“Pickpocketing” 指“扒窃、掏包”:在人群中趁人不备从他人衣袋、包里偷走钱财等小物件的行为。(也可泛指此类小偷行为;相关名词为 pickpocket “扒手”。)
/ˈpɪkˌpɑːkɪtɪŋ/
Pickpocketing is common in crowded tourist areas.
扒窃在拥挤的旅游景点很常见。
The police warned commuters that pickpocketing often increases during festivals, when people are distracted by noise and crowds.
警方提醒通勤者:在节日期间,人们容易被嘈杂和人群分散注意力,扒窃往往会增多。
来自 pickpocket(扒手):pick 有“偷摸地拿走、顺走”的含义,pocket 是“口袋”。字面意思就是“从口袋里偷拿东西的人/行为”。后缀 -ing 用于表示动作或行为,因此 pickpocketing 表示“扒窃这一行为”。