Question of the Day #1390

Comms etymology: What’s the scuttlebutt? The origins of words heard around the office

From the headline of this article at Ragan.com.

  上記の文で、scuttlebuttの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "scuttlebutt" 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 #1389

‘A leopard can’t change its spots’ – Norton says as he rehashes APNU’s promises at Bagotsville

From the headline of this article at the NewsRoom.gy.

  上記の文で、a leopard can’t change its spotsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "a leopard can’t change its spots" 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、

ヒョウは自分で斑点を変えられない。／ヒョウは、いつまでたってもヒョウ柄のまま。／持って生まれた性質は直らない。／性格を変えることはできない。／三つ子の魂百まで。

   

Answer

According to :

used to say that people cannot change their basic personalities, habits, etc.

 

Examples

1. After our breakup, he came crawling back, trying to convince me that he'd changed, but I know that a leopard can't change its spots.
2. You're never going to convince Tom about this—he's too stubborn, and a leopard can't change its spots.
3. A: "Come on, a leopard can't change its spots." B: "I thought so too, but the former president really seems to have changed his views on social welfare since leaving office."
4. He's a conservative, no matter what he says; the leopard cannot change its spots.
5. “I don’t believe he has really gone legit. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”

   

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Question of the Day #1388

'It's still in shambles': Can Boeing come back from crisis?

From the headline of this article at the BBC.

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

めちゃくちゃで、最悪で

In a shamblesと言うこともあります。

 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Completely destroyed or wrecked.

 

Examples

1. Many years of neglect have left the house in shambles.
2. After the earthquake, the town lay in shambles.
3. Our economy is in shambles.
4. Under US pressure, she is grappling with leading a country saddled with the world's largest proven oil reserves but an economy in shambles. From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
5. Experts say these policy shifts have broken a student loan system that was already in shambles, leaving nearly 45 million borrowers, disproportionately women, in financial and emotional distress. From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

   

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Question of the Day #1387

Why do female leaders keep getting thrown off the 'glass cliff'?

From the headline of this article at The Standard.

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

ガラスの断崖◆失敗の恐れが非常に高い地位。特に、業績の悪い時にglass ceilingを突き破って昇進し、難しい仕事をさせられている女性の地位。

もともと女性対象の言葉で今でも女性の場合が多いけれども、マイノリティーや男性でも対象になることがあります。

 

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

a situation in which you are only given a high position in an organization when there are difficult conditions which make you likely to fail

   

Examples

1. Women were often left teetering on a glass cliff after being handed impossible jobs.
2. This lack of support for women and minorities is central to the glass cliff phenomenon.
3. Beware the glass cliff - you'll get a lofty promotion, but failure will be guaranteed.
4. This dynamic, where a talented female leader inherits a collapsing situation, is so common in the business world that experts have a name for it: The glass cliff. From Salon • Sep. 26, 2025
5. The glass cliff theory holds up in business as well as politics, and, according to a 2011 Harvard Business Review report, “does not seem to apply to organizations with a history of female leaders.” From Seattle Times • May 15, 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1386

International Studies Fulbright Awardee Ginger Trask Getting the Lay of the Land in Samoa

From the headline of this article at Johns Hopkins University.

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

地勢、状況、形勢

下記英語の定義にあるように、しばしば比喩的に使用されます。問題の見出しの場合では、対象がサモアなので「地勢」の可能性もありますが「状況」に間違い無いと思います。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

the arrangement of the different parts in an area of land: where things are located in a place
-> often used figuratively

 

Examples

1. She knew the lay of the land from hiking through it daily.
2. It takes time for new employees to get the lay of the land in this department.
3. It’s been happening on a larger scale as well: since launching in 2023, AMC Theatres Distribution has turned to domestic distribution experts Variance Films to get the lay of the land. — Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
4. So investors may have been waiting to evaluate the lay of the land. From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
5. "I love turning on terrestrial television in any country that I'm in. It really gives you the lay of the land." From Salon • Jan. 15, 2025

   

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Question of the Day #1385

This just in: And that’s the way the cookie crumbles

From the headline of this article at the Clarion Herald.

  上記の文で、that’s the way the cookie crumblesの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "that’s the way the cookie crumbles” 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〉人生［世の中］、そんなもんさ。／そんなもんだよ、世の中なんて。／それが人世というものさ。／うまくいかないときはそんなもんさ。◆【直訳】クッキーは割れるものだ。◆何かを運命のせいにするときの決まり文句◆【同】That's the way things happen.

That’s how the cookie crumblesとも言います。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

used when something bad has happened to say that someone must accept things the way they are

 

Examples

1. I'm disappointed that I didn't get the job but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
2. High school senior: "I wasn't accepted into my top choice university."
   Father: "Sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles."
3. Boy: "My girlfriend and I finally broke up. We had been arguing for weeks."
   Friend: "That's the way the cookie crumbles."
4. I had some bad luck with injuries — that's how the cookie crumbles.
5. The man knows that that’s the way the cookie crumbles and he will be fine.

   

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Question of the Day #1384

Trump toots his own horn, but no deal was reached with Putin

From the headline of this article at Euro Weekly News.

  上記の文で、toot one’s own hornの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "toot one’s own horn" 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、

〈比喩〉〔得意のラッパを鳴らすように〕自慢する

Blow one’s own hornも同じ意味です。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to talk about oneself or one's achievements especially in a way that shows pride or too much pride

 

Examples

1. We've had a very successful year, and I think we have a right to toot our own horn a little.
2. I can't stand being around Marcus ever since his company became such a massive success. The guy just can't stop tooting his own horn!
3. My father told me never to toot my own horn.
4. Not to toot my own horn, but I already knew all that.
5. Because I didn’t toot my own horn, my particular contribution to the success of the organization was seen as a luxury. (Forbes Magazine)

   

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