Question of the Day #549

"Advocates will attempt a long-shot effort to seek legislative action to protect workers in Nebraska meat-processing plants before senators go home in two weeks."

From the 1st paragraph of this article at the Lincoln Journal Star.

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

1. 〔スポーツやゲームなどで〕勝つ見込みの低い参加者［競走馬・候補］
2. 〔賭の〕大穴
3. 〔事業や冒険などの〕大きな賭、大ばくち、大胆な試み◆見込みは低いものの成功すれば大きな成果が得られるもの。
4. 〔撮影時の〕ロング・ショット、俯瞰

ただし、問題文の場合は、long-shotで形容詞として使われているので、「可能性のとても低い」の意味になります。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. a venture involving great risk but promising a great reward if successful also: a venture unlikely to succeed
2. an entry (as in a horse race) given little chance of winning
3. a bet in which the chances of winning are slight but the possible winnings great

Examples

• I hope to double my profits, but I know that's a long shot.
• The horse was a long shot, but we bet on him anyway.
• It's a long shot, but you could try phoning him at home.
• The deal was a long shot, but Bagley had little to lose.
• I thought about meeting a handsome stranger but it seemed a bit of a long shot.

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