Question of the Day #1136

The History Behind “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace”

From the headline of this article at Brides.com.

  上記の文で、hold one's peaceの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "hold one's peace" 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、

黙っている、口をつぐんでいる

Keep one's peaceということもあります。

 

Answer

According to Britannica.com:

Hold your peace means the same as hold your tongue: "to keep silent or to not say anything about something." It's commonly heard in traditional marriage vows.

 

Examples

1. Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace. (This line is old-fashioned and not used very often anymore, but is heard in old movies depicting wedding ceremonies).
2. ...people who knew about this evil man but held their peace.
3. Colonel Fergusson nodded indulgently at such pertness and obstinacy, but held his peace.
4. And since the credit accrued to him, he held his peace.
5. No, better to hold her peace and pretend.

   

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Question of the Day #1135

Dressed to the nines: sparklingly fashionable experiences in Antwerp

From the headline of this article at Lonely Planet.

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

《be ～》申し分なくスマートに着こなしている、着飾っている、盛装している、めかしこんでいる、おめかししている

Dressed up to the ninesと言うこともあります。

 

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

to be wearing fashionable or formal clothes for a special occasion

 

Examples

1. Jackie went out dressed to the nines.
2. Everyone is dressed up to the nines. Huge hats, frills, tight dresses, sequins and high heels.
3. Whenever they had business to discuss she always dressed to the nines. Pacter, Trudi, YELLOW BIRD (2003)
4. Every one of them looks classy, dressed to the nines.
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz
5. Seventy-five visitors came, an unlikely blend of beautiful people dressed to the nines and neighborhood types in street attire.
Seattle Times, May 27, 2011

   

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Question of the Day #1134

Is Epic Games ever going to build HQ at razed Cary Towne Center site? Mum is the word

From the headline of this article at WRAL Tech Wire.

  上記の文で、mum is the wordの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "mum is the word" 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、

今言ったことは黙って［内緒にして・秘密にして］おけ［おくよ］。／他言は無用。／ここだけの話。

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

used to say that some information is being kept secret or should be kept secret

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

◆【語源】シェークスピアのHenry IVのパート2に出てくるセリフ "Seal your lips and give no words but mum."（口にチャックをしてムー以外の音を出すな）

なお、英辞郎ではシェークスピアが語源とされているが、単語のmum自体はWilliam Langlandの1376年の作品Piers Plowmanで初めて登場します。この表現自体を初めて使用したのが、シェークスピアです。

 

Etymology

According to Ginger:

The 'mum' in the expression 'mum’s the word' is derived from the humming sound a closed mouth makes, indicating an inability or unwillingness to speak. The word 'mum' was first used by William Langland in his 1376 work Piers Plowman, and the expression itself became popular in the 16th century. You’ll find it in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2: “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.”

   

Examples

1. We want her birthday party to be a surprise, so mum's the word.
2. As of right now, mum's the word on the plot for season 6. —Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 18 June 2023
3. They kept it quiet - after all, mum's the word. The Sun (2018)
4. “Please don’t tell Mom what I’m getting her for her birthday.” Answer: “Mum’s the word!”
5. But, until then, mum's the word. Times, Sunday Times (2017)

   

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Question of the Day #1133

‘Criminal for existing’: US’s unhoused still fear sweeps as supreme court to take on shelter case

From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

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

【形】
住居のない、宿なしの

なお、英辞郎や他の英日辞書のみならず、私の知る限りの英英辞書でも形容詞としての定義しか掲載されていません。しかし、問題の見出しのように近年の米テレビドラマ等では "the homeless" と同様にtheがついて "the unhoused" という名詞として使用されています。
また、homelessは「何かが不足(~less)している」という意味なので差別的であることからunhousedに変わっているようです。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

not having a dwelling place or shelter: HOMELESS

Note: Although every dictionary I have checked only defines "unhoused" as an adjective, I have noticed more cases in which it is used as a noun, as in the case of the above headline.

 

Examples

1. Federal Program to Address the Unhoused
2. Myself, my service dog, one other OT student, and our facility lead supervisor started at this facility with the hopes of exploring and laying the groundwork for OT’s role when working with the unhoused.
3. Unhoused.org is a social impact startup focused on using technology to help the unhoused.
4. The use of the term "Unhoused", instead, has a profound personal impact upon those in insecure housing situations.
5. CRIMINALIZING THE UNHOUSED: ‘MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE ENOUGH FOR THEM IN OUR CITY SO THEY WILL WANT TO MOVE ON DOWN THE ROAD.’

