Question of the Day #496

"Musk posted a condescending response to Jalopnik that called the publication 'not sharpest tool in shed,' and linked to the Wikipedia page on autopilot. "
From the 5th paragraph of this article at The Drive.

上記の文で、not [the] sharpest tool in the shedの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "not [the] sharpest tool in the shed" 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：
Weblioによると、

《フレーズ》「物置の中で一番切れのよい道具ではない」＝頭の冴えない；頭の回転がよろしくない

違う例えで同じ意味のイディオムに下記のものがあります。 


• Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
• Not the sharpest tool in the box.
• Not the brightest crayon in the box.
• Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Not intelligent; dim-witted or prone to stupidity.

Etymology/語源

The Idiomsによると、

同じ意味の似たようなイディオムは、たくさんあります。（例えべ、not the sharpest knife in the drawer.）このようなイディオムは、1990年代に流行り多数ありますが、なかにもっと以前からあったものがあるかもしれない。

According to The Idioms:

There are many phrases of a similar format which  convey the same meaning as this one. e.g.  not the sharpest knife in the drawer. These types of idiom became popular around the 1990s, when many variations were coined. Some may be older. 

Examples

• His new boyfriend isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's pretty good looking!
• I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed in school, but I still managed to find a profession I loved.
• Joe doesn't seem to understand that we're working to a different schedule now, since the workload has doubled.  He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
• My brother's not the sharpest tool in the shed.  I think he might have been dropped on his head as a baby.
• I knew she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but honestly - I didn't know she was THAT dense.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #495

"Now the lab, which is housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is on the leading edge of the coronavirus response."
From the 2nd paragraph of this article at KNEB.com.

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

～の最先端

なお、at the leading edgeともいいます。

また、on the cutting edgeも同じ意味で、最最先端の意味のon the bleeding edgeというイディオムもあります。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Having or knowledgeable of the most advanced technology in a given area, activity, or endeavor.

Examples

• The local university's laboratory is on the leading edge when it comes to cancer research.
• Their latest smartphone is truly on the leading edge.
• To survive, companies must stay on the leading edge of technology.
• Somehow, he accomplishes it and keeps doing work at the leading edge.
• Software companies are on the leading edge of technology in very competitive markets.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #494

"Retailers of all sizes are in now in the cross-hairs."
From the 10th paragraph of this article at Fortune.

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

照準を当てられる

cross hairsとは、照準器の中で見える十字線のことを言います。

ただし、このイディオムの比喩的に使われることが多く、その場合には、下記英語の意味になります。
「他人が非難や攻撃する立場にいること」

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

In a position in which other people are eager to criticize or attack.

Examples

• The CEO has been in the cross hairs of politicians and businesspeople alike for his recent comments on immigration.
• The man was in the cross hairs from the very beginning of the interrogation.
• I was in the cross hairs when I visited my sister while she was having a fight with her husband.
• The film is in the cross hairs because of its use of historical events even though the director has made it clear that it has been made based on a poem and is not supposed to be historically accurate.
• My mother is in the cross hairs when my granny visits us.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #493

"Reality stars might seem down to talk about anything on TV, but in real life, when reporters are recording their every word, they often clam up or only get chatty when it’s about the product they’re promoting."
From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Elite Daily.

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

話〉黙り込む［こくる］、口をつぐむ［閉ざす］

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to become silent

Examples

• The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.
• He just clams up if you ask him about his childhood.
• As soon as I told her my name, she clammed up.
• Naturally, everyone clammed up as soon as the check came.
• Our usual informant clammed up when he realized there was a mole in the department.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #492

"'We were soulmates—kindred spirits,' says Betty Catroux...."
From the first paragraph of this article at Vogue.

上記の文で、kindred spiritの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "kindred spirit" 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. 同趣味の人、気［気心］の合う人
2. 《kindred spirits》気の合う者同士

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

a person who has the same opinions, feelings, and interests as you

Examples

• We recognized each other as kindred spirits as soon as we met.
• When I saw his work for the first time, I recognized a kindred spirit.
• He told her they were kindred spirits and were fated to fall in love.
• "I saw her life: married to a man she loved, a kindred spirit whose priorities exactly matched hers." Harris, Elizabeth TIME OF THE WOLF 
• "I truly feel that Andy will find a kindred spirit in Karl Marks." David Cavanagh MUSIC FOR BOYS (2003)

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #491

"If I expected that Trump’s affinity for Goldman Sachs bankers and Exxon executives would rub the wrong way among people who have been at the short end of every corporate merger, acquisition, and outsource decision, I was sorely disappointed."
From the next to last paragraph of this article at Vanity Fair.

