Question of the Day #326

"As West turns on him, Venezuela's Maduro flexes military muscle"
From the headline of this article at Reuters.

上記の文で、turn onとflex ~ muscle の意味は？
In the sentence above, what do "turn on" and "flex ~ muscle" mean?

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解答

turn on

意味：
Turn onには、たくさんの意味がありますが、 英辞郎の訳の中で一番適切なのは、


～に向かって行く、～に手向かいする、～に食ってかかる、～に反抗する、～に敵意を示す、～を攻撃する、～に盾突く、（突然）反対する

このうち、この見出しに最もいい訳は「～に敵意を示す、～を攻撃する」あたりでしょう。

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

to attack or criticize someone suddenly

flex ~ muscle

意味：
英辞郎によると、


1. 誇示する
2. 手腕を振るう

などがあるが、この場合の訳は「軍事力を誇示する」でいいのではないでしょうか。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

 to demonstrate one's influence, power, or strength

Examples

Turn on

• He suddenly turned on me and accused me of not supporting him when he needed it.
• Dan suddenly turned on her and yelled at her to be quiet.
• Demonstrators turned on police, overturning vehicles and setting fire to them.
• He turned on Pete and accused him of being mixed up in crime.

Flex muscle

• The small but outspoken nation has been flexing its muscles lately, with a wide range of military demonstrations.
• The wealthy business tycoon flexed his muscle to getthe charges dropped against his son.
• The parade is the first sign of the new regime flexing its military muscles.
• The union flexed its muscles in the usual run-up to wage negotiations.
• The role will allow her to flex her acting muscles.

Question of the Day #325

"‘Trump caves’ or ‘Genius’: Right wing splits after Trump ends shutdown with no wall funding"
From the headline of this article at The Washington Post.

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


〔相手や説得などに〕屈服する、降参する

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to cease to resist : SUBMIT — usually used with in

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「圧力に屈服する」の比喩的な使い方は、1837年から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Figurative sense of "yield to pressure" is from 1837.

Examples

• After protests from customers, the company caved and removed the item from its stores.
• I knew he'd cave if they offered him more money.
• ‘he caved because his position had become untenable’
• ‘she finally caved in the face of his persistence’
• ‘the manager caved in to his demands’

Question of the Day #324

"Operator of popular reward program T Card routinely supplying clients' personal info to police and prosecutors"
From the headline of this article at The Japan Times.

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

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解答

意味：
RNN時事英語辞典によるとreward pointは、


特典ポイント

で、例文の場合のprogramはsystemと同意で「制度」になりますので、reward programで「特典ポイント制度」になります。もうちょっと簡単に言ってしまえば、買い物をするときの「還元ポイント制度」のことです。
なお、Loyalty programのような他の言い方もあります。

Answer

According to nopCommerce.com:

The Reward Points functionality enables you to create and implement loyalty program for improving customer experience and increase customer loyalty. The Reward Points Program allows customers to earn points for certain actions they take on the site like registering and making purchases.

Question of the Day #323

"How Japan's skyscrapers are built to survive earthquakes"
From the headline of this article at BBC.com.

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


超高層ビル、摩天楼

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a very tall building

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

超高層ビルの意は、1888年、シカゴ市にて。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

very tall urban building, 1888, in a Chicago context

Examples

• The skyscraper was designed by Robert A.M. Stern, the same architect behind 15 Central Park West, and the interiors were done by French designer Thierry W. Despont. — Katherine Clarke, WSJ, "As Manhattan’s Most Secretive Skyscraper Rises, a Super-Elite Clientele Emerges," 2 Nov. 2018
• Outside the skyscraper, police plan to set up a series of barriers and security checkpoints. — Tom Hays, Fox News, "Police beef up security for UN gathering, Trump visit," 22 Sep. 2018
• BASE jumpers parachute from high places: from the tops of buildings or monuments (even when they’re not allowed to), from skyscrapers that are still being built, and from mountains and cliffs.
• The restaurant is at the top of one of the big downtown skyscrapers.

Question of the Day #322

"Trump’s AG pick to steer through Dem, GOP queries at hearing"
From the headline of this article at AP News.

上記の文で、steer throughの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "steer through" 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、steer someone through this crucial periodは、


（人）にこの正念場を乗り越えさせる

したがって、問題の見出しのsteer throughも「乗り越える」でいいと思います。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary to "steer through something" means:

to maneuver through something that is confusing or treacherous. 