   

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Question of the Day #1132

‘I Ain’t No Spring Chicken’: Shemar Moore Opens Up About Whether He’d Have Another Child After Welcoming Daughter While In His 50s

From the headline of this article at MSN.com.

  上記の文で、no spring chickenの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "no spring chicken" 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、

《be ～》もう子どもでは［若くは］ない◆「経験を積んでいる」という肯定的な意味と「若い人のようにはできない」という否定的な意味の二通りに解釈できる。

   

Answer

According to the Collins Dictionary:

someone who is no longer young. This expression is often used when you think someone's appearance or behaviour is surprising for their age.

 

Examples

1. She was no spring chicken. The Guardian (2016)
2. He is 27, so no spring chicken, but we know all about him now. Times, Sunday Times (2017)
3. The Pixel Watch 2 is expected to come out by the end of the year, and by then, the Snapdragon W5 SoC will be no spring chicken either. —Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 31 May 2023
4. Yet Ertz is a spring chicken compared with Megan Rapinoe who, at 38, is the oldest woman on the U.S. roster and one of 10 players older than 30. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2023
5. At 51, de León would have been a spring chicken by Senate standards. —Pablo Manríquez, The New Republic, 11 May 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1131

Social media and their trolls, with their obsession with the corruption of the ‘MSM’, can take the rap for making matters worse. 

From the 3rd paragraph of this article at LSE.

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

他人の犯した罪を着る［かぶる］

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To face punishment, blame, censure, or arrest for someone else's crime or misdeed, perhaps intentionally.

 

Examples

1. We've made it look like he withdrew the money, so when the police start investigating, he'll be the one to take the rap.
2. I'm always taking the rap for your mistakes—I'm sick of covering for you!
3. What you hope he will do is to remain silent and let Preval make decisions and take the rap for unpopular choices.
4. People like you usually arrange it so that people like Gleeson take the rap.
5. And it is these bit players who nearly always take the rap, rather than white-collar drug lords such as Amado Carrillo.

   

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Question of the Day #1130

Teachers being handed pink slips as summer arrives

From the headline of this article at WBRC.com.

  上記の文で、pink slipの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "pink slip" 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。
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、

〈米〉解雇通知

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a notice from an employer that a recipient's employment is being terminated

 

Examples

1. Management started issuing pink slips yesterday.
2. The sales department has been told to pink-slip 20% of its staff.
3. The end of August means that the hot seat/pink slip watch is alive and well down in the Plains. — Scooby Axson, SI.com, 29 Aug. 2019
4. Don’t wait until you’re called in and handed your pink slip. — Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2023
5. That's what was going on in the media when the president tried to give Mueller a pink slip. — Callum Borchers, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2018

   

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Question of the Day #1129

‘Forever chemicals’ used in lithium ion batteries threaten environment, research finds

From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

  上記の文で、forever chemicalsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "forever chemicals" 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：
Siyaku Blogによると、

PFASは化学的に極めて安定であることから自然界ではほとんど分解されず、半減期は数十年と言われています。このことから、永遠の化合物、フォーエバーケミカル（Forever Chemical）とも呼ばれます。分解されないため、廃棄されると長期間環境中に滞留することとなります。

   

Answer

According to Chem Trust:

PFAS (Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), also known as the Forever Chemicals, are a large chemical family of over 10,000 highly persistent chemicals that don’t occur in nature.
PFAS are the most persistent synthetic chemicals to date, they hardly degrade in the natural environment and have been found in the blood and breastmilk of people and wildlife all around the world.

 

Examples

1. And if you’re wondering why they’re called “forever chemicals,” it’s because they are nearly indestructible.
2. The EPA did recently set limits on six PFAS forever chemicals that are regularly found in drinking water—an important step forward in tackling this massive public health and environmental crisis. 
3. What are PFAs? Everything you need to know about the ‘forever chemicals’ surrounding us every day
4. PFAS chemicals have been dubbed “forever chemicals”, because they are extremely persistent, lasting thousands of years. Every American tested has PFAS in their blood.
5. You probably have “forever chemicals” in your body. Here’s what that means.

   

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Question of the Day #1128

Some millennials ditch dating app culture in favor of returning to 'IRL' connections

From the headline of this article at ABC News.

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

【インターネット略】
＝ in real life
現実の世界では∥現実的には∥現実を見なさい
【略】
1 ＝ in real life
現実の世界で（は）、現実的には、実生活では［において］、現実のちまたでは

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

in real life

 

Examples

1. They're not people she knows IRL—in real life—she says, but they're real conversations. —Alyssa Giacobbe
2. I've loved meeting you online, but do you think we'll ever meet IRL?
3. I play online video games with people I've never met IRL.
4. If he did that IRL he'd have a bullet in his head.
5. I’m meeting him IRL next week.

