Question of the Day #966

Experts pour cold water on Yousaf’s hydrogen plan

From the headline of this article at The Times.

  上記の文で、pour cold water onの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "pour cold water on" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. ～に冷水を浴びせる
2. ～に水を差す、～にけちをつける

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

be discouraging or negative about

   

Examples

• Cutting my year-end bonus poured cold water on my loyalty to the company.
• Hearing about the outbreak of cholera threw cold water on our plans to visit Bolivia.
• The education secretary poured cold water on the recommendations of a working party.
• But the legal profession has poured cold water on such claims. - The Guardian (2015)
• A statement yesterday poured cold water on any hopes that a rival, higher offer would emerge. - Times, Sunday Times (2016)

   

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Question of the Day #965

After a stalemate lasting nearly 48 hours, the authorities decided to take the bull by the horns and went in with all guns blazing to free the hostages.

From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Dawn.com.

  上記の文で、take the bull by the hornsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "take the bull by the horns" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. 牛の角を捕まえる
2. 恐れずに危険［難問］に立ち向かう

問題文の意味は当然2番目の訳ですが、このイディオムはもともとロデオの牛を倒す競技から来ています。
また、grab the bull by the hornsと言うこともあります。
 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to deal with a difficult situation in a very direct or confident way

   

Examples

• She decided to take the bull by the horns and try to solve the problem without any further delay.
• Why don't you take the bull by the horns and tell him to leave?
• I took the bull by the horns and confronted him about his mistreatment of the workers.
• This is the time to take the bull by the horns and tackle the complex issues of finance.
• Now is the time for the Chancellor to take the bull by the horns and announce a two per cent cut in interest rates.

   

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Question of the Day #964

Why chief sustainability officers are in a pickle

From the headline of this article at Green Biz.

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

《be ～》困っている、厄介なことになっている、困った立場に陥っている、苦境にある

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

In a troublesome or difficult situation. The adjectives "pretty" and "right" are commonly used before "pickle."

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

◆【語源】in de pekel zitten（漬け汁の中に座っている ⇒ どうすればよいのか分からない）というオランダ語のイディオムの直訳に由来する。

とありますが、下記英語の語源の説明では、ShakespeareのThe Tempestが語源とされています。
 

Etymology

According to Business Insider,

In "The Tempest," King Alonso asks his jester, Trinculo, "How camest thou in this pickle?" (In other words, "How did you get so drunk?")

The inebriated Trinculo responds, "I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last ... " (Act 5, Scene 1).

Trinculo's drinking does cause trouble for him, which gives the modern use its meaning. Shakespeare's original intent makes sense, though, as many pickling processes require alcohol.

   

Examples

• We're in a pretty pickle now because the hotel gave our room away.
• Boy, am I in a pickle—I accidentally made plans to meet with two different clients today.
• Rate cut puts savers in a pickle, but good for borrowers (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• In a pickle…forklift truck driver buried under tons of cheese (The Belfast Telegraph)
• A walk to Mahlena O’Neal and a single by MacKenzie Veuve loaded the bases, putting Benicia ace McKenna Gregory in a pickle. (The Modesto Bee)

   

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Question of the Day #963

Your Android Is Pwned and There's Nothing You Can Do About It

From the headline of this article at PC Magazine.

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

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
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解答

意味：
Binary IT用語辞典によると、

pwnedとは、英語で「owned」の異表記として用いられることのあるインターネットスラングである。意味は owned と同様、おおむね「持っている」という意味合いである。

「持っている」という意味だけではニュアンスが十分伝わりません。pwnedには、「誰かを負かすこと」「やりこめる」の意味が含まれます。
 

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

Slang to totally defeat or dominate, especially in a video or computer game

 

Examples

• You just got pwned!
• I pwned those guys in the end.
• "That team totally pwned us."
• Instead they turn these efforts into laughing stocks because the entire effort gets "pwned" by the public.
• The entymology of 'pwned' is based on purpose mispelling.

   

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Question of the Day #962

And we say, if you’re going to be an English purist, you might as well go whole hog and say the word “nausea,” technically, should only refer to seasickness.

From the 6th paragraph of this article at Reader's Digest.

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

〈話〉完全に［徹底的に・とことんまで・存分に］やる

なお、go the whole hog  

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

To engage in something without reservation or constraint

   

Examples

• “At first, the general had his doubts about the plan, but finally he decided to go whole hog.”
• Why not go the whole hog and make them take in a stranger as a lodger? - The Sun (2011)
• With them it was whole hog or nothing
• They went whole hog and had a lavish wedding.
• The company went whole hog on the new system, with a state-of the-art automated warehouse system including RFID tracking.

