fix

Definitions

fix is the root fīgere ('to fasten, nail') standing on its own. Its core is 'make something stay in place.' Because a thing nailed down is no longer loose or broken, the meaning stretched from 'fasten' to 'repair' to the abstract noun 'a fix' — a way of making a problem hold together, or the tight spot you're pinned in.

Why It Means This

All of fix's senses come from one nail. Fasten it down → it stays (fix a shelf). What was broken or loose, once secured, works again → repair (fix the car). Settle it so it can't change → arrange (fix a date). As a noun, 'a fix' is whatever holds the problem together — and 'in a fix' is being nailed into a corner you can't move out of.

Common Collocations

• 1.fix a problem解决问题
• 2.quick fix权宜之计
• 3.in a fix陷入困境
• 4.fix a date确定日期
• 5.fix your eyes on目不转睛地盯着

Example Sentences

• 1.

  He fixed the shelf to the wall with four screws.

• 2.

  Can you fix my laptop? The screen keeps flickering.

• 3.

  We still need to fix a date for the meeting.

• 4.

  There's no quick fix for a problem this complicated.

• 5.

  I forgot my wallet at home, so I'm really in a fix.

Easily Confused

fix vs repair vs mend — fix is the everyday, all-purpose word (fix a car, a date, a problem). repair is more formal and usually for machines or structures (repair the engine). mend leans toward fabric, clothes, or relationships (mend a shirt, mend a friendship). When in doubt in casual English, fix works.