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the proverbial + noun
the proverbial 提示后面的事物来自某个众所周知的谚语或俗语，不是字面义。
Losing that client was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
失去那个客户正是谚语里压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。
谚语的；谚语式的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
谚语的；谚语式的
of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
Losing that client was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
失去那个客户正是谚语里压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。
谚语的、类似谚语的,或以谚语、陈词滥调、寓言或童话形式表达的。
Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale.
可选地置于著名谚语或隐喻的某个成分之前,以强调该成分并非按字面意义使用(参见下方用法说明)
Optionally placed before an element of a well-known proverb or metaphor to emphasize that the element is not being used in a literal sense (see Usage notes below)
广为人知的；著名的；典型的。
Widely known; famous; stereotypical.
The boss's bad temper is proverbial, so new employees try not to annoy him.
老板的坏脾气是出了名的，所以新员工尽量不去惹他。
That family's hospitality is proverbial; they always welcome guests warmly.
那家人的好客远近闻名，他们总是热情地欢迎客人。
The teacher's strictness is proverbial at our school, but her students love her.
我们学校这位老师的严格是出了名的，但她的学生都很爱她。
the proverbial 提示后面的事物来自某个众所周知的谚语或俗语，不是字面义。
Losing that client was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
失去那个客户正是谚语里压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。
proverbial 作定语时表示“谚语的、谚语式的”。
That phrase is a proverbial expression for sudden danger.
那个短语是表示突然危险的谚语式表达。
proverbial 作表语时意思是“众所周知的、闻名的”。
His punctuality is proverbial.
他的守时是出了名的。
Not this
The proverb elephant in the room finally got our attention.
Use this
The proverbial elephant in the room finally got our attention.
这里应用形容词 proverbial 表示“众所周知的”；proverb 是名词，不能这样修饰 elephant。
Not this
As the proverbial goes, 'practice makes perfect.'
Use this
As the proverb goes, 'practice makes perfect.'
proverbial 是形容词，不能作主语；表示“谚语”这个意思时，应该用名词 proverb。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
谚语中的智慧；民间智慧
The old man shared his proverbial wisdom with the children.
那位老人与孩子们分享了他谚语式的智慧。
谚语；谚语式的说法
The teacher explained the proverbial saying to the class.
老师向全班解释了这个谚语式的说法。
众所周知却又避而不谈的大问题；谚语中的大象
The rising cost was the proverbial elephant in the room.
不断上涨的成本是那个众所周知却又避而不谈的问题。
压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草（谚语所指的）
The delay was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
这次延误成了压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。
谚语中说的早起的鸟儿
She was the proverbial early bird and got the best seat.
她就是谚语中说的早起的鸟儿，坐到了最好的座位。
谚语中所说的大象（喻指众人心知肚明却避而不谈的明显问题）
We talked for hours without mentioning the proverbial elephant in the room.
我们聊了几个小时，却始终没有提及房间里那头众所周知的大象。
谚语中所说的蛋糕上的糖霜（喻指锦上添花的事物）
Winning the award was the proverbial icing on the cake.
获奖可谓是谚语中说的蛋糕上的糖霜，锦上添花。
谚语中所说的矿井里的金丝雀（喻指早期的预警信号）
The rising inflation is the proverbial canary in the coal mine for the economy.
不断上升的通胀率就像是谚语中矿井里的金丝雀，是经济的前车之鉴。
Use proverbial naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想 proverb（谚语）去掉 r 加 ial，即‘谚语的’；谚语人人挂在嘴边，所以引申为‘众所周知的、闻名的’。
语域：neutral 常见场景：formal essays、public speeches、journalism proverbial 通常出现在书面语和正式演讲中，尤其在 the proverbial... 结构里，指代众所周知的谚语或说法。日常口语中较少单独使用，但在固定搭配中也会出现。
真正与 proverbial 押韵的是 adverbial（/ədˈvəːbiəl/）。controversial 的结尾读 /ʃəl/；editorial、material 的重读元音和结尾分别为 /ɔːriəl/、/ɪəriəl/；labial 读 /ˈleɪbiəl/，虽拼写含 bial，但重读元音不同。除 adverbial 外，这些拼写相近的词都不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, OCTANOVE, WIKTIONARY.