If someone is irascible, they become angry easily — a sharp word, a slammed door, a short fuse that lights often. It describes a habit of temper, not one bad afternoon.

If someone is irascible如果有人是irascible，they become angry easily他們很容易生氣──a sharp word一句尖銳的話，a slammed door用力甩門，a short fuse that lights often一根常常點燃的短導火線。It它 describes a habit of temper形容的是一種脾氣上的習慣，not one bad afternoon而不是某一個不順的下午。

It is a rather bookish, slightly old-fashioned adjective; in ordinary talk people are more likely to say short-tempered, hot-tempered, or “he has a short fuse.” You meet it in novels, in a careful description of a grumpy character, sometimes in a half-joking portrait of a snappy boss or a prickly old man.

It它 is a rather bookish, slightly old-fashioned adjective是個相當書面、有點老派的形容詞；in ordinary talk一般對話裡 people are more likely to say人們比較會說 short-tempered, hot-tempered, or "he has a short fuse."short-tempered、hot-tempered，或是「he has a short fuse」。You meet it in novels你會在小說裡遇到它，in a careful description of a grumpy character用來仔細描寫一個易怒的角色，sometimes in a half-joking portrait of a snappy boss or a prickly old man有時候是半開玩笑地描寫一個兇巴巴的老闆或難相處的老頭。

Though actually, it sits close to irritable but is not the same: irritable can mean easily annoyed by small things (noise, waiting, a scratchy label), while irascible is more about slipping into real anger. You would rarely call a child irascible at the dinner table; it sounds like a word from a book.

Though actually不過其實，it sits close to irritable but is not the same它跟irritable很接近但不一樣：irritable can mean easily annoyed by small things (noise, waiting, a scratchy label)irritable可能是指很容易被小事惹惱（噪音、等待、扎人的標籤），while irascible is more about slipping into real anger而irascible比較是指容易滑向真正的憤怒。You would rarely call a child irascible at the dinner table你很少會在餐桌上說一個小孩irascible；it sounds like a word from a book這聽起來像是書裡才會出現的字。