Question of the Day #1419

What is Scarborough Shoal—the bone of contention between China and Philippines

From the headline of this article at The Print.

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

《a ～》争いのもと、不和の種、議論の主題［論点］

   

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

a subject, cause, or focal point of a dispute.

 

Examples

1. The terms of the old man's will were a bone of contention to his survivors.
2. Money is a common bone of contention in many marriages.
3. One bone of contention: proposed studio units that he and some other local business owners say their workers neither want nor need. - From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
4. The murky value of Warner’s cable channel portfolio has become a bone of contention in the company’s sale. - From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
5. The weakness has been a major bone of contention in trade relations with the U.S. - From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026

   

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Question of the Day #1418

We Are Not in the Same Boat

From the headline of this article at Inside Higher Ed.

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

《be ～》同じ境遇［立場・苦境・運命］にある、行動［運命・危険］を共にする、運命共同体である、一連托生である◆【同】in the same situation

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Sharing a particular experience or circumstance with someone else.

 

Examples

1. She's always complaining that she doesn't have enough money, but we're all in the same boat.
2. You can't ignore their problems because we're all in the same boat here.
3. You can ignore their problems, but you could be in the same boat someday.
4. My sister failed her driver's test, and I'll be in the same boat if I don't practice parallel parking.
5. During the last economic recession, pretty much every business was in the same boat. Only certain industries are being affected this time around.

   

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Question of the Day #1417

For The Juiciest Burgers You've Ever Made, Add A Dollop Of This To Your Beef And Taste The Magic

From the headline of this article at AOL.

  上記の文で、dollopの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "dollop" 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】
1. 少量の柔らかい食物◆可算
2. 量◆【参考】big drop of; small drop of

【他動】
• 〔バター・ジャムなどを〕たっぷり塗る

ただし、下記英語の定義の一番を見ると、イギリスでは特に液体の場合は大きな量を意味することがあります。
また、例文にあるように比喩的に「ちょっとした」の意味で使用されることもあります。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

noun
1. chiefly British: an indefinite often large quantity especially of something liquid
2. a lump or glob of something soft or mushy
3. an amount given, spooned, or ladled out: PORTION
4. a small lump, portion, or amount
5. something added or served as if in dollops

transitive verb
• to serve or dispense in dollops

 

Examples

1. Use a piping bag or cut the corner on a zip-top bag to easily create a neat dollop of sour cream. — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 20 June 2026
2. A bit of psychedelia, a cache of trumpets and a dollop of cheesy razzle-dazzle (The Beatles starred in a TV movie of the same name). — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 June 2026
3. To serve, dress with fresh dill and a dollop of sour cream. — 
Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2022
4. And there is always a healthy dollop of nostalgia when reminiscing about kits - those hazy childhood memories relived through a golden filter. - From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
5. A dollop of tax reform, a big dose of deregulation and an AI investment boom are allowing the economy to cope with the tariff distortions and uncertainty. - From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

   

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Question of the Day #1416

‘Can’t get my black girl panties in a bunch’ over Hulk Hogan dropping the N-word

From the headline of this article at the Chicago Tribune.

  上記の文で、get (one's) panties in a bunchの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "get one's panties in a bunch" 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、

〈話〉〔ささいなことに〕イライラ［ピリピリ］する

このイディオムは主に米国で使用されていて、イギリスではget one's knickers in a twistが同じ意味で使用されます。

 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To become overly upset or emotional over something, especially that which is trivial or unimportant. Primarily heard in US.

 

Examples

1. Ah, don't get your panties in a bunch, I'll have the car back by tomorrow morning!
2. In my opinion, people are getting their panties in a bunch over this election.
3. A: "Oh no, our picnic is ruined!" B: "It'll stop raining soon—don't get your panties in a bunch."
4. Don’t get your panties in a bunch over a simple mistake.
5. He got his panties in a bunch over the room assignment change.

   

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Question of the Day #1415

Want to Avoid Having a Picky Eater? Start Exposing Your Kids to Veggies Super Early—in the Womb

From the headline of this article at the Smithsonian Magazine.

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

《a ～》好き嫌いの多い［激しい］人、食べ物にえり好みをする人

   

Answer

According to Wiktionary:

A person who is highly selective in what they do eat and what they do not eat.

 

Examples

1. I don't want her to become a fussy or picky eater, but this could happen. - The Sun
2. I just had to respond to last week's diatribe on 'picky eaters'. - Times, Sunday Times
3. Only later did it occur to us that maybe the picky eaters had taken sensible precautions. - Times, Sunday Times
4. Picky eaters are defined as those who consume an inadequate variety of food through rejection of a substantial amount of food stuffs that are both familiar and unfamiliar.
5. Adult picky eaters remain an under researched group.

   

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Question of the Day #1414

Don’t lollygag in cars, COVID

From the headline of this article at The Maui News.

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

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
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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、

【自動】
〈米話〉時間を浪費する［のんびり過ごす］

なお、「時間を浪費する人」をlollygaggerと言います。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

informal
: to fool around and waste time : DAWDLE

 

Examples

1. Stop lollygagging and get to work.
2. For the players, the summer is not a time to lollygag. — Eliav Appelbaum, Daily News, 1 May 2025
3. However, if the U.S. is really going to pull-off such a massive shift in its energy supply, it can’t wait and lollygag around. - From Slate • Sep. 16, 2021
4. Inside the park, they lollygag in meadows along the main road, coexisting easily with the tourists. - From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 19, 2016
5. They were under strict orders from their mother to run – not lollygag or walk or jog, but run – directly home after hitting the road’s curve. - From The Guardian • Jan. 3, 2016

   

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Question of the Day #1413

Learning to “run with it”

From the headline of this article at Furman News.

  上記の文で、run with itの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "run with it" 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：
英辞郎には、run with itだけでは掲載されていませんが、take the ball and run with it はあります。その意味は、

前任者から引き継いで主導権［リーダーシップ］を発揮する

 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To take the initiative to do something independently.

 

Examples

1. I got this really good idea for an ad campaign. I think I'm going to just run with it and present it to the boss when it's done.
2. Teresa is a good reporter because when she sees a good story, she runs with it—she doesn't wait to be told what to cover.
3. The Japanese took that technology and ran with it.
4. It's up to him. If he studies, fine. If not, there's nothing we can do. He's the one who has to take the ball and run with it.
5. We had a very vague idea of what we wanted, but the marketing team just took the ball and ran with it.

   

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