乱，老是重置设置。
小捣蛋鬼；小调皮
My daughter turns into a little gremlin when she's tired.
我女儿一累就变成小捣蛋鬼。
暗中作祟的麻烦；未查明原因的阻滞
A gremlin in the works delayed the final approval.
一个暗中作祟的麻烦耽误了最终审批。
把问题归咎于无名故障；赖到小妖精头上
Rather than admit the error, the manager blamed the gremlins.
那位经理不承认错误，反而把问题归咎于无名故障。
机器中的捣蛋鬼；难以捉摸的故障
We couldn't find the error in the code; there must be a gremlin in the machine.
我们找不到代码中的错误；机器里肯定有个捣蛋鬼。
技术故障；莫名其妙的设备问题
The presentation was delayed by technical gremlins.
演示因技术故障而延误。
计划中的捣蛋鬼；制造麻烦的隐患
There's a gremlin in the works, so the launch has been postponed again.
计划中出了个捣蛋鬼，发布又推迟了。
机翼上有只小怪物！
From the classic 1963 The Twilight Zone episode 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet', in which a frightened airplane passenger sees a mysterious creature tearing at the plane's wing. The line has become a popular way to describe an inexplicable, destructive problem.
出自经典科幻剧《阴阳魔界》（The Twilight Zone）1963年的《两万英尺高空惊魂》，一位惊恐的乘客看到神秘生物正在破坏机翼。这句台词后来成了形容莫名破坏性问题的流行说法。
Use gremlin naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
gremlin 音似“鬼灵精”：想象一个鬼灵精怪的小矮人，躲在机器里偷偷拆零件捣乱。
语域：informal 常见场景：谈论机器或设备莫名其妙出故障、形容不明原因的小麻烦或问题的来源、形容调皮捣蛋、惹麻烦或矮小烦人的人 gremlin 多用于非正式、口语化的场合。本义指传说中爱搞恶作剧、会弄坏机器的小妖怪；引申可指找不出原因的麻烦根源，也可形容调皮捣蛋或烦人的人。日常交谈中比较常见，比较正式的场合通常会用更直白的说法。
可数名词，复数形式为 gremlins。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.