Question of the Day #1356

Gun-Shy

From the headline of this article at Comment.com.

  上記の文で、gun-shyの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "gun-shy" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

【形】
〔人が〕銃の音に敏感な［おびえやすい］、弱気の、二の足を踏んでいる、用心深い◆【対】gun-happy

今の米国においては、gun-shyは最初の「[人が]銃の音に敏感な［おびえやすい］」または「銃を恐れている」意味になりますが、一般的には他の三つの意味で使用されることが多い。なお、反対の意味としてgun-happyとなっていますが、この用語は「銃を過度に好み、使用したり、銃による暴力を擁護したりする傾向がある」の意味が強く、他の意味の対語として使用されることは稀です。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. afraid of loud noise (such as that of a gun)
2. markedly distrustful, afraid, or cautious

 

Examples

1. After the crash, investors were gun-shy about putting their money into the stock market.
2. After his last suggestion was laughed at by his colleagues, he was gunshy about making another suggestion.
3. After her last relationship ended the way it did, I don't blame her for being gun-shy about dating again.
4. Nintendo has been famously gun-shy of live-action adaptations — or adaptations in general — after the abysmal 1993 Super Mario Bros. film tanked. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
5. The pressure from both the U.S. and China has seemingly made Panama more gun-shy about those ports shifting hands, with numerous officials putting CK Hutchison’s partnership with the Panamanian government under scrutiny. — Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 13 Aug. 2025

   

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Question of the Day #1355

How To Work A Room Like You Own The Place

From the headline of this article at Forbes.

  上記の文で、how to work a/the roomの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "how to work a/the room" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〈俗〉うまく立ち回る、いい雰囲気をつくってくれる

とありますが、これはイディオムのwork the roomの結果であって決して起こす行為ではありません。
このHiNativeの説明の意味の方が適切です。

「work the room」とは、できるだけ多くの人と話し、名刺をもらい、つながりを作り、ゲームに先んじることを意味します。言い換えればネットワーキングです!

なお、下記英語の定義にあるように、仕事関連の集まりに使用されることが多いイディオムです。

 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To interact with many people at an event or function. Often, but not always, applied to business situations.

 

Examples

1. At networking events, Ben totally works the room, with the goal of meeting as many people as he possibly can.
2. At parties, my dad always works the room and chats with everyone, but I'm too shy for that.
3. As a campaigning politician, he really knew how to shake hands, kiss babies, and work the room.
4. Don’t “manage the floor,” work the room.
5. As you work the room, break out of the mechanical table visit that includes a rushed general question such as “Is everything okay?”

   

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Question of the Day #1354

Hot take: The National Rifle Association agrees with Governor Newsom

From the headline of this article at the Governor Gavin Newsom website.

  上記の文で、hot takeの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "hot take" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

ホットテイク◆報道記者が十分な調査・思考をせずに、急いで書いた記事（または投稿メッセージ）

この訳では、下記英語の定義の"often deliberately provocative or sensational opinion or reaction (as in response to current news)"(「しばしば意図的に挑発的またはセンセーショナルな意見や反応（時事ニュースへの反応など）」)が欠落しています。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a quickly produced, strongly worded, and often deliberately provocative or sensational opinion or reaction (as in response to current news)

 

Examples

1. They’re too focused on raising families and trying to prosper in these hard times to post a hot take on social media about political personalities they barely know. From Los Angeles Times
2. Frankly, it’s a flaming hot take that’s best kept private, reserved only for the Notes App or a conversation at the dinner party table. From Salon
3. Swoopes has faced criticism in the past over her hot takes on Clark. — Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024
4. Dwayne Johnson has a hot take on singing in movie theaters. — Tommy McArdle, People.com, 26 Nov. 2024
5. In fact—brace for hot take—sometimes the hair, makeup, and nails are more noteworthy than the attire. — Marci Robin, Allure, 5 May 2025

   

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Question of the Day #1353

Gift of Gab Bridges Cultures at Asakatsu

From the headline of this article at DVIDS.

