Question of the Day #402

"Jordyn and Kylie used to be thick as thieves until the curve model was seen kissing Tristan Thompson– Kylie’s sister’s then-boyfriend."
From the first paragraph of this article at stylecaster.com.

上記の文で、thick as thieves の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "thick as thieves" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によるとas thick as thievesの意味は、


《be ～》〔秘密を共有するほどに〕とても親しい間柄である

ただし、問題文にあるように必ずしも最初のasは必要ありません。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

very close and secretive

Etymology/語源

The Phrase Finderによると、

私が発見した最も古い印刷例は、1828年2月に出版されたイギリスの新聞The Morning Chronicle紙に掲載された1827年3月の手紙にあった下記の文です。

Bill Morris and me are as thick as two thieves.

また、このリンクにはもっと詳しい説明がありますので参照してください。

According to The Phrase Finder:

The first example that I can find of it in print is from the English newspaper The Morning Chronicle, in a letter dated March 1827, published in February 1828:

Bill Morris and me are as thick as two thieves.

This link also includes a more in-depth explanation of the phrase.

Examples

• They were (as) thick as thieves for weeks, which made us wonder what they were doing.
• I'm sure she tells Ruth everything we say - they're as thick as thieves, those two.
• Anna and Beth are together all the time these days—they're as thick as thieves.
• The guys who work in the warehouse are thick as thieves. They don't really socialize with anyone else in the company.
• Those two families are thick as thieves.

Question of the Day #401

"Chobani non-dairy packaging is ‘spitting image’ of German vegan brand Harvest Moon, claims founder"
From the headline of this article at Food Navigator-USA.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〈話〉生き写し、うり二つ、そっくり

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

someone or something that looks very much like someone or something else

Etymology/語源

英辞郎によると、

【語源-1】spitの「唾をペッとはく」という意味から、「同じような話し方をする」 ⇒ 「そっくりである」と発展した。◆【語源-2】アメリカ南部では、He's the very spit of his father. という言い方がよくされる。この spit は spirit から来ている。というのも、南部では「ｒ」の音がはっきりと発音されないから、もともとの表現は He's the very spirit and image of his father. であったと思われる。◆【語源-3】鏡に唾を吐き付けて磨き、はっきりと映るようにしたことから。

上記のほか、諸説がありどれが本当なのかは定かではありません。（下記、英語の語源のリンク先を参照。）

Please refer to this article for an in-depth explanation.

Examples

• Naimah was brown-skinned, slender, and neighbors said she was the spitting image of her mother. — Debbie Chocolate
• … a lovely … Oscar de la Renta dress, which was the spitting image of a similar one the late royal had worn previously. — Megan C. Hill
• Thybulle's father, Greg, told Bishop that Mattise is the spitting image of his late mother and shares her same personality. — Emily Caron, SI.com, "Matisse Thybulle Wishes His Late Mother Were With Him on NBA Draft Night," 20 June 2019
• Wow, you are just the spitting image of your mother! I was about to call you by her name.
• Nina looks the spitting image of her mother.

Question of the Day #400

"Garth Brooks Announces 2019 Dive Bar Tour"
From the headline of this article at Wide Open Country.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〈話〉怪しげなバー、場末の酒場、安酒場

ただし、下記英語の定義にあるように、「近所の居心地のいいバー等」もdive barといいます。
また、diveだけでもいいのですが、この場合はバーやバブのみならず、クラブ等も含まれます。

Answer

According to The Urban Dictionary:

A well-worn, unglamorous bar, often serving a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele. The term can describe anything from a comfortable-but-basic neighborhood pub to the nastiest swill-slinging hole.

Etymology/語源

によると、

米英語の「怪しげなバー」の意味は、1871年に初めて記録されている。意味は、おそらくこの手の多くの店は地下にあったからで、実際にまた比喩的に「飛び込む」感じがあったからではないでしょうか。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Colloquial sense of "disreputable place of resort for drinking and vice" is  recorded in American English by 1871, perhaps because they typically were in basements, and going into one was both a literal and figurative "diving."

Examples

• The place is a real dive, but the drinks are cheap and the food's great.
• You don't need to dress up; we're just going to the dive bar down the street.
• I tried to take my date somewhere nice, and that's when I realized I only know dive bars.
• We've played in all the little pubs and dives around Liverpool.