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

（人）の神経［感情・気持ち］を逆なでする

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
2. to make angry

Examples

• Those customers really rubbed their server the wrong way.
• The whole situation just rubbed him the wrong way and he began to shout.
• The way she smiles all the time really rubs me the wrong way. It seems so fake.
• He's always talking about how those commercials rub him the wrong way, but I think they're cute.
• I would always rub the teacher in the wrong way and end up in trouble.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #490

"2019 BMW M2 Competition Review – Still Waters Run Deep>"
From the headline of this article at The Truth About Cars.

上記の文で、still waters run deepの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "still waters run deep" 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：
この諺は、英辞郎に掲載されていないのでWeblioによると、

《諺》 静かな川は水が深い

ですが、あまりにも直訳すぎるので、下記英語の定義を訳すと、

1. 落ち着きの裏にある情熱や興奮
2. 穏やかに見える物でも、危険なものを隠しているかもしれない
3. 水面が穏やかでも、水面下に危険が潜んでいるかもしれないので、安心できる状況と限らない
4. もの静かな人でも、仲良くなると実は深い感情や面白い性格の持ち主かもしれない

のようになります。

したがって、問題の見出しの訳はこんな感じになると思います。
「2019 BMW M2 Competitionのレビュー：落ち着いたデザインの裏に情熱的な走りが隠れている」

Answer

According to The Idioms:

1. to have passion or furore underneath a calm
2. a placid exterior covering a something that can be dangerous
3. external calm does not mean that the situation is safe since there may be a danger under the water
4. a quiet person may have deep feelings or an interesting personality when one gets to know them

Examples

• She did not talk to me that day and I knew that something is wrong, still waters run deep.
• He didn't express his opinion in the meeting but still waters run deep.
• You should not talk with that gang, they're too quiet and still waters can run deep.
• He's extremely shy and withdrawn, though it may be that still waters run very deep.
• "But the numbers indicate that still waters run deep." Globe and Mail (2003)

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #489

"U.S. Consents to a Turkish Invasion in Syria; Kurdish Forces Call It 'A Stab in the Back'"
From the headline of this article at Reason.com.

上記の文で、a stab in the backの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "a stab in the back" 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：
英辞郎には、a stab in the backの直訳しかないけれどstab in the backにはイディオムの意味があります。

裏切り行為

しかし、stab in the backは動詞句のイディオムなので、「裏切り行為」は本当はa stab in the backの訳で、stab in the backは動詞句の「裏切る」です。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

A betrayal; an act of treachery.

Examples

• Being replaced by her was a real stab in the back.
• Voting against the bill on reservation for the villagers of Scotland at the last minute was a real stab in the back.
• Filing a false case of domestic violence against her husband was a stab in the back.
• U.S. Navy Master-at-Arms Matthew McCarty, based at a Naval station in South Carolina and in the service since 2013, said Trump’s ban came as a stab in the back.
• ‘this public disavowal was interpreted as a stab in the back that could not pass unavenged’

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #488

"Joe Biden saw a stunning Super Tuesday surge, while Bernie Sanders hit a brick wall"
From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

上記の文で、hit a brick wallの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "hit a brick wall" 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、

停滞する

普段、あまりこういうことを書かないけれど、「停滞する」じゃあまりにもつまらない訳ではないでしょうか。
直訳すれば、「レンガの壁にぶち当たる」になります。そこで、もし思いっきり走っている人や自動車がレンガの壁にぶち当たったらどうなるでしょうか？
Hit a brick wallには、そのようなニュアンスが含まれます。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To come up against an immovable or insurmountable difficulty or obstacle.

Examples

• Our project was going well, but we hit a brick wall when our funding was suddenly cut.
• After that my career just seemed to hit a brick wall.
• We progress so far and then, suddenly, we come up against a brick wall.
• Now she has hit a brick wall and has written to me to highlight the problem.
• Must rising wages and expanding production hit a brick wall, leading to layoffs and falling output?

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #487

"Bright agrees, 'The cliche birds of a feather flock together, is worth remembering in hiring.'"
From the 6th paragraph from the end of this article at Forbes.

