“cotton”主要指棉花，但“cotton on”这个词组则表示理解、懂得某事物，通常是在经过一些初步的困难之后。它的同义词包括“catch on”、“get wise”、“get onto”等，都表示逐渐理解或领悟的意思‌23。

此外，“cotton on”还可以表示对某事物产生好感或喜欢，这种用法强调了对某事物的积极态度和接受度‌23。

Oh, " said Ron, cottoning on. " Right."

" 噢，" 罗恩这才心领神会，" 好吧。"

Employers have cottoned on to this and now often mention a “social purpose” in their recruitment advertisements.

雇主喜欢这一现象，现在常常在招聘面试中提到“社会使命”。

By the time the British cottoned on, it was a rich, thick concoction, both delicious and pleasingly exotic.

后来英国人终于知晓这杯浓郁的调制饮料，既美味又富含异国风味。

As the financial markets cottoned on to what was happening, investors began to distrust the central bank's weekly reserves figures.

随着金融市场逐渐意识到发生了什么，投资者开始不信任央行的每周外汇储备数据。

It took me a while to cotton on.

我过了一会才明白过来。

The middle classes soon cottoned on, encouraged by celebrity cook and domestic goddess Isabella Beeton