Question of the Day #399

"You might have second thoughts about buying your fruits and vegetables at that store. "
From the fourth paragraph of this article at Customer Think.

上記の文で、have second thoughtsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "have second thoughts" mean?

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---

解答

意味：
Weblioによると、


〈考え直す〉・再考する

英辞郎にhave second thoughtsはないのですが、have second and even 3rd thoughts aboutがあるという不思議。
ですが、second thoughtsなら掲載されています。

Answer

According to MacMillan Dictionary:

to begin to doubt a decision that you have already made

Examples

• I think she’s having second thoughts about leaving London.
• You're not having second thoughts about getting married, are you?
• On second thought (= after thinking about it further), I would like a glass of water.
• After she agreed to lend him the money, she had second thoughts.
• On second thought... * * * DeShone Kizer's late night didn't register with me as an issue. — Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com, "DeShone Kizer benched for Cody Kessler in 3rd quarter vs. Titans," 22 Oct. 2017

Question of the Day #398

"Katie Porter isn't part of 'The Squad.' But the freshman House Democrat is stirring up trouble for Trump "
From the headline of this article at CNN.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


1. かき混ぜる、かき回す、引っかき回す
2. かき立てる、扇動する、挑発する、唆す
3. 荒立てる、巻き起こす、引き起こす、〔物議を〕醸す
4. 刺激する、興奮させる、奮起させる
5. 不安にさせる

問題の見出しの場合は、3番でしょう。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. to cause (someone) to feel a strong emotion and a desire to do something
2. to cause (something) to move up into and through the air or water
3. to cause (something, usually something bad or unpleasant) to happen

The correct definition for the headline above is 3.

Examples

• Education didn't nurture people, but it did stir up competition. 
• She likes to stir up trouble between her friends for some unknown reason.
• They're trying to stir up trouble.
• He said senior government officials were trying to stir up ethnic tension.
• I thought at first that Jay had been stirring things up.

Question of the Day #397

"There is no question things have fallen his way, but the old saying that you make your own luck seems to ring true where Fittler is concerned."
From the sixth paragraph of this article at The Weekend Australian.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


真実のように思える◆【語源】かつて、弾いた音で、硬貨が本物か偽造か見分けたことから。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to sound true

Etymology/語源

Wiktionary.orgによると、

かつて、硬貨が本物かどうかを調べるために、硬い場所に落とすことによってその響きで本物かどうかを見極めたことから。

According to Wiktionary.org:

From the sound of a coin when tested for authenticity.

Examples

• Her explanation didn't ring true.
• Something about his explanation didn't quite ring true.
• It was a possible explanation, but it didn’t quite ring true.
• that story doesn't ring true
• Something does not ring true ... but what can we do?

Question of the Day #396

"Tongue-twister or not, your name is an entitlement"
From the headline of this article at the Indian News Link.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


早口言葉

なお、「早口言葉」の場合ももちろんありますが、英語圏の人にとって発音しにくい日本人等の氏名等も含まれます。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a word, phrase, or sentence difficult to articulate because of a succession of similar consonantal sounds (as in "twin-screw steel cruiser")

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

発音しにくい文章という意味は、1875年より。いわゆる「早口言葉」という意味は1892年より。前者の初めての具体例としてMiss Smith's fish-sauce shopが挙げられている。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

1875, in reference to an awkward sentence, 1892 of a deliberately difficult-to-say phrase, from tongue(n.) + agent noun from twist (v.). The first one called by the name is "Miss Smith's fish-sauce shop."

Examples

• Her last name is a real tongue twister.
• Worcester can be a tongue twister for the thousands of college students flooding into local schools each year. — Jon Kamp, WSJ, "Worcester Is Reviving, but People Still Can’t Spell It (Forget the Pronunciation)," 19 Dec. 2018
• The contestants in the announcers’ booth were issued a lineup of tongue twisters, including Felipe Alou, Mike LaValliere, Andres Galarraga, Shawon Dunston, and Benito Santiago. — Johnny Miller, San Francisco Chronicle, "Giants fan Davis scores job as P.A. announcer, 1993," 7 Mar. 2018
• "She sells seashells on the seashore" is a well-known tongue-twister.