   

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Question of the Day #961

Assessing Liverpool’s run-in: Diaz key and Klopp should go for broke – but away form a worry

From the headline of this article at The Athletic.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

いちかばちかやってみる、全力で立ち向かう

「いちかばちかやってみる」はいいと思いますが、「全力で立ち向かう」だけではこのイディオムの大事な「すべてを賭けて」の意味が欠けているので不十分です。
   

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary

to risk everything in the hope of having great success

   

Examples

• It was a sharp disagreement about whether to go for broke or whether to compromise.
• But then just as you expect him to go for broke, to over-reach, to crash and burn, he pulls back. Times, Sunday Times (2018)
• They agreed to go for broke in the heart-wrenching final act. Times, Sunday Times (2011)
• Realizing that they would be out of the competition if they lost this match, the players went for broke.
• If you decide to go for broke, you can’t be thinking about what will happen if you fail.

   

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Question of the Day #960

Guest Wi-Fi access should always be ‘easy, peasy’

From the headline of this article at Network World Asia.

  上記の文で、easy peasyの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "easy peasy" 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：
問題文の"easy, peasy"という使い方はちょっと変わっています。一般的な用法はeasy-peasyです。英辞郎によるとその意味は、

〈英話〉〔作業などが〕とても［めっちゃ・超］簡単な、ちょろい◆【同】very easy◆子どもが（または大人が子どもぶって）使う表現

   

Answer

According to the Collins Dictionary:

very easy; presenting no difficulty at all

 

Examples

• Difficulty levels can be adjusted from easy-peasy to fiendishly difficult.
• After all, look how easy-peasy it is! - The Guardian (2016)
• But, it wasn't as easy-peasy as it might seem. - Times, Sunday Times (2014)
• 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.
• Ella thinks it's going to easy-peasy... until they enter the empty lighthouse and discover something strange.

   

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Question of the Day #959

However, when they are asked to offer a nuanced answer to each question, most people are completely stumped – just as you may be, too.

From the 4th paragraph of this article at BBC.com.

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

《be ～》〔質問に対して〕返答［答え］に困って［詰まって］◆叙述形容詞

   

Answer

According to The Cambridge Dictionary:

to be unable to answer a question or solve a problem because it is too difficult

   

Examples

• I'm completely stumped - how did she manage to escape?
• Scientists are stumped by this mystery virus.
• I have to admit to being stumped on this.
• John is stumped by an unexpected question.
• He has yet to be stumped by a question. - Times, Sunday Times (2010)

   

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Question of the Day #958

I fully believe that a good alternate uniform for one game a year is awesome sauce.

From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Onefootdown.com.

  上記の文で、awesome sauceの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "awesome sauce" 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：
Weblioによると、

マジ最高，最高に楽しい。人や物に対して用いられる

比較的新しい言葉なので、別の表記としてawesome-sauceとawesomesauceがあります。
 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

slang Excellent, great, or exceptionally interesting.

 

語源

Reader's Digestによると、

Good, great等の代わりに使用されるこの表現は、MikeとMatt Chapman兄弟が2000年代初期に製作したウェブ用の短編アニメーションに登場するキャラクターのStrong Badが始めて使った。

 

Etymology

According to Reader's Digest,

This slang term for “good” was first uttered by the character Strong Bad in the Homestar Runner web series of animated shorts, created by brothers Mike and Matt Chapman in the early 2000s.

   

Examples

• There's a bakery not far from here that makes some awesomesauce vegan cupcakes—you gotta try them.
• Your new car is awesome sauce.
• My girlfriend Jamie is awesome sauce.
• I couldn't take him seriously when he described the movie as being awesome sauce.
• Awesome sauce! I got an A on my midterm!

   

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Question of the Day #957

Red Sox's Tanner Houck Appears To Be Odd-Man Out Of Rotation Despite Success

From the headline of this article at Sports Illustrated.

  上記の文で、odd man outの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "odd man out" 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. 〔コインを投げるなどして〕グループの中から一人を選択するという方法（で選ばれた人）
2. 一つの集合の中で他とは異なるもの
3. 孤立している人、はみだし者、仲間外れ

上記のうち、問題文の意味の適訳は3番目の訳です。
また、問題の見出しではodd-man outとしてハイフォンを使用していますが、この形は珍しい。
 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a person who differs from the other members of a group

 

Examples

• I never really fit in with others. Even in elementary school I was usually the odd man out.
• Nonetheless, even with her mother's help, Joanna had felt like the odd man out at school. - J.A. Jance DEVIL'S CLAW (2001)
• Working for the Obama administration, Mattis has often found himself the odd man out—particularly when it comes to Iran. - AS OBAMA PREACHES PATIENCE, MATTIS PREPARES FOR WAR WITH IRAN|ELI LAKE|MAY 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
• Two seasons ago – and now quite famously – Bobby Portis was the odd man out. — Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2023
• That meant India was the odd man out. — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2021

   

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Question of the Day #956

And unlike so many others who sound off on the DEI topic, she doesn’t have an ax to grind or a chip on her shoulder.

From the 8th paragraph of this article at Forbes.