   

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Question of the Day #1127

CalVet: He Signed His John Hancock Right There, On The Declaration Of Independence

From the headline of this article at the Sierra Sun Times.

  上記の文で、John Hancockの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "John Hancock" 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〉〔書類への〕サイン、署名(signature)

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

an autograph signature

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

アメリカの独立宣言書(the Declaration of Independence) に記入されたサインの中で、John Hancock （1737～1793年）のものが一番大きく、肉太(bold)でとても目立ったので、以後その名前がサインの代名詞になった。

 

Etymology

According to Dictionary.com:

This expression alludes to John Hancock's prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence.

   

Examples

1. let me just scribble my John Hancock on the bottom of the form
2. In January 2022, the rapper punched a man who had been following him and turned out to be an autograph broker seeking Ye’s John Hancock. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
3. Meet-and-greets: Head to Autograph Alley on the right field concourse for your best shot at getting your favorite player’s John Hancock. —Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024
4. Just put your John Hancock on the dotted line.
5. Put your John Hancock at the bottom of the page.

   

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Question of the Day #1126

Jamie Foxx's Daughter Corinne Foxx Almost Changed Last Name So She Wouldn't 'Ride' on His 'Coattails'

From the headline of this article at People.

  上記の文で、on someone's coattailsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "on someone's coattails" 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、

（人）の後を追って、（人）の人気を当てにして［に便乗して］、（人）の助け［おかげ］で、（人）に頼って

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Benefiting from someone else's success; using someone else's success as a means to achieve one's own.

 

Examples

1. Everyone knows you've been on the governor's coattails these last two years, but once her term ends, you'll be on your own.
2. A: "I can't believe Jonathan got his paper published in that prestigious journal." B: "Oh, it's only because he's on his professor's coattails."
3. The senator rode into office on the President's coattails.
4. He won the cabinet post by hanging on the senator's coattails.
5. “The inexperienced entrepreneur managed to secure investors by riding the coattails of his well-established business partner.”

   

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Question of the Day #1125

The deaths come amid reports of massive crowding on the mountain. Around the Hillary Step, where climbers have to go single-file, there were reports of two-to three-hour delays on Wednesday.

From the 3rd paragraph of this article at ABC News.

  上記の文で、single-fileの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "single-file" 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列縦隊

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a row of persons, animals, or things arranged one behind the other

 

Examples

1. The goal is to slow the cars down and prevent them from running single file. — Zach Horrall, Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2018
2. The managers entered, single file, and walked to their places. — Lindsay Wise, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2020
3. The bus pulled up to the Freedom House and we were told to walk into the building in two single file lines. — Hannah Drown, cleveland.com, 10 Jan. 2018
4. The carrying capacity of an escalator system must match the expected peak traffic demand, presuming that passengers ride single file. Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
5. When they leave the nest the young follow the mother in single file. Burton, John A. Animals of the World

   

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Question of the Day #1124

Looking to catch 'lightning in a bottle,' Nikki Haley stumps in Vermont

From the headline of this article at Vermont Public.

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

奇跡を起こす

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to succeed in a way that is very lucky or unlikely

なお、下記Merriam-Websterの定義の見出しにあるようにcapture lightning in a bottleと言うこともできます。

 

Examples

1. He caught lightning in a bottle with the success of his very first book.
2. For Theroux, a feature-length documentary film is the opposite of that, a way to capture lightning in a bottle, and to freeze the star in time. —Simran Hans, Variety, 13 Jan. 2023
3. So far we’re underdogs this season, and will have to catch lightning in a bottle to make the playoffs.
4. The network is seeking to catch lightning in a bottle twice by rebooting the popular series.
5. A: "Wow, those two young actors have such a natural, easy chemistry—their love story really feels authentic." B: "I know, the casting director caught lightning in a bottle with those two."

   

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Question of the Day #1123

Supreme Court justices steer clear of insurrection question in Trump ballot case

From the headline of this article at NBC News.

  上記の文で、steer clear ofの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "steer clear of" 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。
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、

～を避ける、～を遠ざける、～に関わらない

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery

 

Examples

1. After several disastrous family gatherings, she steered clear of any talk about hosting holiday celebrations.
2. Her speech steered clear of controversial issues.
3. They warned their children to steer clear of drugs.
4. Dad warned us to steer clear of Dr. Smith and his poor advice.
5. Just make sure you steer clear of peak times to avoid sky-high prices. Times, Sunday Times (2013)

   

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