(尤指言谈或举止)轻快而带点自信的;机敏但略显冒失或无礼的。(常用于描述回答、语气或态度。)
/ˈpɝːtli/
She answered pertly and walked away.
她轻快而略带顶嘴意味地回答了一句就走开了。
Pertly, he dismissed the concerns, as if the issue were too small to matter.
他用一种轻佻自信的口吻把这些担忧打发掉,仿佛问题小到不值一提。
Pertly 来自形容词 pert(活泼的、冒失的、略显无礼的),再加副词后缀 -ly 构成。Pert 在英语中曾有“精神饱满、敏捷”的含义,后来也常带有“轻佻、顶嘴”的语气色彩,因此 pertly 往往暗示“聪明但不够得体”。