Question of the Day #395

"What is gerrymandering? Supreme Court rules on partisan election maps"
From the headline of this article at USA Today.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


名詞形
勝手な選挙区改定

他動詞

1. 〔選挙において自党が有利になるように選挙区を〕区割りする
2. 〔規則などを自分に有利なように〕改変する、ごまかす

なお、問題の見出しのように、近年ではgerrymanderingが名詞として使われるようになっています。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. the act or method of gerrymandering
2. a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or population as a result of gerrymandering

Etymology/語源

英辞郎によると、

【語源】米国で1812年にマサチューセッツ知事E.Gerryが自分に有利になるように決めた選挙区画の形が火トカゲ（salamander）に似ていたところから、gerry + salamander＝gerrymanderとなった。

According to Merriam-Webster:

Elbridge Gerry + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry's governorship of Massachusetts

Examples

• One decision failed to stop the drive toward increasingly partisan gerrymanders, and the other temporarily blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to leverage the decennial United States Census for partisan advantage. — Adam Eichen, The New Republic, "Restoring Democracy is Not Open to Debate," 2 July 2019
• But voters will have more tools and awareness to catch gerrymanders in the act than ever before. — Louise Matsakis, WIRED, "Big Data Supercharged Gerrymandering. It Could Help Stop It, Too," 28 June 2019
• The boundary changes were denounced as blatant gerrymandering.
• A final gerrymandering question can be asked about individual rather than systematic gerrymandering.
• Indeed, this would seem precisely to be the point of much gerrymandering.

Question of the Day #394

"Rather than condemn this remark, Cuomo opened the segment by trying to split hairs and justify the comment"
From the fifth paragraph of this article at News Busters.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


1. 髪をかきむしる、髪をかきむしって悩む、嘆く、もう嫌だ
2. 細事［ささいなこと・つまらないこと］にこだわる、細かいことをくどくど言う、必要以上に細かいことまで話し合う、細かな詮索をする、重箱の隅をようじでほじくる、末節にこだわる、屁理屈を言う、無用な区別立てをする

とありますが、正直なところ1番の意味で使用されたのを見た記憶はありません。下記の英語の定義で使用したCambridge Dictionaryや他の英英辞書でも、2番目の意味しか見当たりません。

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

to argue about small details of something

Etymology/語源

Idioms Onlineによると、

To split hairsという表現は、少なくてもシェークスピアの時代からあり、シェークスピアもよく使用しました。この表現の変形は、16世紀からあります。

According to Idioms Online:

Splitting hairs or ‘to split hairs’ is an idiom which has been in use since at least Shakespeare’s time and the playwright used the idiom frequently. Versions of the expression have existed since the 16th century.

Examples

• Don't split hairs. You know what I'm getting at.
• But I don't want to split hairs.
• Batard is a little sweeter than Chevalier but perhaps that's splitting hairs; both these wines are excellent.
• I actually think it was your responsibility, not Dave's, but let's not split hairs about it.
• Don't waste time splitting hairs. Accept it the way it is.

Question of the Day #393

"Latinx artists forging their future in the artworld"
From the headline of this article at Art Critique.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〈米〉ラテンアメリカ系住民（の）◆【参考】Latina ; Latino

名詞または形容詞として使うことができます。

なお、発音に注意してください。

laˈtiːnɛks, ləˈtiːnɛks

最後のXを文字の名前をそのままに発音します。

（下記英語の定義のリンク先に発音の音声リンクがあります。）

Answer

According to Lexico:

A person of Latin American origin or descent (used as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina)

Etymology/語源

Merriam-Websterによると、

初めて使用されたのは2007年。

According to Merriam-Webster:

First Known Use of Latinx: 2007

Examples

• ‘the books share stories of the civil rights struggle for African Americans, Latinxs, and LGBTQ people’
• ‘a career network for Latinx who are looking for jobs’
• ‘a unique Latinx perspective that other shows don't really capture’
• During her victory speech last night, the activist … thanked the district's primarily Latinx community for their trust in her vision for America. — Kat Armstrong
• … the first openly LGBTQ Latinx person elected governor in the US … — Terrance Heath

Question of the Day #392

"West Side Story with Its Original Choreography Is a Stunning, Gut-Wrenching Spectacle"
From the headline of this article at The Stranger.

