speaking /ˈspiːkɪŋ/► SEE ALLbe on speaking terms (with sb)in a manner of speakingrelatively speakingstrictly speaking ●be on ˈspeaking terms (with sb)1.know sb well enough to speak to them, perhaps sb famous or important同（名人或重要人物）说得上话◆He’s on speaking terms with a number of senior politicians. 他和好几个高层政界人物都说得上话。2. ( be ˈspeaking (to sb)) be talking to each other again after an argument（与某人）和好如初◆Tony and Craig had a big row and are not on speaking terms. 托尼和克雷格大吵了一架，两人谁也不理谁了。◆You’re lucky I’m still speaking to you after what you did! 你真走运，你做了那些事情后我还理你！●in a ˌmanner of ˈspeakingif you think about it in a certain way从某种意义上说；不妨说◆‘Are they married?’ ‘In a manner of speaking — they’ve lived together for 15 years.’“他们结婚了吗？”“从某种意义上说是的，他们已经同居 15 年了。”●ˈrelatively speakingused when you are comparing sth with all similar things相对来说；相比较而言◆Relatively speaking, these jobs provide good salaries.相比而言，这些工作的报酬都不差。●strictly ˈspeakingif you are using words or rules in their exact or correct sense严格说来◆Strictly speaking, nobody under 18 can join this club, but as you are nearly 18…严格来讲，任何 18 岁以下的人都不能加入本俱乐部，不过既然你就要满 18 岁了…◆Strictly speaking, a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.严格说来，西红柿是水果，不是蔬菜。