the Salem witch trials
/ðə ˌseɪləm ˈwɪtʃ traɪəlz/
/ðə ˌseɪləm ˈwɪtʃ traɪəlz/
[plural]- a series of trials in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, of people accused of being witches (= women thought to have evil magic powers). They began after a group of young girls started behaving in a crazy way and saying that they were 'possessed' (= controlled by an evil spirit). People in the town were quick to accuse each other, and the trials ended with 20 people being executed, on very little evidence. Arthur Miller used the trials as the basis for his play The Crucible (1953).
塞勒姆女巫审判：1692年在马萨诸塞州塞勒姆进行了一系列的审判，审判被指控为巫婆的人。他们是在一群年轻的女孩开始以疯狂的方式行事，然后说他们被“拥有”（受恶魔控制）之后才开始的。镇上的人们很快互相指责，审判以仅有极少证据的20人被处决而告终。亚瑟·米勒（Arthur Miller）将这些试验作为他的戏剧《坩埚》（The Crucible，1953）的基础。