(因尴尬、不安、疼痛或被束缚而)扭动、蠕动;坐立不安地动来动去。(也可引申为“感到难堪、不自在”。)
/ skwɝːm /
The toddler began to squirm in his seat.
那个幼儿开始在座位上扭来扭去。
She tried not to squirm as the doctor cleaned the wound, but it stung sharply.
医生清理伤口时她尽量不乱动,但刺痛感很强,让她差点坐立不安。
“Squirm”常被认为来自英语方言或古英语相关形式,带有模仿动作的拟声色彩,用来描写身体像虫一样扭动、挣扎的样子;后来也常用于形容因尴尬或不舒服而“浑身不自在”的感觉。