  上記の文で、gift of gabの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "gift of gab" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

《gift of (the) gab》〈話〉雄弁、能弁◆「よく考えずにペラペラしゃべる」という軽蔑的な意味で使われることもある。

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

the ability to talk glibly and persuasively

 

Examples

1. She's got the gift of the gab - she should work in sales and marketing.
2. They are naturally good salesmen with the gift of the gab.
3. The gift of gab would serve him well in his journalistic career. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
4. Rosie O'Donnell is using her gift of gab to share her thoughts on billionaire Jeff Bezos' extravagant wedding to Lauren Sánchez over the weekend. — Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 30 June 2025
5. One longtime sufferer unleashes the gift of gab By Hannah Betts Read On Air Supply Give Me Some Skin Shrug off those layers and let your skin show. — Tuppence Middleton, Air Mail, 8 May 2025

   

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Question of the Day #1352

"Put up or shut up now": Walz unleashes after announcing political exit

From the headline of this article at Axios.

  上記の文で、put up or shut upの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "put up or shut up" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

実際にやって見せるか黙ってるかのどちらかにしてくれ。／できないなら黙っていろ。◆【同】Don't tell me. Show me.

ちょっと失礼な表現なので「できないなら黙っていろ」の方が適訳です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

used to tell someone in a somewhat rude way to start doing something or to stop talking about it

 

Examples

1. You've complained long enough. It's time to put up or shut up.
2. You keep saying you're going to ask her out. Well, put up or shut up.
3. You keep moaning that you don't have any meaningful friendships, but you don't do anything to try to form some. Either put up or shut up!
4. Now's your chance to show us that you can run as fast as you can talk. Put up or shut up!
5. If that person is not willing to change an unpleasant environment then they should simply get out of that environment, put up or shut up.

   

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Question of the Day #1351

Railroad Festival has full head of steam

From the headline of this article at the Lompoc Record.

  上記の文で、head of steamの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "head of steam" mean?

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明日、ここに答えを書きます。
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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. 《a ～》《物理》蒸気圧
2. 《a ～》〔人・組織・変化・改革などの〕十分な勢い

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

strong driving force: MOMENTUM

 

Examples

1. They're really beginning to build up a head of steam for their campaign.
2. And when he gets up a head of steam there's no stopping him. Times, Sunday Times (2006)
3. But Detroit is an elite team and will take a head of steam into the playoffs. — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
4. WhatsApp has already been building a head of steam in the U.S., making this latest news a gift for Meta. — Zak Doffman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
5. That won’t come easily, because Nvidia has a huge head of steam and—notwithstanding a couple of recent minor production stumbles—is executing at a high level. — Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

   

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Question of the Day #1350

A Sliding Doors moment for the NHS?

From the headline of this article at the BBC News.

  上記の文で、sliding doors momentの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "sliding doors moment" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
英語のサイトでも定義が少ないこの語句を扱っている日本語のサイトは調べたところ皆無なので、下記Mediumの記事によると、

Sliding doors momentとは、人生における分岐点での選択がその後の人生を大きく左右すること。

実は、この定義ではちょっと舌足らずで、「人生における些細なできごとでその後の人生が大きく左右されること」くらいの方が正確だと思います。（理由を下記「語源」の項で説明します。）
ちなみに、英語でsliding doorsは引き戸、障子、襖のことですが、この場合は電車の扉のことです。

 

Answer

According to this article at Medium:

A Sliding Doors Moment; a junction in life where choices lead to divergent paths.

 

語源

同Mediumの記事によると、

この言葉は、Gwyneth Paltrowの1998年の映画Sliding Doors/邦題「スライディング・ドア」に由来し、主人公のHelenの人生の分岐点を指しています。
電車の扉(sliding doors)が閉まったために乗り損ねて、浮気をしている婚約者を発見しないのか？
それとも、その電車に乗車することができて、婚約者の浮気現場に遭遇するのか？

 

Etymology

According to the same article at Medium:

It is a term forever cast into our vocabulary after Gwyneth Paltrow’s 98' film [Sliding Doors], we see Helen (Paltrow) reach a moment in time where her paths diverge.
Does she miss the train and miss her cheating fiance?
Or does she get on that early train and catch him in the act?

   

Examples

1. So I guess essentially, a sliding doors moment basically is a moment in your life which you don't realize at the time is going to change the trajectory of your life forever going forward.
2. What is your sliding doors moment THIS YEAR?
3. Meeting her was a sliding doors moment that changed his life forever.
4. Choosing that job was a sliding doors moment in his career.
5. Princess Diana's last minute decision to make a trip to Paris was a defined sliding door decision

   

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