Weekly Recommendation #10

This week's recommendation:

今週のおすすめ：

It is very difficult to get the train to stop

Why is this recommended?
なぜ、これがおすすめ？

A very well-written article at the Washington Post about last week's U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Bret Kavanaugh.

Washington Post誌に掲載された、先週の米国上院議会司法委員会の最高裁判事候補のための公聴会に関する記事です。とてもよく書かれていて、なおかつ比較的簡単な単語や文章がほとんどです。

It is very difficult to get the train to stop

Question of the Day #290

"ROBERT REICH: WHY MILLENNIALS WILL SAVE AMERICA"
From the headline of this article at Newsweek.

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


ミレニアル世代、新世紀世代◆1980年前後から2005年ごろにかけて生まれた世代。10代からデジタル環境になじんだ初の世代に当たる

とあるが、様々な解釈があります。一般的には、21世紀のはじめ頃に大人になった世代とされている。

Answer

According to TechTarget:

The term Millennials is usually considered to apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. The precise delineation varies from one source to another, however. Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of the 1991 book Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069, are often credited with coining the term. Howe and Strauss define the Millennial cohort as consisting of individuals born between 1982 and 2004.

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

1992年から、1980年台中頃に生まれて2000年ごろに成人した世代の名称。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

From 1992 as a generational name for those born in the mid-1980s and thus coming of age around the year 2000.

Examples

• Millennials have grown up with the internet and can't imagine a world without it.
• Like a millennial version of Nick Lowe, Rose specializes in songs of irony and heartbreak. — Bill Brownlee, kansascity, "KC concerts June 21-27: Macklemore & Kesha; Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle & Dwight Yoakam," 19 June 2018
• In a bizarre movement, after the working lunch Trump appeared to take Kim to check out his presidential Cadillac, in what observers suggested was an attempt to bond with the millennial despot. — Time, "Kim Jong Un Vows Major Change at U.S.-North Korea Summit," 12 June 2018

Question of the Day #289

"Swedish prime minister ousted after losing confidence vote"
From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

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


信任投票

しかしながら、vote of confidenceの方が一般的です。この場合は、見出しということで短い書き方を使ったのでしょう。また、Googleで検索するとconfidence voteは、英国の方で使用されることが多いようです。

不信任投票は、vote of no confidenceです。

Answer

Merriam-Webster does not contain the phrase confidence vote, but it does contain vote of confidence :

 a formal process in which people (such as the members of a legislature) vote in order to indicate whether or not they support a leader, government, etc.

It goes without saying that these are the same thing, but I think confidence vote was used in this instance because it was a headline requiring a shorter length.

Examples

• But the Labour Party decided to turn the motion into a confidence vote on John Major.
• "At the moment a government can lose a confidence vote by a majority of one." The Sun (2010)
• The government held a vote of confidence and lost/won it.

Question of the Day #288

"…Rosenstein suggested that McCabe or others wear a wire when speaking with the president…."
From the first sentence of the first paragraph of this article at ABC News.

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


盗聴器を身に付ける

ちなみに、wireは本来「針金」という意味ですが、盗聴器の意味もある。

Answer

According to this page at Google Books:

A person fitted with a surreptitious recording device to help others spy on conversations is said to wear a wire.

Etymology/語源

Google Booksのこのページによると、

1957年のJ.D. MacDonaldの小説A Man of Affairsに"The joint is wired...."というくだりがある。この場合のwireは、「電子的盗聴・傍受」の意。

According to the same page as above in Google Books:

"The joint is wired...." wrote J.D. MacDonald in a 1957 novel, A Man of Affairs...The single word wire stood for "electronic eavesdropping."

Now, I'm not absolutely positive that this is the origin of wear a wire, but it's the closest I can find at the present time.

Examples

• Yeah, I'm gonna wear a wire.

Question of the Day #287

"Elon Musk and the Meaning of ‘Off the Record’"
From the headline of this article at The Atlantic.

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


オフレコの、記録しない、非公開の、非公式の

一般的に、アメリカでoff the recordでいうと「本音を話してもいいけれど、これはここだけの話なので、記録したり公開してはいけない」ということになります。ただ、場合によっては匿名なら公開してもいいというときがあります。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

given or made in confidence and not for publication

Etymology/語源

Merriam-Websterによると、

初めて使用された記録は、1920年。

According to Merriam-Webster:

First Known Use of Off-The-Record:
1920

Examples

• May I speak off the record?
• At the end of the lunch, I said I had some off-the-record comments.
• She made it clear that her comments were strictly off the record.
• An aide told reporters, off the record, that the senator had been lying.
• The Prime Minister admitted off the record that the country was going through a serious crisis.