Examples

• I tried to steer Judy through the registration procedure, but I really didn't know what I was doing.
• I can't steer through this mess of leaves and mud on the road.
• Should I try to steer my car through all this foot traffic or take a different route?

Question of the Day #321

"Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's past anti-LGBT efforts plague 2020 presidential campaign roll out"
From the headline of this article at ABC News.

上記の文で、roll out の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "roll out" 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：
見出しでは、roll outとなっていますが、一般的にはrolloutのワンワードなので、英辞郎によると、


1. 《アメフト》ロールアウト◆クオーターバックがスナップを受け取った後に、サイドラインに向かって走り、パスするタイミングを狙うこと。
2. 〔新しい作品・商品・サービスなどの〕初公開、発表会
3. 〔飛行機着陸時の〕ロールアウト◆【同】landing rollout

とありますが、この場合は2番目です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. the public introduction of a new aircraft
   broadly: the widespread public introduction of a new product
2. a football play in which the quarterback rolls to the left or right

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

1957年から。もとは飛行機の発表会から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

1957, originally of airplanes, from verbal phrase

Examples

• The rollouts of the infrastructure and budget plans on the same day quickly sparked a dispute between leading Democrats and the administration. — Mark Niquette, Bloomberg.com, "Democrats Assail Funding Shuffle in Trump’s Infrastructure Plan," 13 Feb. 2018
• Keitaro Ohno, a leading defense official in Japan’s parliament, told me and a small group of US reporters in his Tokyo office on Tuesday that the government will announce the decision during a rollout of new defense guidelines next week. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Japan plans to purchase nearly 150 F-35 fighter jets from the US," 12 Dec. 2018
• Since its rollout in fall of 1999, PayPal has gained millions of members.
• Priebus derided the rollout of her new book, Hard Choices, and claimed her poll numbers are sinking.
• Not the bungled Obamacare rollout, the wavering red line in Syria, NSA surveillance scandal, or IRS controversy?

Question of the Day #320

"'The strategy seems to be to keep the shutdown in place, not worry about the effect on employees and furloughed people and contractors....'"
From the 8th paragraph of this article at AP News.

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


1. ～に休暇［賜暇］を与える
2. 米〉～を一時解雇する、自宅待機させる

この場合は、2番の訳になるわけですが、「無給休暇」でもいいのではないかと思います。
また、下記英文定義の3番にあるように、「囚人の一時帰宅」のこともいいます。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. a leave of absence granted to a governmental or institutional employee (such as a soldier or civil servant)
2. a temporary leave from work that is not paid and is often for a set period of time
3. a set period of time when a prisoner is allowed to leave a prison

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

従業員を「一時的に解雇する」の意は、1940年より。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Of employees, "lay off or suspend temporarily," by 1940. 

Examples

• One possible way to avoid layoffs is through furloughs—making workers take an unpaid leave of absence …. — Paul B. Brown
• … other airlines are placing pressure on the unionized pilots to take large salary cuts—at least those pilots who haven't already been "furloughed" (the word pilots use instead of the more plebeian "laid off"). — George Hopkins
• Although no one could supply exact figures, sources in Washington, D.C., said nearly 500,000 federal workers were furloughed for all or part of Thursday. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach area about 11,000 of the 40,000 federal workers were sent home because of the operating fund impasse in Congress. — Jerry Belcher
• United Technologies announced that if the shutdown was not resolved by October 7, it would furlough 2,000 employees at a military helicopter manufacturing subsidiary, Sikorsky Aircraft. — United States federal government shutdown of 2013
• On July 16, 2011, Cuomo finalized a five-year deal with the Public Employees Federation to end pay raises, implement furlough days, and require additional contributions to health insurance accounts. — Andrew Cuomo

Question of the Day #319

"Trump’s Not-So-Bully Pulpit"
From the headline of this article at Politico.

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


〔大衆を説得できる〕傑出した公的地位［公権力］

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a prominent public position (such as a political office) that provides an opportunity for expounding one's views

Etymology/語源

英辞郎によると、

ルーズベルト大統領がアメリカ大統領職を指してこう呼んだことから。高い公的権力があれば自分の政治的な考えを大衆に容易に伝えられることを意味する。bullyは「優れている」という意味の形容詞。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

1904, coined by U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, in reference to the White House.

