dusting

1. N-UNCOUNT Dust is very small dry particles of earth or sand. 沙尘

Tanks raise huge trails of dust when they move. 坦克移动时掀起滚滚的尘土。

2. N-UNCOUNT Dust is the very small pieces of dirt which you find inside buildings, for example, on furniture, floors, or lights. 灰尘

I could see a thick layer of dust on the stairs. 我能看见楼梯上厚厚的一层灰尘。

3. N-UNCOUNT Dust is a fine powder which consists of very small particles of a substance such as gold, wood, or coal. 粉末

The air is so black with diesel fumes and coal dust, I can barely see. 天空由于充满柴油机的浓烟和煤灰而如此黑，我几乎看不见。

4. V-T/V-I When you dust something such as furniture, you remove dust from it, usually using a cloth. 去除灰尘

I vacuumed and dusted and polished the living room. 我把起居室吸了尘、掸了灰并且擦亮了。

5. V-T/V-I If you dust something with a fine substance such as powder or if you dust a fine substance onto something, you cover it lightly with that substance. 用 (粉状物) 擦涂; 把 (粉状物) 撒于

Lightly dust the fish with flour. 轻轻地把鱼撒上面粉。

6. PHRASE If you say that something has bitten the dust, you are emphasizing that it no longer exists or that it has failed. 不复存在; 失败[幽默，非正式]

In the last 30 years many cherished values have bitten the dust. 过去30年里许多值得珍惜的价值观已经不复存在。

7. PHRASE If you say that something will happen when the dust settles, you mean that a situation will be clearer after it has calmed down. If you let the dust settle before doing something, you let a situation calm down before you try to do anything else. 尘埃落定[非正式]

Once the dust had settled Beck defended his decision. 一旦尘埃落定，贝克就为自己的决定进行了辩护。

8. PHRASE If you say that something is gathering dust, you mean that it has been left somewhere and nobody is using it or doing anything with it. 闲置

Many of the machines are gathering dust in basements. 很多的机器闲置在地下室里。