Question of the Day #1236

Cirillo’s parting advice to anyone shopping around for a PBM: “Kick the tires … Kick the tires hard.”

From the last paragraph of this article at Risk & Insurance.

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

〈俗〉簡単な点検［品質検査］をする◆自動車のタイヤを蹴るだけでタイヤの点検を済ませるイメージから

ただし、下記英語の一つ目の定義にあるように「商品を購入する前に試したり丁寧に調べる」になっています。したがって、二つの違う意味があるので業種や文脈で意味を読み取る必要があります。

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

to try something or examine it carefully before you buy it

  However, according to Investopedia this phrase takes on a different meaning:

Kicking the tires is a colloquial expression that refers to performing minimal research into an investment, as opposed to conducting a thorough and rigorous analysis.

 

語源

Wiktionaryによると、


20世紀初頭。当時の自動車のタイヤは薄いゴム製で品質の悪いものもあった。したがって、自動車の潜在顧客はタイヤを蹴ることによってそのゴムの厚さを試したり、空気が抜けるかを調べた。

 

Etymology

According to Wiktionary:

Early 20th century. Tires on early automobiles were made of thin rubber and were sometimes of poor quality, hence a prospective buyer might kick them to see how thick they were or if they would deflate.

   

Examples

1. Come and kick the tires on this latest version of the software.
2. Red Flag 1: When an Analyst Doesn't Kick the Tires or Even Read a Company's Filings
3. Microsoft finally took some of the wraps off last week, releasing Vista's first major test version to about 500,000 programmers and tech professionals. The goal is to let them kick the tires, run their software on it and provide feedback.
4. 1935 April, Motor, volume 63, number 4, page 39.
   "Kick the tires and look serious" recognized as first rule for used car appraisal; 1915.
5. He tried kicking the tires of the new security software by infecting his laptop with a handful of common viruses.

   

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Question of the Day #1235

Alexander Vindman calls Trump a "useful idiot" for Putin

From the headline of this article at Axios.

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

〈軽蔑的〉役に立つばか、ばかだが役立つ人◆策略家などから見て「尊敬に値しないが、利用できる人間」。行動力・影響力を持っていて、政治上の作戦の道具として利用できる相手。批判的思考力を持たず、自分が利用されていることに気付かないような人。

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a naive or credulous person who can be manipulated or exploited to advance a cause or political agenda

 

Examples

1. It is one task of the KGB [in 1982] to apply its skills of secrecy and deception to projecting the Soviet party's influence. This it does through contacts with legal Communist Parties abroad, with groups sympathetic to Soviet goals, with do-gooders of the type that Lenin once described as "useful idiots" … . — The Wall Street Journal
2. The interesting thing about it all is that both Biden and the fellow Democrats who brought him down, prevailed upon the useful idiots of the Democrat Party to support Harris and exclude all other potential candidates from the democrat process of choosing a president. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 29 July 2024
3. The movie undoubtedly lays the wood on several in Bush’s inner circle — Thandie Newton’s impression of Condoleezza Rice is particularly mean — as W. ponders what happens when a useful idiot falls under the sway of warmongers with bad intel. — Will Leitch, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025
4. Communist insiders, following Lenin, described people who wanted to believe such fairy tales as "useful idiots".
5. If they let their faith be used as a political tool they become useful idiots for one party or another.

   

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Question of the Day #1234

Former military man, Andy Holehouse, knows what it’s like to live on a shoestring.

From the 3rd paragraph of this article at the West Bridgford Wire.

  上記の文で、live on a shoestringの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "live on a shoestring" 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、

わずかな予算で生活する

英辞郎の場合、shoestring budgetになっていますが、言うまでもなくlive on a shoestringではbudgetが省略されています。

 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To live within a very tight or limited financial budget.

 

Examples

1. We were living on a shoestring for a while after our baby was born, but, luckily, I got a promotion, and our situation has improved a bit.
2. I got a second job because the stress of living on a shoestring was killing me.
3. My dad thinks all artists live on a shoestring so he was surprised when my first painting sold for $4,500.
4. It won't be easy but we can live on a shoestring until you get a job and avoid getting into debt.
5. You're a college student. You should be able to live on a shoestring when you're young. Get roommates and eat ramen.

   

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Question of the Day #1233

Was a lack of get-up-and-go the death of the Neanderthals?

From the headline of this article at Phys.org.