Examples

• She uses her position as a famous actress as a bully pulpit.
• Pfizer’s move Tuesday was the first clear example of Trump successfully using the bully pulpit to shame a drug maker into doing something that is ostensibly against its own interests. — Erin Mershon, STAT, "What Pfizer, Trump, and consumers got out of a surprising deal — and what they didn’t," 11 July 2018
• Instead of seeking to export this backward sensibility to Holland, Mr. Khan ought to use his bully pulpit to tamp down wild expectations from his people. — Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, "Pakistani Prior Restraint in Holland," 6 Sep. 2018
• He intends to use his bully pulpit as state superintendent to bring attention to the issue.
• Over and over, he made use of the bully pulpit of the presidency, telling Americans he was doing the job they had elected him to do.

Question of the Day #318

"Is 'radar feud' sign of future military confrontation between South Korea and Japan?"
From the headline of this article at Defense News.

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


不和、敵意、抗争

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a mutual enmity or quarrel that is often prolonged or inveterate

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

13世紀頃から。北部イングランドまたはスコットランドの方言から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

c. 1300, fede "enmity, hatred, hostility," northern English and Scottish

Examples

• Because of a family feud, they did not see each other for a decade.
• a ten-year-old feud between the two countries
• Years later, Scott would apologize for his role in the feud.
• So the feud between Paul and Cheney - and John McCain and others - is really a feud between the base and the elites.
• The latest victims of that feud include a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl.

Question of the Day #317

"Pelosi repeats history, recaptures the speaker's gavel"
From the headline of this article at ABC News.

上記の文で、recaptures the speaker's gavel の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "recaptures the speaker's gavel" 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：
"recaptures the speaker's gavel"の中で、the speaker's gavelを分析すると、the speakerとはthe Speaker of the House of Representativesのことです。これは、英辞郎によると、


〈米〉下院議長

また、英辞郎によるとgavelは、

小槌

ですが、他動詞の意味を見ると「〔議長・裁判官などが〕小槌をたたく」とあることから、このgavelとは下院議長の権限を象徴する小槌であることがわかりますので、the speaker's gavelで下院議長の職そのものを指します。
したがって、"recaptures the speaker's gavel"で「下院議長に再任される」ということになります。
なお、米国において下院議長は、大統領の継承順位で副大統領の次に来ることから非常に重要な職務であることがわかります。

Answer

The "speaker" in this case is, of course, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the gavel that he or she wields represents that position. According to duhaime.org:

The gavel is generally held by the chair of a meeting and is the symbol of that authority.

Therefore, "recaptures the speaker's gavel" means that winning back the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Question of the Day #316

"Vehicle plows into New Year's crowd in Tokyo, injures eight people"
From the headline of this article at Reuters.

上記の文で、plow into の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "plow into" 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. 〔仕事などに〕はりきって取り掛かる
2. ～に突進する

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. to crash into (someone or something) usually at a high speed
2. to invest (money, profits, etc.) in (something)

Examples

• The car plowed into the guardrail.
• Luckily no one was hurt when their car plowed into a telephone pole.
• The driver lost control of the truck, and it plowed right into the front of the café.
• The attacker plowed into a crowd of people and was tackled to the ground by one of them.
• The runner plowed into another player.

Question of the Day #315

Happy New Year! The first question of 2019. 明けましておめでとうございます。2019年最初の問題です。 "Stocks Rise as Wall St.’s Roller Coaster Stages Late-Day Rally"
From the headline of this article at The New York Times.

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


1. ジェット［ローラー］コースター
2. 〔状況などが〕目まぐるしく変化すること、激変

Jet coasterと言って理解してもらえる人がいるかもしれませんが、正しい英語ではありませんのでほとんどの人が理解しないと思います。

Answer

According to :

1. an elevated railway (as in an amusement park) constructed with sharp curves and steep inclines on which cars roll
2. something resembling a roller coaster
   especially: behavior, events, or experiences characterized by sudden and extreme changes

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

本来の綴りはroller coaster、またroller-coasterと綴ることもあります。1884年からとされていますが、1870年台半ばから使用されていたかもしれない。動詞系は、1959年から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

also roller-coaster, and originally roller coaster, by 1884, perhaps mid-1870s, from roller + coaster. As a verb by 1959.

Examples

• We went for a ride on the roller coaster.
• The divorce was an emotional roller coaster for both of them.
• Call me old-fashioned, but isn’t the whole point of a roller coaster or water slide the experience of moving fast and flying around? — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Ready or not, the world’s first VR water slide is here," 17 July 2018
• With Marat you know you are going to get an emotional roller-coaster. — Marat Safin
• The Wildcats were named after a popular roller-coaster in Hersheypark. — Hershey, Pennsylvania