(形容人,尤指说话方式)大胆直率、带点俏皮甚至略显冒犯的自信;常用于形容机智的“回怼”或有态度的表达。(也可指穿着/风格“时髦亮眼”,但较次要。)
/ˈsæsi/
She gave a sassy reply and walked away.
她俏皮又强硬地回了一句就走开了。
Though young, he’s sassy enough to challenge the rules with sharp humor, which sometimes annoys his teachers.
虽然年纪小,他却大胆嘴快、用犀利的幽默质疑规则,这有时会惹恼老师。
sassy 多被认为来自 sauce(“酱汁/调味汁”)的引申用法:在英语里 to have sauce 曾有“顶嘴、没大没小、胆子大”的意思,带“有点冲/有点辣”的感觉;后来演变出 sassy,表示“嘴上有劲、态度鲜明、俏皮又不服输”。