Question of the Day #509

"This exercise, and the rest of it—actually getting to trial, rather than trying to settle, as most people caught dead to rights doing something wrong (or at least actionable) would do—came after Musk tried to dig his way out rather than admit defeat."
From the 6th paragraph of this article at the Observer.

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

〈米話〉〔犯人逮捕などが〕現行犯で、現場で

イギリスでは、bang to rightsと言います。

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

in the act of doing something wrong or illegal

Examples

• Even if a kid is caught dead to rights with alcohol, we can't punish him.
• Because of the video replay, the ref had him dead to rights on the penalty.
• Trump’s lawyers have formed joint defense agreements with Jerome Corsi, who Mueller appears to have dead to rights on both perjury and attempts to collude with Wikileaks.  (New York Magazine)
• “Because he knows that after over two decades of sexually abusing underage girls, we blew this wide open and have him and his enablers dead to rights.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
• “The shooter hasn’t been caught yet, but the police have him dead to rights.”

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Question of the Day #508

"So infrastructure should be easy peasy, right? Of course not."
From the 5th paragraph of this article at Yahoo Finance.

上記の文で、easy peasy (easy-peasy)の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "easy peasy (easy-peasy)" 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、

〈英話〉〔作業などが〕とても［めっちゃ・超］簡単な、ちょろい◆子どもが使う表現

「子どもが使う表現」となっていますが、必ずしもそうではなく大人が使う場合は、「子供がやってもとても簡単」というニュアンスがあると考えてもいいのではないかと思います。

Answer

According to The Longman Dictionary :

a word meaning very easy, used especially by children

Examples

• If we had a fight I know I'd win, easy-peasy.
• It would be easy-peasy to talk about introducing lots of lovely clean electricity generated by wind or whatever we liked if we charged the consumer twice as much.
• Difficulty levels can be adjusted from easy-peasy to fiendishly difficult.
• If you're booking independently, it's easy-peasy.
• The device is easy-peasy to set up.

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Question of the Day #507

"But even if they were failing before the coronavirus shut down campuses, he said, it shouldn’t matter, and the focus on grades is beside the point."
From the headline of this article at The New York Times.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〔話などの〕要点から外れて、的を外して、的外れで

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Tangential or insignificant to the main issue being discussed.

Examples

• I do love the apartment, but that's beside the point because I don't have enough money for a security deposit right now.
• Your weekend plans are beside the point—let's get back to the topic at hand.
• The exact cost is beside the point – what’s important is that we get the job done.
• Stephen had certainly lied to her, but that was beside the point.
• It's unrealistic, but that's beside the point - it's just good entertainment.

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Question of the Day #506

"As a woman, a feminist, a believer in peace and justice for First Nations peoples, and for wild spaces around the planet, I am always moved by artists who use their voice to give rise to the voices that often aren’t heard or acknowledged – how did you first find your passion to talk the talk and walk the walk?"
From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Echo Net Daily.

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

言うべき時に言うべきことを言いやるべき時にやるべきことをやる、有言実行する、言ったことをきちんと行う、口先だけでなく実行する

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To back up one's words with equivalent actions. The phrase is used in many different forms, most often to indicate that one is being boastful or to express doubt that one can carry out what they have claimed.

Examples

• Chelsea talks a big game, but she can back it up too—she definitely talks the talk and walks the walk.
• Anybody can run their mouth like that, but can you talk the talk and walk the walk?
• Arthur frequently says that he will quit drinking alcohol, but he doesn’t seem to really mean it since I saw him drinking up a storm at the bar last night. He talks the talk by saying he’ll quit, but he needs to actually stop if he wants to walk the walk.
• You keep bragging that you can do the splits, but I’ve never seen you do them before. How about you walk the walk instead of talking the talk?

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Question of the Day #505

"'If the current cruise ship industry couldn’t foresee health issues, given its history, its shareholders deserve to be cleaned out on their investments,' they wrote."
From the 14th paragraph from the bottom of this article at People's World.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

《be ～》すっからかんになる、すってんてんになる、一文なしになる

ただし、主に金銭に関連して使いますが、下記英語の定義にあるように金銭に限らず何かがすっかりなくなることを言います。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To be emptied or devoid of money, food, resources, etc.

Examples

• I'd like to play another round of poker, but I'm totally cleaned out!
• I wish I could offer you some food to go with your tea, but I'm afraid we're cleaned out.
• I am really cleaned out after that bout with the stomach bug.
• ‘they were cleaned out by the Englishman at the baccarat table’
• Tom's cleaned out. How will he pay his bills now?