上記の文で、Birds of a feather flock togetherの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "Birds of a feather flock together" 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：
Weblioにいろいろな言い方を紹介していますが、下記が一番いいと思います。

類は友を呼ぶ

ただし、下記の英語の定義にあるように、ちょっとネガティブなニュアンスがあります。

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

said about people who have similar characters or interests, especially ones of which you disapprove, and who often spend time with each other

Etymology/語源

The Phrase Finderによると、

この諺は、少なくとも16世期半ばから使われています。

According to The Phrase Finder:

This proverb has been in use since at least the mid 16th century. 

Examples

• A coherent coupling among quantum dots requires, however, that they all have the same size, shape and composition because “birds of a feather flock together” in the quantum universe, too. 
• ‘Birds of a feather flock together’ is an old adage to explain some well-observed aspects of social behaviour among humans and animals. 
• Fred had also been a subscriber to I.F. Stone’s Weekly as a teenager, so we were birds of a feather. 
• The lawyers who attended the seminar were like birds of a feather flocking together. They have not even spoken to anyone outside their group.
• I love to talk to the people who know about the computers, do you know why? Because birds of a feather flock together.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #486

"The elections are a hot mess. Why doesn't the Senate care?"
From the headline of this article at The Rice Thresher.

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

見た目がひどい人

ただし、下記英語の定義にあるように、人以外にも使用可能です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. informal : something or someone that is emphatically a mess: such as
1. something in a state of extreme disorder or disarray
2. a disorganized, disheveled, or self-destructive person

Examples

• His latest outing, to a hot mess of a boutique hotel in New Mexico, is just as full of withering asides and bleeped-out F-bombs. — TV Guide
• She's a hard-drinking hot mess who scavenges the streets for castoff furniture and clothing that she spruces up and sometimes sells; how she survives in contemporary Los Angeles is one of the movie's biggest mysteries. — Sheri Lindenn
• I wish I could be that person that wakes up at 4a everyday to workout but I just can't stop pushing snooze until 15 minutes before I have to leave and look like a hot mess express with no workout done. 
• Una is such a hot mess she probably doesn't know what she's doing there herself.
• Maxine's is a crazy, disorganized hot mess of a place but the food is amazing.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #485

"NHIF rot rings the death knell for universal health coverage"
From the headline of this article at nation.co.ke.

上記の文で、death knellの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "death knell" 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. 弔いの鐘、弔鐘
2. 終焉の前兆

問題の見出しの場合の解答は、2番です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. PASSING BELL
2. an action or event presaging death or destruction

Etymology/語源

Merriam-Websterによると、

初めて使用されたのは、1773年。

According to Merriam-Webster:

First Known Use of death knell: 1773

Examples

• the coming of the power press was the death knell of the hand press
• The opening of the superstore will sound/toll the death knell for (= cause the failure of) hundreds of small independent shops.
• The word repeated itself over and over in her head like a death knell.
• Was it the death knell of the nuclear industry or merely curfew time?
• Nor is Mr Gore's loss going to be the death knell for the environment that Preston claims.

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。

Question of the Day #484

"As an alternative, it appears he’s off the hook."
From the 1st paragraph of this article at Checkersaga.com.

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

〈話〉危機［困難・難局・窮地］から脱して［抜け出して］、責任［義務］を免れて

この他に、全然違う意味がいくつかありますので、リンク先を参照してください。

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

If you are off the hook, you have escaped from a difficult situation

Etymology/語源

Grammaristによると、

この比喩は、19世紀中盤から。釣り針につけられたえさのミミズの例え。ミミズが、自分を針からはずすことができれば、食べられずにすむので生き延びることができる。

According to Grammarist:

This figurative meaning of the phrase off the hook has been in use since the mid-1800s and is based upon the imagery of a worm on a fishing hook. If a worm can get himself off the hook, he is saved from being eaten.

Examples

• John's agreed to go to the meeting in my place so that gets/lets me off the hook.
• At first, Sam was suspected of stealing money from the safe, but he was let off the hook after security camera footage showed it was someone else.
• A: "I thought you had that big work event tonight." B: "No, it got canceled, so I'm off the hook."
• “You’re lucky; it turns out that Dad never heard you come in late last night.” Answer: “Great, that means I’m off the hook!”
• That doesn’t necessarily mean that the company is off the hook. (The Pacific Standard Magazine)

このサイトが役に立つと思ったら、ぜひ英語に関心のある知り合いとシェアしてください。