Question of the Day #286

"Republicans push Trump to declassify sensitive Russia investigation documents"
From the headline of this article at ABC News.

上記の文で、sensitiveの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "sensitive" 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：
英辞郎には非常に多くの意味があるけれど、この場合は間違いなく、


〔情報・技術などが〕機密の

です。

Answer

Although sensitive has many different definitions, according to Merriam-Webster this is the best definition for this example:

concerned with highly classified government information or involving discretionary authority over important policy matters

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「国家の安全保障に関わる」という意味は、1953年に初めて使用された。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Meaning "involving national security" is recorded from 1953. 

Examples

• Twitter is removing accounts that had been locked due to an unusual change in behavior such as the sudden sharing of misleading links, sensitive information and other types of problematic content. — Sarah E. Needleman, WSJ, "Twitter Follower Numbers to Drop as It Removed Locked Accounts," 11 July 2018
• ‘he was suspected of passing sensitive information to other countries’
• a sensitive position in the State Department.

Question of the Day #285

"'Enough is enough': Barack Obama rallies California Democrats"
From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

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

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〔元気を〕取り戻す、回復させる、～を元気づける

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to arouse for action

Etymology/語源

によると、

「急いで集める、秩序を回復する、復活させる、奮起する」の自動詞の意味は1660年代から。

According to :

Intransitive meaning "pull together hastily, recover order, revive, rouse" is from 1660s. 

Examples

• And also a great place to build, to rally support, and to connect. — refinery29.com, "Half A Million People Went To Essence Festival — & These 25 Looks Stood Out," 10 July 2018
• Despite a three-day, last-ditch effort to rally support, the Safer Arizona Cannabis Legalization Act did not obtain enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. — Richard Ruelas, azcentral, "Clean energy, taxes and anti-dirty money proposals submitted for November ballot," 5 July 2018
• ‘a series of meetings to rally support for the union’
• Supporters/Opponents of the new shopping development are trying to rally local people in favour of/against it.
• The president has called on the people to rally to/behind the government.

Question of the Day #284

"Lady Gaga Opens Up About A Star Is Born, MeToo, and a Decade in Pop"
From the headline of this article at Vogue.

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

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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、色々な訳があるけれど、


（人）の心を開かせる、心を開く、心を打ち明ける、打ち解ける、口を割る、隠さず話す、〔秘密を〕打ち明ける、遠慮なく話しだす、自由にしゃべりだす、ほえ始める

が間違いなく適訳でしょう。

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

to start to talk more about yourself and your feelings

Examples

• I've never opened up to anyone like I do to you.
• His mother only opened up about her experiences when her children were adults. — Emanuella Grinberg, Smithsonian, "When a Bavarian Monastery Provided a Home to Jewish Refugees," 11 July 2018
• On a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Joanne opened up about their enduring love story, and the special significance of the number 143. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Mr. Rogers’ Wife Share’s the Couple’s One-Of-A-Kind Love Story," 9 July 2018
• It’s taken a few months, but Katy is finally starting to openup to me.
• At last the witness opened up and told what happened.

Question of the Day #283

"NAOMI Osaka’s US Open breakdown wasn’t about what Serena Williams stole from her. It was about what she took herself."
From the subtitle of this article at news.com.au.

上記の文で、breakdown の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "breakdown" 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：
英辞郎によると一番良さそうな訳は、


〔心身の〕衰弱、〔健康状態の〕破綻

だと思いますが、そこまでひどい状態ではないと思うので、「泣き崩れた」「泣きだした」ぐらいでいいのではないでしょうか。

Answer

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

A sudden collapse in someone's mental health.

Other dictionaries have similar definitions, but I think that's a little too strong in this case.

Etymology/語源

Dictionary. comによると、

初めて記録されたのが、1825-35年ごろ。動詞句break downの名詞形。

According to Dictionary. com:

First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase break down

Examples

• Did giving her the attention in the first place contribute to the breakdown?
• ‘Heather had a breakdown following the death of her sister’
• He suffered a breakdown after his wife died.
• Obviously we were under a lot of stress. And I basically had a breakdown.
• They often seem depressed and close to emotional breakdown.