上記の文で、gut-wrenchingの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "gut-wrenching" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


断腸の思いの、心が張り裂けそうな、大きな苦痛を伴う、胸をえぐられるような、はらわたがちぎれるような、衝撃的な

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

causing mental or emotional anguish

Etymology/語源

Merriam-Websterによると、

初めて使用されたのは1972年。

According to Merriam-Webster:

First Known Use of gut-wrenching: 1972

Examples

• gut-wrenching scenes of bloodshed
• The movie ends with a gut-wrenching scene where the friends part forever.
• Going to court can be an expensive and gut wrenching experience that is best avoided.
• It was a gut-wrenching feeling not being able to help him.
• You can imagine the gut-wrenching experience it was.

Question of the Day #391

But just in case, it seems worth stating for the record: The Moon is a satellite of Earth."
From the sixth paragraph of this article at the Science Alert.

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

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---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


念のため、万が一（～する場合）の用心に、万が一［もしもの場合］に備えて、何かあるといけないので、～するといけないから、万一～の場合には◆ifよりも口語的

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary :

to protect against something bad that could happen

Examples

• I’ll take my umbrella too, just in case.
• It felt frustrated and decided to go to her village just in case she had decided to return there.
• Contingency plans are then made for these shapes by writing rules that apply to them just in case they occur.
• I guess we've already talked about this but I'll ask you again just in case.
• I’ll make some sandwiches, just in case we get hungrylater on.

Question of the Day #390

"The conversation would be how to control and/or destroy weeds so government does not have to come in with a heavy hand to deal with the problem. "
From the tenth paragraph of this article at The South Peace News.

上記の文で、with a heavy handの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "with a heavy hand" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〔管理・支配・統治などが〕厳しく、強圧的に、強権的手法で、過酷に、冷酷に

問題文は上記の訳でいいと思いますが、英辞郎にはありませんが下記英語の定義の2番のような意味もあります。すなわち、「不器用に、ぎこちなく」です。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. In an excessive, authoritarian, or oppressive way or manner.
2. In a clumsy or uncoordinated way.

Examples

• The police dispersed the protesters with a heavy hand.
• My father always punished us with a heavy hand.
• All crimes against women were punished with a heavy hand much more severely than in modern times.
• For they manage things with a heavy hand in the classic land of liberty.

Question of the Day #389

"Baker's Dozen: 13 Policy Areas that Require Congressional Action"
From the headline of this article at the Project On Government Oversight .

上記の文で、baker's dozenの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "baker's dozen" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


《a ～》13個組◆【語源】かつてパン屋が1ダースの製品を売る場合、目方不足の予防策として1個おまけをつけたことより

Answer

According to The Idioms:

1. not 12 in numbers but 13
2. a group or set of thirteen
3. usually 13 and rarely 14

Etymology/語源

The Idioms によると、

この表現は初めて使用されたのが、1599年のJohn Cookeの著書のTu Quoqueです。
しかし、イギリスのパン屋さんが12斤のパンを売った時に一斤オマケにする習慣はさらに昔に始まったものです。1154年にイギリス王ヘンリー2世は、The Worshipful Company of Bakersという売買規定の中にパンの価格を小麦の価格に連動させたのです。もし、価格に見合わない量のパンが売買された場合、罰金・さらし台にさらす・ムチウチ等の罰を受けました。量（斤の数）ではなくパンの目方で罪か否かが決まったので、12斤を売ったパン屋は確実に目方が十分あるように1斤オマケにつけたのです。

According to The Idioms :

The phrase’s literary origin dates back to 1599 when John Cooke used it in his work called “Tu Quoque”. But the actual practice of English baker’s adding an extra loaf of bread when they sold 12 breads dates back to much earlier. In 1154, when Henry II was in power, he had introduced a trade guide within which the statute managing bakers was called “The Worshipful Company of Bakers”. Bakers were to price the bread in line with the price of wheat. The punishment for the weight falling short included fining, pillorying or flogging. The rule was about the weight of the bread and not the number and hence whenever bakers sold a dozen they would warily add an identical extra loaf, for good measure. This was done so that the total weight of the purchase would not be short.

Examples

• The fellow gave me a baker’s dozen of cookies. It made my children very happy.
• I always carry a baker’s dozen chocolates in my purse.
• In a city filled with one boulangerie after another, Nadal tries for a baker's dozen of French Open titles in 2020. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Ruthless Nadal beats Thiem to win record-extending 12th French Open," 9 June 2019
• And to carry you into the weekend, the franchise released this quick video of the most memorable quotes from the baker's dozen of Trek films. — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "A Supercut of All the Best "Star Trek" Movie Quotes," 9 Sep. 2016