  上記の文で、have an ax to grindとhave a chip on one's shoulderの意味は？
In the sentence above, what do "have an ax to grind" and "have a chip on one's shoulder" 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have an ax to grindは、

利己的な考え［下心］がある、腹に一物ある

have a chip on one's shoulderは、

挑戦的態度を取る、すぐにカッとなる

 

Answer

According to the Free Dictionary "have an ax to grind" means:

1. To have a complaint or dispute that one feels compelled to discuss.
2. To have a personal motivation or selfish reason for saying or doing something.

  And "have a chip on one's shoulder" means

To have an attitude that leads one to become combative or easily angered.

 

Examples

"Have an ax to grind"

• I think the boss has a bit of an axe to grind with you over the way the account was handled.
• I don't have an ax to grind here—I just want to know the truth.
• Environmentalists have no political axe to grind - they just want to save the planet.
• The study should be conducted by a firm that has no axe to grind.
• They believed cases should be referred by an independent agency which does not have an axe to grind.

"Have a chip on one's shoulder"

• Fred has such a chip on his shoulder—you never know what's going to set him off next.
• She won't admit it, but Kate has a chip on her shoulder when it comes to discussing her career.
• He had this chip on his shoulder about my mum and dad thinking that they're better than him.
• The chip on their shoulder continues to grow. - Times, Sunday Times (2010)
• You can't tag on to the training pitch with a chip on your shoulder because you haven't been selected. - Times, Sunday Times (2011)

   

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Question of the Day #955

A lean, Olympian blonde and the very definition of "a tall drink of water," Charlene Lynette Wittstock knows a thing or two about going the distance.

From the lede of this article at Vanity Fair.

  上記の文で、a tall drink of waterの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "a tall drink of water" 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、

《a ～》〈俗〉背の高い人、長身でクールなやつ◆【類】long drink of water

下記英語の定義にあるように、ただの「長身でクールなやつ」ではなく、背が高くて魅力的な人をいいます。もともと、男性に使われていましたが、今では問題文のように女性に使うこともあります。
違う用法として、long drink of waterの他にtall glass of waterともいいます。
また、言葉のニュアンスから職場で使うことを謹んだ方がいいかもしれません。
 

Answer

According to Linguaholic:

“A tall glass of water” is a colloquial expression that is used to describe someone tall and attractive. It is often used to describe men but can also apply to women.

 

Examples

• Did you see the new transfer student? That boy is one fine tall glass of water.
• I have always found her to be attractive. I remember the first time I saw her, I thought to myself that she was a tall glass of water.
• "A tall drink of water in a cotton dress" Rascal Flatts, "Dry Country Girl"
• “[Amber Valetta] is a tall drink of water.”
• “A lot of women thought Johnny Cash was a tall drink of water.”

   

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Question of the Day #954

Packers' AJ Dillon: Draftmate Jordan Love is 'a leader in his own right'

From the headline of this article at Packer Report.

  上記の文で、in his (one's) own rightの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "in his (one's) own right" 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、

1. 自己の権利で［によって］、自己の正しい資格で
2. 自分自身の能力で、自分だけで、他人の世話にならずに、他に依存せずに、独立して、独自に
3. 生得の権利で、生まれつき備わって、生まれながらの、親譲りの

英辞郎には、上記の三つの訳が掲載されていますが、正直言って1と3の意味で使用されている例を見た記憶がありません。
また、下記例文4と5のようにin its own rightで有形・無形な「もの」に使用することもできます。
 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Through one's own talents or efforts.

 

Examples

• His father was a hall-of-famer, and he's a pretty good basketball player in his own right.
• She has a fortune in her own right.
• Although now a success in her own right, she knows the difficulties of living in the shadow of her famous older sister.
• It was a real town, a city in its own right. Uglies
• But he could not have been unaware that solving the riddle of K-capture would be an important scientific achievement in its own right. Big Science

   

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Question of the Day #953

Chelsea owners ready to ‘pull out all stops’ in pursuit of top transfer targets

From the headline of this article at Independent.ie.

  上記の文で、pull out all (the) stopsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "pull out all (the) stops" 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、

最大限の努力をする、全力を尽くす、とことんまで頑張る

なお、pull out all stopsとpull all the stops outも同じ意味です。
 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to do everything possible in order to do or achieve something

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

オルガンのストップ・レバーを全て引くと、あらゆる種類の音を最大の音量で出せることから。

 

Etymology

According to this article at Tumblr,

This expression originates from a mechanism found on pipe organs. These organs have air pumped through the pipes to create the sound. The volume can be regulated by controlling the flow of air. This regulating device is called a “stop”. When you pull out the stop, it increases air flow and volume. When you “pull out all the stops” you have maximum volume.

   

Examples

• The company pulled out all the stops to advertise their new product.
• When he throws a party, he really pulls out all the stops.
• They pulled out all the stops for their daughter's wedding.
• We need to pull out all the stops to prepare a new generation of skilled installers ready to take their place. The Guardian (2021)
• If the economy softens further, is there a credible plan to pull out all the stops to address these decades-old issues? Times, Sunday Times (2016)

   

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