Question of the Day #282

"Naomi Osaka’s Breakthrough Game"
From the headline of this article at The New York Times Magazine.

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

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、名詞形には下記の意味がある。


1. ブレイクスルー、〔行き詰まりの〕突破、突破口、打開、突破作戦
2. 〔科学技術などの〕飛躍的進歩［前進］、躍進、急進展、大発見、飛躍的な発明、解明
3. 《be a ～》新生面を開く
4. 〔計画などの〕成功

また、形容詞としては、



〔技術などが〕画期的な、突破口となる

の意味がある。



全体的には、意味としてポジティブなものばかりなので自分がいいと思う意訳でいいのではないかと思います。個人的には、「大坂なおみの飛躍的に進歩したテニス」ぐらいがいいのではないかと思います。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. an act or instance of moving through or beyond an obstacle: a breakthrough in the talks between the region's leaders; a breakthrough agreement
2. a sudden advance especially in knowledge or technique: a medical breakthrough
3. a person's first notable success: a breakthrough novel; the actress's breakthrough performance

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「突然の解決や進歩」の意味は、1930年代から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Meaning "abrupt solution or progress" is from 1930s, on the notion of a successful attack.

Examples

• It was a breakthrough album for the band.
• The emphasis is on developing breakthrough technology that will lead to new business.
• engineered with breakthrough technology
• Critics called it a breakthrough film.
• Damon is a well-known and respected actor, writer and producer who made an initial splash in Hollywood with his breakthrough portrayal of Will Hunting in the movie Good Will Hunting, which he also co-wrote.

Question of the Day #281

"The U.S. Is Sidelining Itself in the Middle East"
From the headline of this article at .

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

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


～を脇に追いやる、～を主役から外す、～を二の次にする

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to put out of action: put on the sidelines

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「競技からはずす」の意味の動詞系は、1945年から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

The verb meaning "put out of play" is from 1945. 

Examples

• But with those players sidelined by injury, Broxton has made the most of his first week with the big-league team in 2018. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Let's enjoy all three times that Keon Broxton has basically saved a game with a homer-saving catch," 5 July 2018
• Mets captain David Wright, sidelined by injuries for more than two years, said players stood and gave Alderson a round of applause. — Mike Fitzpatrick, Houston Chronicle, "Mets GM Sandy Alderson steps down after cancer returns," 27 June 2018
• He was sidelined after criticizing the policy.
• ‘backbench MPs have been sidelined and excluded from decision-making’
• What they fear is that environment policy will be sidelined until it is too late.

Question of the Day #280

"'Everybody should take this seriously': Gulf Coast braces for looming storm forecast to become hurricane"
From the headline of this article at ABC News.

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

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


身構える、準備をする

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to get ready (as for an attack)

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「緊張させる、または緊張することによって固めるか安定させる」の意味は15世紀中頃から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Meaning "make tense, render firm or steady by tensing" is mid-15c.

Examples

• Relations with Europe are at their lowest ebb in decades as allies brace for another acrimonious encounter with the president who last month harshly criticized them at the Group of Seven economic summit in Canada.
—
Missy Ryan And Greg Jaffe, Washington Post, "Trump’s combative words on NATO put Mattis in an increasingly tough spot," 9 July 2018
• If the two sides start talking openly about war, oil prices could skyrocket as investors brace for continued instability — or far, far worse — in the region that produces much of the world’s oil.
—
Zeeshan Aleem, Vox, "Why you’ll pay more for gas this Memorial Day weekend," 25 May 2018
• ‘both stations are bracing themselves for job losses’
• The passengers were told to brace themselves (= to press their bodies hard against something or hold them very stiff) for a crash landing.
• She told me she had some bad news for me and I braced myself for a shock.

Question of the Day #279

"Federal court strikes down North Carolina congressional map"
From the headline of this article at Axios.

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

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


1. 打ち倒す
2. 〔病気が人を〕襲う
3. 〔裁判所などが〕～を無効にする

とあるが、言うまでもなく例文の場合は3です。

Answer

According to :

annul, nullify；especially: to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable

Examples

• the board struck down the appointment
• the Supreme Court struck down the law
• a law that was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional
• The Supreme Court today struck down a law that prevents criminals from profiting from books or movies about their crimes.
•  The board of directors struck down our proposal for a new business based in Canada.