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Question of the Week #504

"Ahead of yet another momentous week, my nerves are shot. "
From the 4th paragraph of this article at The Guardian.

上記の文で、[one's] nerves are shotの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "[one's] nerves are shot " 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：
英辞郎やWeblioに掲載されていないので、The Free Dictionaryの定義を訳すと下記のようになります、

精神的または感情的に疲れ切った・圧倒された・張り詰めた状態

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

One is mentally or emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed, or overwrought.

Examples

• Between dealing with mounting debt, my four children, and my recent divorce, my nerves are pretty shot at the moment.
• "Besides, I sort of needed a little vacation. My nerves were shot. They really were." J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye
• “My nerves are shot” is a pretty good way to describe what happens after intense or prolonged physical, mental, and emotional stress.
• I think my nerves are shot and because I feel really jumpy, I feel gruchy, like I could snap at someone at anytime and my head kind of hurts.

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Question of the Day #503

"Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Iain Duncan Smith have all weighed in amid loose talk of a “reckoning”."
From the 5th paragraph of this article at The Guardian.

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

しまりのない話、雑談、詰めの甘い議論

とありますが、もっと深いニュアンスもあります。
下記英語の定義にあるように、「軽率な会話で、気付かずに個人または機密情報を他人に漏らす」という意味が含まれることがあります。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Uninhibited, indiscreet talk or conversation, especially as might unintentionally lead to revealing private or sensitive information to others.

Examples

• The details of this project are extremely confidential, so there can't be any loose talk about it whatsoever.
• There is a very popular phrase about loose talk which goes like this ‘Loose talk costs lives’.
• Two things can bring the dollar down: loose talk from America’s Secretary of the Treasury, or a sharp deterioration in America’s relative economic performance compared to the rest of the world.
• There has also been loose talk of going ahead with contracts for nuclear power reactors with countries such as Russia and France, while proceeding cautiously with the US.
• Loose talk can ruin people.

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Question of the Day #502

"10 travel shows and movies to avoid coronavirus cabin fever"
From the headline of this article at USA Today.

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

〈話〉〔屋内に長期間閉じ込められることによって生じる〕閉所性発熱、ストレス、イライラ

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

extreme irritability and restlessness from living in isolation or a confined indoor area for a prolonged time

Etymology/語源

Dictionary.comによると、

1915~1920年ごろにできた米英語。

According to Dictionary.com:

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Examples

• Some cities have adopted a new strategy to let community members relieve their cabin fever while remaining the necessary six feet apart: closing streets to cars and opening them up to pedestrians. — Colin Beresford, Car and Driver, "Making Room for Social Distancing, Some City Streets Go Car-Free," 31 Mar. 2020
• And cabin fever is real, so getting a little space from everybody is always a good thing. — Eben Weiss, Outside Online, "In Trying Times, Rediscover the Joy of Riding Alone," 27 Mar. 2020
• The rain had kept me indoors all weekend and I was beginning to get cabin fever.
• I've got cabin fever. I've got to get out of here. 
• She suffered from cabin fever during the long winter.

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Question of the Day #501

"Coronavirus outbreak: How to avoid going stir-crazy during self-quarantine"
From the headline of this article at Today.

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

〈俗〉同じ所に閉じ込められて気が変になって◆このstirは「刑務所」の意。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

distraught because of prolonged confinement

Etymology/語源

Dictionary.comによると、

初めて使用されたのは、1935〜40年。stir+crazy

According to Dictionary.com:

First recorded in 1935–40; stir + crazy

Examples

• I've been laid up for two weeks with this broken leg and I'm beginning to go stir-crazy.
• I was stir-crazy after just two months of keeping house.
• After so many days of rain, the kids started to get a bit stir-crazy.
• I was going stir-crazy after being stuck in the house all week.
• I'm going to go stir-crazy if I stay in all weekend!

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Question of the Day #500

"When Johnson started running to succeed David Cameron as Tory party leader ten years ago, his campaign was defined by his extraordinary ability to butter up the press. "
From the 5th paragraph of this article at GQ.

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

〔気に入られようとして〕（人）のご機嫌を取る、（人）におべっかを使う、（人）をおだてる、（人）にごまをする

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to charm or beguile with lavish flattery or praise

Etymology/語源

Merriam-Websterによると、

初めて使用されたのが、1819年。

According to Merriam-Webster:

First Known Use of butter up:
1819

Examples

• a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
• The bank has to butter up investors because it is in a fiercely competitive market.
• I tried buttering her up. 'I've always admired people with these sorts of talents.'
• A company wishing to influence the government must butter up both parties in the House and the Senate.
• Alice is good at buttering up her superiors and that's how she mostly gets promoted.

