本文经授权转载自微信公众号：田间小站
SAT GRE
外刊例句
- Banks, insurers, shippers, their corporate customers and governments, abetted by technology companies, are combining forces to digitise the paper trail.
在科技公司的推波助澜下，银行、保险公司、航运公司、企业客户及政府正在合力推动贸易单据的数字化。
——《经济学人》 - I understand that renouncing him means abetting her, which hurts, given her considerable flaws and their genuine qualms.
我明白，踩他就意味着挺她，鉴于她有着相当多的缺陷以及他们发自内心的不安，这样做是很痛苦的。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular to commit a crime
[动词] 鼓励或帮助（某人）做错事，尤其是犯罪
深入解读
Abet 是一个与小站（微信公众号：田间小站）之前推送过的 abate 略有些形近的单词。该词源自古法语 abeter （纵犬袭击、用狗骚扰，字面意思指“使……咬……”）。
说到纵犬袭击，不得不提到12世纪到19世纪之间在英国十分流行的血腥游戏——纵狗斗熊（bear-baiting）。即放一只或一群狗去咬一只被铁链拴住的熊，经过一番撕咬搏斗之后，往往以熊被咬死而结束游戏。
在游戏过程中，观众们常喊“sic 'em”或“go get 'em”来教唆狗上前咬熊。这一做法就叫做 abet the dogs 。因此 abet 于14世纪末进入英语后就开始用来表示“教唆、唆使、怂恿”以及“伙同……作案”，主要指鼓励或帮助某人做错事，尤其是做违法的事，并在法律领域常用 aid and abet 搭配表示“帮助和教唆他人犯罪”，比如：
- 那个女人总是打扮得干净利落，利用自身的魅力来摆布别人。他行骗就是受了她的怂恿。
That woman always looks immaculate and uses her charm to manipulate people. He was abetted in the deception by her. - 我们名义上的老板作为他的从犯被判入狱两年。
The nominal head of our company was sentenced to two years imprisonment for aiding and abetting him.
从这个概念出发， abet 也可以用来指“煽动”或者说“促使”错事、坏事或违法的事成为可能，比如：
- 媒体也在一旁对这种非现实感推波助澜。这件事如果继续下去就糟透了。
The media have also abetted the feeling of unreality. If it goes ahead, it will be the nightmare scenario.
名著用例
And while she aided and abetted him all she could, away in the remotest corner of her ancient healthy womanhood she despised him with a savage contempt that knew no bounds.
她一边竭力地帮助他，鼓舞他，一边却在她的健全女性的最深最远处，残酷地、无限地轻蔑他。
出自英国作家D·H·劳伦斯创作的最后一部长篇小说《查泰莱夫人的情人》（Lady Chatterley's Lover）。
同近义词
-
egg: encourage someone to do something foolish or risky -
incite: encourage or stir up (violent or unlawful behaviour) -
instigate: incite someone to do something, especially something bad
