Question of the Day #1375

With a finish in the top three of an event required to punch one's ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, some Hokies will look to either take a well-deserved rest this summer or continue training at the professional level.

From the 5th paragraph of this article at HokieSports.com.

  上記の文で、punch one’s ticketの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "punch one’s ticket" 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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Question of the Day #1374

$48M ‘boondoggle’ set to be killed by N.J. gov. ‘Not good enough,’ she says.

From the headline of this article at NJ.com.

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

【名・自動】
〈米話〉〔多大な労力・時間・金を費やす〕無駄［無意味］な仕事［活動・計画・公共事業］（を行う）

ただし、上記の訳に下記英語にある大事な部分が含まれていません。それは、often involving graftつまり「しばしば収賄を伴う」の部分です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft

 

Examples

1. Is high-speed rail a valuable addition to infrastructure, or a boondoggle?
2. Republicans called the plan a boondoggle and a drain on federal highway funds.
3. The senator called the new highways proposal "a fraud and a boondoggle that the taxpayer should not tolerate."
4. Why: In a state known for its outlandish mansions, this is the boondoggle that set the standard. — Christopher Reynolds, latimes.com, 21 May 2017
5. The judges were not somebody’s nephew on a boondoggle but were, for the most part, their countries’ best legal minds. — Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1373

COLUMN: People going bananas for baby macaque online

From the headline of this article at OrilliaMatters.

  上記の文で、go bananasの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "go bananas" 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、

1. 〈俗〉頭がおかしくなる、気が狂う◆【語源】バナナを目の前に出されたサルが騒ぐ様子から◆【参考】go ape
2. 〈俗〉熱狂する、怒り狂う
3. 〈俗〉〔機械などが〕駄目になる、いかれる

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. To become irrational or crazy.
2. To express great excitement about something in an exuberant manner.

 

Examples

1. I'll end up going bananas if I have to work in this cubicle for one more day!
2. The kids are going to go bananas when we tell them about the trip.
3. Confession: I don’t always go bananas for depictions of food in art, but April brings a smattering of excellent and tasty shows. From Seattle Times
4. “Yet it’s not cluttered up; it’s streamlined and simple. Whatever we did was going to be seen in that opening shot of the train going through Asteroid City, so we couldn’t go bananas and let any part of it get too big and out of control.” From Los Angeles Times
5. Students are going bananas over the lack of options available in the cafeteria for lunch.

   

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Question of the Day #1372

Scoot and shoot the breeze for charity

From the headline of this article at defense.gov.au.

  上記の文で、shoot the breezeの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "shoot the breeze" 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、

〈米話〉おしゃべりする、無駄話をする、油を売る◆【直訳】口から風を吹く

   

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

Talk idly, chat

 

語源

Wiktionaryによると、

1919年に初めて記録されたスラングで、風に向かって話すことを意味する。

 

Etymology

According to Wiktionary:

A slang phrase, alluding to talking into the wind, it was first recorded in 1919.

   

Examples

1. They've been sitting on the porch for hours, just shooting the breeze.
2. We were just standing around shooting the breeze.
3. 1999, The Ninth Gate (motion picture), spoken by Dean Corso (Johnny Depp):
   Listen, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. If you want to expound your personal philosophies, write another book.
4. Catch him after practice and he’s happy to shoot the breeze with a smile on his face. From Seattle Times
5. “It felt like they were just shooting the breeze,” recalled Robinson Chavez, whose aching black-and-white photos anchored the series. From Los Angeles Times

   

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Question of the Day #1371

Coups, colonialism and all that jazz: the film that unravels extraordinary cold war truths

From the headline of this article at the Guardian.

  上記の文で、and all that jazzの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "and all that jazz" 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、

～などなど、～とかいろいろ、それに類したもの

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

And everything else; and many related things.

 

Examples

1. They sell televisions and radios and all that jazz.
2. I’m fed up with work, meetings, and all that jazz.
3. Yeah, bring in the candy bars, the cookies, and all that jazz.
4. If we're going to paint this weekend, we need rollers, drop cloths, and all that jazz.
5. My sister is involved in so many extracurricular activities—student council, Model UN, the literary magazine, and all that jazz.

   

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Question of the Day #1370

Have an itch to go for a nature walk? Watch for poison ivy on the paths

From the headline of this article at Bradford Today.

  上記の文で、have an itchの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "have an itch" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. かゆみがある
2. 〔～を欲して〕ウズウズする

問題文の意味は、2番目に訳になります。
なお自動詞の場合、itchだけでも「〔～を〕欲しくてたまらない、〔～したくて〕ウズウズする」の意味があります。  

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary "have an itch for (something)" means:

To have an interest in or desire to do something.

 

Examples

1. He has an itch (= desire) to travel.
2. I have an itch to study abroad.
3. I have an itch for another road trip, but I'm not sure where to go.
4. If you're starting to have an itch for acting again, then you should get back on stage.
5. Every so often, I have an itch for a slower, quieter life in the country.

   

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Question of the Day #1369

Family's chicken lays 'ginormous egg' 3 times the normal size

From the headline of this article at Fox News.

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

【形】
〈俗〉とてつもなく大きい◆【語源】gigantic + enormous

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

extremely large : HUMONGOUS

 

Examples

1. Buffett was known to sit on ginormous piles of cash at Berkshire, waiting for the right opportunity to invest. — Luciana Lopez, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
2. Yes, the door is ginormous, to say the least, and appears to be rather heavy, if judged by the photos. — Tj MacIas, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2025
3. Step right up, folks, and feast your eyes on the most ginormous, the most humongous phone known to man! — David Pierce, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2018
4. Billie ate his way through a ginormous ice cream sundae.
5. It will probably reach something like £50 million before the task is finished, which is a ginormous sum.

   

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