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Question of the Day #499

"It’s not a matter of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, it’s about creating resilience."
From the 2nd paragraph of this article at The New York Times.

上記の文で、look at ~ through rose-colored glassesの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "look at ~ through rose-colored glasses" 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、

～をバラ色の眼鏡で見る、～を楽観視する［楽観的に見る］

see ~ through rose-colored (rose-tinted) glassesとも言います。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To assume a generally optimistic and cheerful attitude (toward something); to focus on the positive aspects (of something). Primarily heard in US.

Examples

• I know nostalgia can be misleading, but I really look at my childhood through rose-colored glasses.
• It seems like Mary only looks through rose-colored glasses, like she's in incapable of dealing with the negative things in life!
• She's always looked at life through rose-tinted glasses.

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Question of the Day #498

"Coronavirus - Black Swan Or Red Herring"
From the headline of this article at .

上記の文で、black swanとred herringの意味は？
In the sentence above, what do "black swan" and "red herring" 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、black swanは、

希少品、非常にまれなもの

そしてred herringは、

（人）の気をそらすもの［情報］、おとり

Answer

According to the Macmillan Dictionary, "black swan" means:

an event which is extremely rare and unexpected but has very significant consequences

and according to Merriam-Webster "red herring" means:

something that distracts attention from the real issue

Etymology/語源

Black swanDictionary.comによると、

オーストラリアで黒鳥が発見されるまでは、白鳥しかいないと思われていたから。

Red herring は英辞郎によると、

【語源】猟犬を訓練するときに、獲物が通り過ぎた匂いの残っている道と交差するように、匂いのきつい薫製ニシンを引きずっておいた。そうすることによって、猟犬が正しい匂いと間違った匂いとをかぎわけられるように訓練した。そこから、draw a red herring across someone's pathという表現が使われるようになった。つまり、「人が進むべき道に、薫製ニシンを引きずっておく」ことにより、「人の注意を他にそらす」のである。

According to Dictionary.com "black swan" got this meaning because of the following:

from the belief that all swans were white, before the first sighting of Australian black swans

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary "red herring" got this meaning because of the following:

Supposedly used by fugitives to put bloodhounds off their scent (1680s), hence metaphoric sense (1864) of "something used to divert attention from the basic issue;"

Examples

Black swan

• The problem with black swan events is that very often they are never repeated.
• 'September 11, 2001 is a classic example of a Black Swan. It was only a failure of imagination by most Americans (including myself) to never have contemplated beforehand the possibility of such a dreadful day.' CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, 22ND NOVEMBER 2012
• 'His story is now one that many people want to hear; how he and his crew averted disaster when one of the A380 Airbus engines blew up in flight, something he describes as a Black Swan Event.' ABC, AUSTRALIA, 30TH NOVEMBER 2012
• In recent years there has been much focus on the so-called black swans in relation to risk management and decision making under uncertainty.
• ‘Black Swan’ events are by definition very difficult to anticipate, yet they are very much part of risk management.

Red herring

• The police investigated many clues, but they were all red herrings.
• The argument is a red herring. It actually has nothing to do with the issue.
• The plot of the mystery was full of red herrings.
• As Dr Smith left he said that the inquiry was something of a red herring.
• The unfollowed leads could, of course, be red herrings, as is true with all leads in any investigation. — cincinnati.com, "Death, lies and uranium: How an Ohio man’s mysterious disappearance in 1984 still haunts family, friends," 17 Mar. 2020

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Question of the Day #497

"At a global level, our lives and legacy hang in the balance — for good or ill, future generations will judge and draw lessons from our response."
From the 1st paragraph of this article at the Vancouver Sun.

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

〔運命などが〕懸かっている、〔状況・結果などが〕どちらに転ぶか分からない、〔生命・存続などが〕危機にひんしている◆【直訳】（運命の）てんびんに乗って中ぶらりんだ（ゆらゆらしている）

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To be perilously close to failing, depending on the outcome of something.

Examples

• The court is just about to issue its verdict, and our company's future is hanging in the balance.
• Her life hung the balance as medics rushed her to the hospital.
• World leaders are meeting to discuss the situation, with peace in the region hanging in the balance.
• The possibility of a nuclear exchange continued to hang in the balance.
• But because public health hangs in the balance, experts are already seeking changes in food policy.

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