gremlin

n. 小鬼, 造成烦的原因

grem.lin

n.（名词）
An imaginary gnomelike creature to whom mechanical problems, especially in aircraft, are attributed.
小妖精：一种据认为引起机械故障，尤其是飞机机械故障的想象出的矮小生物
A maker of mischief.
捣蛋鬼：恶作剧的人，捣乱的人

来源：
Perhaps blend of Irish gruaimín [bad-tempered little fellow] from Middle Irish gruaim [gloom, surliness]
可能混合了 爱尔兰语 gruaimín [坏脾气的小家伙] 源自 中古爱尔兰语 gruaim [阴暗的、阴沉的]
goblin
goblin

<注释>Elves, goblins, and trolls seem to be the timeless creations of the distant past,but gremlins were born in the 20th century.In fact,gremlin is first recorded only in the 920`s, as a Royal Air Force term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man saddled with oppressive assignments. Said to have been invented by members of the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I,gremlin is used in works written in the 940`s for .an imaginary gnomelike creature who causes difficulties in aircraft..The word seems likely to have been influenced bygoblin, but accounts of its origin are various and none are certain.One source calls in Fremlin beer bottles to explain the word;another, the Irish Gaelic wordgruaimín, .ill-humored little fellow.. Whatever the word`s origin,it is certain that gremlins have taken on a life of their own.
小精灵、小妖怪和侏儒似乎很久以前就被创造出来而且流传至今，而小妖精一词则是20世纪的产物。事实上，gremlin 在20世纪20年代首次被记录下来时为皇家空军对一个承受严酷任务的低级军官或征召者的称呼。 据说这是在第一次世界大战中由皇家空军的成员创造出来的。904年，gremlin 被用在书面的作品中， 意为.一种想象中的在飞机上制造麻烦的小生物。.这个词看起来很有可能受了goblin 一词的影响， 但对其词源说法不一，莫衷一是。一种说法用弗来姆林啤酒瓶来解释这一词；而另一种认为爱尔兰凯尔特语词汇gruaimin 意为.坏脾气的小家伙.为其词源。 不管源自何处，有一点是肯定的，小妖精自身有其生命力