  上記の文で、get-up-and-goの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "get-up-and-go" 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、

〈話〉〔何かをやろうとする〕気力、元気、熱意、覇気、積極性◆不可算◆【直訳】立ち上がって前進すること

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Initiation of action motivated by energy and ambition.

 

Examples

1. She's got more get-up-and-go than anyone I know.
2. This job needs someone with a lot of get-up-and-go.
3. We need someone with real get-up-and-go to run this office.
4. Research shows that self-critics are much more likely to be anxious and depressed -- not exactly get-up-and-go mindsets.
5. One of the ironies of the Thatcher era was that a lot of the oppositional counterculture ranged against her could be seen as a kind of ideal application of her own small-business dream: cottage industry get-up-and-go! — Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025

   

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Question of the Day #1232

Michaela Watkins Is “Honest to a Fault”

From the headline of this article at The Cut.

  上記の文で、honest to a faultの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "honest to a fault" 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、

ばか正直な、愚直な

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Honest to an extreme or excessive degree; more honest than is usual or necessary.

 

Examples

1. Jim wouldn't even tell a white lie—he's honest to a fault. It can actually be a little bit irritating sometimes.
2. The police sergeant is honest to a fault, following every regulation and guideline without question.
3. Why did you tell Mom that I came home after curfew? Gosh, you're always honest to a fault, and it's so annoying!
4. I wish you hadn't told your sister what we're doing. She's honest to a fault and will confess to your parents as soon as they ask her anything.
5. You are honest to a fault! Sometimes you need to tell a white lie in order not to hurt people's feelings.

   

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Question of the Day #1231

Is Maryland’s New Higher Ed Privacy Law a Harbinger of Things to Come?

From the headline of this article at EdTech.

  上記の文で、a harbinger of things to comeの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "a harbinger of things to come" 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、

これから起こることの前兆［前触れ］

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Something that is indicative of what will happen or become popular in the future.

 

Examples

1. As a way to create empathy with a subject, it's definitely a harbinger of things to come. From TechCrunch
2. She said the long pants were a one-time experiment, not necessarily a harbinger of things to come. From ESPN
3. That merger combined a bank with an insurance company, a harbinger of bad things to come in the risk area. From Huffington Post
4. I think this trend is a harbinger of things to come, but there's no way to know for sure.
5. Please tell me that this dip in the stock market isn't a harbinger of things to come.

   

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Question of the Day #1230

"Swiftie" Named Word of the Year Runner-Up by Oxford University Press

From the headline of this article at Exclaim!.

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

 

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. 〔試合・競争などにおける〕2位の人［チーム］、次点の人
2. 〔選挙の〕次点候補（者）

なお、「2位の人」になっていますが、「2位以下の人」の場合もあります。つまり、2位、3位、4位の人もrunner-upと言うことがあります。その中で順位をつけるのであれば、first runner-up, second runner-up, third runner-upになります。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

the competitor that does not win first place in a contest
especially: one that finishes in second place

 

Examples

1. The runner-up will win $1,000 as will the people’s choice winner. — Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2024
2. The Lakers were the runner-up to the Celtics in six of Boston’s 10 championship wins. — Shannon Carlin, Time, 4 Aug. 2023
3. Madison is the Eastern Region champion and last year’s state runner-up.
4. It was there that he ultimately won a series of tournaments and finished runner-up in the US Open in 1922 and 1923. From BBC
5. On the sixth day, the winners of each pool would play for the gold medal, preceded by the runners-up playing for the bronze medal. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1229

State House candidates run the gamut on experience

From the headline of this article at the Macomb Daily.

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

全域にまたがる

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to encompass an entire range of something

 

Examples

1. Their projects run the gamut from mobile homes to luxury condos.
2. The show runs the gamut of 20th century design.
3. The reviews for the film ran the gamut from contempt to qualified rapture.
4. The few apps that are available run the gamut between difficult to use and almost too easy. — Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
5. At 33, Swift has run the gamut from country to electro pop to indie folk and emerged as the world’s top-drawing performer in the process. — Thor Christensen, Dallas News, 30 Mar. 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1228

‘Mob Wives’ dad has been ‘put on the shelf’

From the headline of this article at the New York Post.

  上記の文で、put on the shelfの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "put on the shelf" 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. ～を棚へ上げる
2. ～を棚上げする、～を保留にする

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To delay something or put it on hiatus.

 

Examples

1. Once my wife became pregnant, I knew I had to put my plans of starting my own business on the shelf for a while.
2. Plans to start a free film series have been put on the shelf.
3. With mandatory retirement at 65, many useful employees are put on the shelf.
4. After the budget cut, our research project was put on the shelf.
5. They put our plan on the shelf because they do not have enough money.

