mothball

音標發(fā)音

The decision to mothball the shuttle fleet has not come without criticism, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden noted.
美國宇航局局長Charles Bolden提到，將航天飛機封存的舉動并非沒有批評。
When demand for labour falls, firms want to hang on to them, just as they might mothball an expensive piece of machinery.
當(dāng)勞動力需求降低時，公司希望像封存昂貴機械那樣留住這些員工。
Moreover, since nuclear plants are cheap to operate but expensive to mothball, they are often run at full tilt even when demand for power slackens.
此外，由于運營費用低廉但封存花費甚巨，即便在核能需求增長放緩之際，核電廠通常還是會全力運行。

She hid in the back of closets where mothball gas brought tears to her eyes.
NEWYORKER: Ziggurat
It is also hard for airlines to mothball planes they are still paying for.
ECONOMIST: Airlines in the recession
The Georgetown factory was able to mothball one of its three painting booths, saving energy and upkeep costs.
FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

a small, white ball containing a chemical with a strong smell that keeps moths away from clothes
to stop work on an idea, plan, or job, but leaving it in such a way that you can start on it again at some point in the future

A mothball is a small ball made of a special chemical, which you can put among clothes or blankets in order to keep moths away.
If someone in authority mothballs a plan, factory, or piece of equipment, they decide to stop developing or using it, perhaps temporarily. ...