關鍵字彙：
belie/ camouflage/ clandestine/ cloak/ confidential/ covert/ dissemble/ divulge/ enigma/ esoteric/ furtive/ intrigue/ occult/ overt/ plot/ secretive/ surreptitious/ transpire/ ulterior/ unravel/ varnish/ veneer
1. 「祕密的」叫secret，但「保守祕密的」、「守口如瓶的」叫secretive。當我們說一個人secretive時，通常暗示對於這種守密覺得不以為然：
•He was very secretive about his secret visit to Europe.
2. 「祕密的」、「被隱藏的」也可用covert，「公開的」可用overt（正式）。兩個字雖然很類似，但要搞定並不難。covert很像cover（覆蓋），因為是祕密所以要被蓋起來。overt是o開頭，我們可以把它聯想到open（打開、公開）：
•She had a covert dislike of her math teacher.
•The shy boy took a covert glance of the beautiful girl.
•Detectives often use covert video surveillance.
•According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.
3. 在與軍事、商務、研發或禮節慣例等有關的情境中，「機密的」用confidential：
•All information will be treated as strictly confidential.
•Your medical records are strictly confidential.
4. 「偷偷的」（經常由於目的不正當）可用furtive或surreptitious。假如強調因為違法而「祕密的」進行某行動，用clandestine：
•The thief was furtive in his movements.
•The girl gave a furtive look at her classmate's test paper.
•News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.
•She undertook several clandestine operations for the CIA.
•The gangsters had a clandestine meeting.
•He has been having a clandestine affair with his secretary for three years.
5. 非正式英文中，在表面的理由等之外「被刻意隱瞞的」用ulterior：
•He definitely had an ulterior motive in offering to help.
6. 「只對特定人公開的」、「只有少數人能了解的」叫esoteric，巫術、占星學等「玄妙神祕的」、「有如魔法的」叫occult：
•Very few had access to the esoteric plan.
•The history book is not popular with students because its language is too esoteric for them to understand.
•The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members.
•The old man claimed to have occult powers given to him by some mysterious spirit.
7. 指人「洩露」祕密可用divulge（正式），指祕密、事件、消息等「逐漸為人所知」、「傳開」用transpire，它經常用在it transpired that（正式）的形式中。這時，that之後所接的就是逐漸傳開的事情：
•He won't tell you the news because he is afraid you will divulge it prematurely.
•The journalist refused to divulge his source of information.
•Despite all their efforts to keep the meeting a secret, news of their conclusions transpired.
•It transpired that the movie star had divorced her husband.
8. 「計謀」、「陰謀」可用intrigue或plot，plot也做動詞使用（「密謀」）：
•The royal family was filled with intrigue.
•The gangsters had a plot to abduct the wealthy businessman.
•Those who plot the overthrow of the government will be sentenced to death.
9. 「謎樣的人或事物」叫enigma，「破解」謎團可用unravel：
•Despite all the attempts to decipher the code, it remained an enigma.
•I wish I could unravel the enigma.
10. 「掩飾」、「偽裝」可用動詞belie或dissemble，假如掩飾的目的是為了粉飾太平或避重就輕，用varnish：
•His gracious manner belied his evil purpose.
•Even though you are trying to dissemble your motive in joining this group, we can see through your pretense.
•Tom tends to varnish the truth to make a more interesting story.
•Though members of the committee disagreed on several points, the chairman did his best to varnish this over in the report.
11. 「用作掩飾的東西」可用cloak或veneer：
•His friendly behavior was a cloak for his evil intentions.
•Some people use patriotism as a cloak for making money.
•One can easily pierce beneath his thin veneer of elegance.
•Under a veneer of good manners and speech, Mr. Smith was a coarse fellow.
12. 動物利用天然保護色或軍隊利用周邊環境所作的「掩護」或「偽裝」叫camouflage，它可用作名詞和動詞：
•Many animals have a natural camouflage that hides them from their attackers.
•Camouflage is necessary if we are to deceive the enemy.
•They camouflaged the ship by painting it gray.
留言列表