   

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Question of the Day #1227

"I know—I hear it through the grapevine that you have a lot of theories and expectations in that department, but after Positions, [I] was not ready to start another album yet."

From the 3rd paragraph of this article at ENews.

  上記の文で、hear it through the grapevineの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "hear it through the grapevine" 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、

人づてに［人のうわさで］聞く

Throughの代わりに、on, over, viaを使うこともできます。

 

Answer

According to Idioms Online:

To hear something through the grapevine means to learn of it through rumors passing from person to person; to acquire unsubstantiated information from sources that are not necessarily reliable.

 

Examples

1. “I heard through the grapevine we’re getting a new assistant.”
2. “How did you find out about my award?” asked Anna. “I heard it through the grapevine,” said Brook.
3. “I hear through the grapevine you are thinking of joining the military,” said John “Me, join the military? So much for the grapevine!” said Sam.
4. -David: I heard it through the grapevine that you are looking for another job. Is it true?
   -Bob: Wow, how did you know that? I only told a few people. But yes, it’s true. Please don’t tell anyone else.
5. I heard it through the grapevine that the company is going to lay off workers.

   

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Question of the Day #1226

Hausler acknowledges the importance of taking a focused approach to implementation but cautions not to bite off more than one can chew.

From the 28th paragraph of this article at Future CIO.

  上記の文で、bite off more than one can chewの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "bite off more than one can chew" 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、

〈比喩〉自分の能力を超えることを試みる［しようとする］、無理［背伸び］（を）する、手に余ることを企てる

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To take on more responsibility than one can handle.

 

Examples

1. I bit off more than I could chew when I volunteered to manage three little league teams in one season.
2. Lucy, it's OK to admit you've bitten off more than you can chew. These are two big projects you're juggling now.
3. With two additional jobs, Bill is clearly biting off more than he can chew.
4. He bought the old hotel but soon realized he had bitten off more than he could chew.
5. I worry that she wants to do too many extracurriculars. I mean, she's only 13—I don't want her biting off more than she can chew.

   

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Question of the Day #1225

'Bait and switch' jobs are surprisingly common. Here's what to do if it happens to you

From the headline of this article at Fast Company.

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

おとり販売［商法］◆値引きした商品をおとりとして、類似した高額な商品を買わせる商法。baitは「餌」、switchは「（小枝で）むち打つこと」の意。

なお問題文の場合は、bait and switchを引用符で括ることによって形容詞として使っていますが、本来の形容詞はハイフォンで繋げます。(bait-and-switch)


 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one
2. the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable

 

Examples

1. This classic bait and switch marked the rise of both Google and Facebook. — Joseph Turow, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2021
2. If that means doing more to prevent the old bait and switch, so be it. — Solomon Jones, Philly.com, 16 May 2018
3. What seems to have occurred here is that the app maker pulled off a bait and switch. — Andy Meek, BGR, 31 Mar. 2021
4. But the problem here is that the president is playing a game of bait and switch. — Fox News, 24 May 2018
5. The couture show involved a clever bait and switch: guests were funnelled through the back door of the Palais Garnier and, unbeknownst to them, onto the main opera-house stage. — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1224

He was relatively wet behind the ears at the time, and the movie was shite, so that makes his perceived aloofness somewhat forgivable.

From the 3rd paragraph of this article at Far Out.

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

未熟な、青二才の◆【同】not dry behind the ears

   

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

Immature, inexperienced, and naïve

 

語源

英辞郎によると、

【語源】生まれたばかりの子牛や馬の体で、最後まで乾かないのが耳の裏であることから。

 

Etymology

According to Dictionary:

This term alludes to the fact that the last place to dry in a newborn colt or calf is the indentation behind its ears. [Early 1900s]

   

Examples

1. The new intern is still a little wet behind the ears.
2. How can you take instructions from Tom? He's still wet behind the ears , or Jane's not dry behind the ears yet.
3. But in this telling, Fry comes across as not just inexperienced but insecure: wet behind the ears, a little timid, wary of crossing lines. From Los Angeles Times
4. I'm sure you understand that we can't have a mere inspector still wet behind the ears running a case of this importance. - Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
5. Reno said something beneath his breath, then added in a cutting voice, " Save the wide-eyed act for a pup that's still wet behind the ears. - Elizabeth Lowell ONLY YOU (2001)

   

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