名詞 gremlin:

1. (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
   同義詞：elf, hob, pixie, pixy, brownie, imp

1. The gremlins have got into the computer again.
   搗亂的小精靈又鉆進(jìn)計算機(jī)里了。

grem.lin

n.（名詞）
An imaginary gnomelike creature to whom mechanical problems, especially in aircraft, are attributed.
小妖精：一種據(jù)認(rèn)為引起機(jī)械故障，尤其是飛機(jī)機(jī)械故障的想象出的矮小生物
A maker of mischief.
搗蛋鬼：惡作劇的人，搗亂的人

來源：
Perhaps blend of Irish gruaimín [bad-tempered little fellow] from Middle Irish gruaim [gloom, surliness]
可能混合了 愛爾蘭語 gruaimín [壞脾氣的小家伙] 源自 中古愛爾蘭語 gruaim [陰暗的、陰沉的]
goblin
goblin

<注釋>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.
小精靈、小妖怪和侏儒似乎很久以前就被創(chuàng)造出來而且流傳至今，而小妖精一詞則是20世紀(jì)的產(chǎn)物。事實(shí)上，gremlin 在20世紀(jì)20年代首次被記錄下來時為皇家空軍對一個承受嚴(yán)酷任務(wù)的低級軍官或征召者的稱呼。 據(jù)說這是在第一次世界大戰(zhàn)中由皇家空軍的成員創(chuàng)造出來的。904年，gremlin 被用在書面的作品中， 意為.一種想象中的在飛機(jī)上制造麻煩的小生物。.這個詞看起來很有可能受了goblin 一詞的影響， 但對其詞源說法不一，莫衷一是。一種說法用弗來姆林啤酒瓶來解釋這一詞；而另一種認(rèn)為愛爾蘭凱爾特語詞匯gruaimin 意為.壞脾氣的小家伙.為其詞源。 不管源自何處，有一點(diǎn)是肯定的，小妖精自身有其生命力