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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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?

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Write your answer in the Comments.

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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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Question of the Day #1412

Rui Vitória proud of bumptious Benfica

From the headline of this article at UEFA.com.

  上記の文で、bumptiousの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "bumptious" 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】
〔能力を自慢し過ぎて〕横柄な、偉そうな、傲慢な、高慢ちきな、尊大な

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : OBTRUSIVE

 

Examples

1. And it’s been a very bumptious relationship ever since. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
2. Gorsuch’s abrupt pivot to arrogance has been on full display in his bumptious opinions and questions from the bench. — Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, 18 Oct. 2017
3. Americans are not afraid of bumptious, raucous, and robust debate about these matters. — Joe Palazzolo, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2018
4. “And what do you know? You are too young: you smell of your mother’s milk. You have the bumptious, graceless confidence of the recently born.” -
 Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
5. As a bitter and somewhat bumptious critic Mr. Weaver made his early reputation on the Chicago Daily News. - Time Magazine Archive

   

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Question of the Day #1411

CBS News Chicago Layoffs Rattle Journalists: ‘A Crying Shame’

From the headline of this article at IMDb.

  上記の文で、a crying shameの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "a crying shame" mean?

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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、

非常に残念なこと

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a situation that makes one feel sad or disappointed

 

Examples

1. That struck me as both a crying shame and wholly unsurprising. — Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
2. It's a crying shame that we never met again in later life. - The Sun (2010)
3. It is unlikely to happen, which is a crying shame. - The Sun (2013)
4. It's a crying shame that so much money has been wasted on this pointless political campaign.
5. It's a crying shame that people cannot afford adequate housing.

   

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Question of the Day #1410

Watch moment Holly Willoughby left screaming and swearing as she braves white-knuckle lap round F1 track

From the headline of this article at The Sun.

  上記の文で、white-knuckleの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "white-knuckle" 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】
• ひどく緊張させる、手に汗握る、ハラハラさせる、ゾッとさせる、肝を冷やす

• ひどく緊張させるもの、ハラハラさせるもの、ゾッとさせるもの

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

marked by, causing, or experiencing tense nervousness

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

【語源】緊張や恐怖で拳を強く握り締めると指関節の皮膚が白く見える様子から  

 

Etymology

According to Wiktionary:

Evoking the imagery of tightly clenched hands with reduced bloodflow to the knuckles.

   

Examples

1. Hats off to both sets of players for providing such a white-knuckle ride over two legs. - The Guardian (2015)
2. But if this is all too much of a white-knuckle experience there are rides for all ages. - The Sun (2010)
3. At eight episodes, of course, the show can’t possibly be the white-knuckle trip that the film was. — Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 4 May 2024
4. Zion Adventures has had climbers as young as 5 and as old as 74 white-knuckle their way along the routes. — Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024
5. Your fun night out is suddenly about to become a wild, white-knuckle ride into the abyss. — Pitchfork, 11 Dec. 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1409

Zhuzh Up Your Web Content with Widgets and Styles

From the headline of this article at Lewis & Clark.

  上記の文で、zhuzhの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "zhuzh" 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：
英辞郎に単語としてのzhuzhはありませんが、句動詞のzhuzh upはあってその意味は、

おしゃれで今風な感じにする

なお、動詞の他に名詞としてもzhuzhを使うことができます。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

Noun
• a small improvement, adjustment, or addition that completes the overall look, taste, etc. of something

Verb
• to improve in flavor or appearance by way of a small improvement, adjustment, or addition —often used with up

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

◆髪に泡状整髪剤やディップなどをつけてわざと少し乱れた感じにしてみたり、袖を少しまくり上げてみたりなど、ちょっと手を加えて洗練さやスタイリッシュな感じを増すこと。米国のコメディードラマ『Queer Eye for the Straight Guy』（2003年）で、ゲイのヘア・スタイリストやファッション関係者などがせりふで多用し、流行語となった。

 

Etymology

According to Merriam-Webster:

The word has been in use since at least the 1970s, and gained wild popularity during the 2018 reboot of Queer Eye, a television series in which a fellow needing help in the areas of fashion, grooming, living space, food, and social grace gets a makeover courtesy of five talented gay men. While often used as a verb (usually paired with up), zhuzh is also a noun that refers to a small improvement or adjustment, as in “my hair just needs a quick zhuzh and I’ll be ready to go.”

   

Examples

1. Even ingredients such as sour cream, tofu, and eggs can be revived after freezing, and items such as tortillas and bread can be zhuzhed up in a toaster or pan. —Anna Perling
2. What are a few things people can do to make a basic grocery store bouquet really sparkle, get to that next level? … What can we do to zhuzh it up? —Andee Tagle
3. The stylist said he would zhuzh up the outfit with a hat.
4. The former New Inn now boasts a zhuzhed-up beer garden.
5. They just want you to basically be able to take something you’ve already written and kind of zhuzh it up a little bit.
- New York Times, Jun 14, 2024

   

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Question of the Day #1408

NM renewable energy advocates decry 'herky-jerky' policies

From the headline of this article at the Public News Service.

  上記の文で、herky-jerkyの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "herky-jerky" 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】
発作的に動く、ぎくしゃくした動きの

 問題の見出しの場合、意訳として「一貫性のない」「でたらめな」等がいいのではないかと思います。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

characterized by sudden, irregular, or unpredictable movement or style

 

Examples

1. The herky-jerky motion of the camera made the mobile phone video difficult to watch.
2. We enjoyed watching her imitate the herky-jerky dance moves of her favourite cartoon character.
3. Hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky, particularly for players such as Dončić, whose games rely on herky-jerky changes of speed and direction. —Law Murray, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026
4. The way that life unfolds in herky-jerky, unpredictable rhythms informs the experimental approach that Dijon, a 33-year-old producer-singer, takes to R&B. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
5. It's a deliciously strange, herky-jerky pop number, orchestrated by synth bassoons and merry-go-round organs. - From BBC • Feb. 12, 2024

   

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