neat

• adj. 灵巧的；整洁的；优雅的；齐整的；未搀水的；平滑的

来自拉丁语nitere,照耀，光照，来自PIE*nei,照耀，词源同拉丁语eniteo,发光，杰出的。引申词义整洁的，干净的。比较clean.

1. clean or orderly;

"her neat dress"

"a neat room"

2. showing care in execution;

"neat homework"

"neat handwriting"

3. free from what is tawdry or unbecoming;

"a neat style"

"a neat set of rules"

"she hated to have her neat plans upset"

4. free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed;

"he landed a clean left on his opponent's cheek"

"a clean throw"

"the neat exactness of the surgeon's knife"

5. very good;

"he did a bully job"

"a neat sports car"

"had a great time at the party"

"you look simply smashing"

6. without water;

"took his whiskey neat"

neat

neat: English has two words neat. The older is now virtually obsolete, while the commoner is a comparatively recent introduction. Neat ‘tidy’ [16] was borrowed from French net ‘neat, clean’. This goes back to Latin nitidus ‘elegant, shiny’, a derivative of the verb nītēre ‘shine’. English originally acquired the word in the 14th century as net ‘clean, tidy’ (from which the modern net ‘with deductions’ developed).

This had a 16thcentury derivative netty, which may be the source of modern English natty [18]. Neat ‘cow, ox’ [OE] is now encountered only in gastronomic contexts, such as ‘neat’s foot jelly’, and even then is an archaism. It goes back to prehistoric Germanic *nautam, a derivative of a base meaning ‘use’, and hence reflects (like cattle itself) the original notion of cattle as ‘useful property’.
=> natty, net

neat (adj.)

1540s, "clean, free from dirt," from Anglo-French neit, Middle French net "clear, pure" (12c.), from Latin nitidus "well-favored, elegant, trim," literally "gleaming," from nitere "to shine," from PIE root *nei- "to shine" (cognates: Middle Irish niam "gleam, splendor," niamda "shining;" Old Irish noib "holy," niab "strength;" Welsh nwyfiant "gleam, splendor").

Meaning "inclined to be tidy" is from 1570s. Of liquor, "straight," c. 1800, from meaning "unadulterated" (of wine), which is first attested 1570s. Informal sense of "very good" first recorded 1934 in American English; variant neato is teenager slang, first recorded 1968. Related: Neatly; neatness.

neat (n.)

"ox, bullock, cow," Old English neat "ox, beast, animal," from Proto-Germanic *nautam "thing of value, possession" (cognates: Old Frisian nat, Middle Dutch noot, Old High German noz, Old Norse naut), from PIE root *neud- "to make use of, enjoy."

neat, tidy, trim, orderly

这些形容词均含"整齐的，整洁的"之意。

neat： 指人或物外表既清洁又整齐。

tidy： 侧重整齐，井然有序。

trim： 着重因线条清晰、比例匀称而使外观呈现出紧凑和精确、美观。

orderly： 语义比上述几个词强，最常用。指把复杂细微的东西按其内在联系安排整齐，侧重井井有条。

In planting and harvest times one can see their bearded men working the fields with horses and their women hanging out the laundry in neat rows to dry.

2016年12月六级真题（第三套）阅读 Section A

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as a good neighbor is to keep your property neat, clean, and in good repair.

2018年高考英语浙江卷 阅读理解 七选五 原文

These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt.

2017年高考英语全国卷1 阅读理解 阅读D 原文

What we need is a roommate who is neat and clean.

2015年高考英语上海卷 听力 原文

a neat desk

整洁的课桌

牛津词典

neat handwriting

工整的笔迹

牛津词典

neat rows of books

一排排整齐的书

牛津词典

She was wearing a neat black suit.

她穿着整洁的黑色礼服。

牛津词典

They sat in her neat and tidy kitchen.

他们坐在她那干净整齐的厨房里。

牛津词典

Try and be neater!

干净利落点！

牛津词典

her neat figure

她那娇小玲珑的身材

牛津词典

a neat explanation

简明的解释

牛津词典

a neat solution to the problem

解决这个问题的捷径

牛津词典

It's a really neat movie.

这真是一部极好的电影。

牛津词典

We had a great time─it was pretty neat.

我们玩得很痛快——棒极了。

牛津词典

neat whisky

纯威士忌酒

牛津词典

neatly folded clothes

折叠整齐的衣服

牛津词典

The box fitted neatly into the drawer.

这盒子放在抽屉里正合适。

牛津词典

She summarized her plan very neatly.

她非常简明地总结了她的计划。

牛津词典

So they left her in the neat little house, alone with her memories...

于是他们把她一个人留在整洁的小房子里，只有记忆陪着她。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

She undressed and put her wet clothes in a neat pile in the corner.

她脱掉衣服，把湿衣服整齐地码成一堆放在角落里。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

'That's not like Alf,' he said, 'leaving papers muddled like that. He's always so neat.'

他说道：“这不像是阿尔夫的风格，他不会把文件弄得那么乱。他一向很爱整洁。”

柯林斯高阶英语词典

...a faded woman with neat features.

姿色虽衰但五官清秀的女人

柯林斯高阶英语词典

...neat handwriting.

娟秀的笔迹

柯林斯高阶英语词典

A neat move between Black and Keane left Nigel Clough in the clear, but his shot skimmed wide of the far post.

奈杰尔·克拉夫凭借一次漂亮的跑位在布莱克和基恩之间扯出了空当儿，但是他的射门却大大偏出了远门柱。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

It had been such a neat, clever plan...

这曾是个如此巧妙、机智的计划。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Neat solutions are not easily found to these issues...

很难找到解决这些问题的巧妙办法。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

'Oh, those new apartments are really neat,' the girl babbled on...

那个女孩赞不绝口地说：“噢，那些新公寓真是非常棒。” 

柯林斯高阶英语词典

It'll be neat to have a father and son playing on the same team...

爸爸和儿子同队效力，那真是太棒了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He poured himself a brandy and swallowed it neat...

他给自己倒了一杯白兰地，没兑水就一饮而尽。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He took a mouthful of neat whisky, and coughed.

他喝了一口纯威士忌，咳嗽了起来。

柯林斯高阶英语词典