Question of the Day #1380

Maine needs an experienced leader who has paid their dues

From the headline of this article at CentralMaine.com.

  上記の文で、pay one’s duesの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "pay one’s dues" 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. 〈俗〉〔苦労して〕権利［地位］を得る［獲得する］
2. 〈俗〉〔過失などの〕報いを受ける
3. 〈俗〉刑期を務める
4. 会費を払う

4番目の訳が、直訳になります。したがって、その訳から他の意味が派生したと思っていいでしょう。
なお、問題の見出しの訳は、「下積みをつんだ」がいいのではないかと思います。

 

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. Literally, to pay the requisite fees to enter into or remain in an organization.
2. By extension, to work hard, gain the necessary skills or experience, or suffer hardships (in order to earn a position, set of rights, the respect of others, etc.).
3. To serve the sentence given to one upon conviction of a crime.

 

Examples

1. I paid my dues working in the warehouse for 10 years before I got this job in the head office.
2. She'd paid her dues in small-town shows before she finally got a Broadway part.
3. He's paid his dues and deserves a promotion.
4. 2005 August 7, Jeff Leeds, “A Money Scandal That's Rocking Hip-Hop”, in New York Times‎[1], retrieved 17 July 2013:
   [S]he spent some time paying her dues at entry-level jobs.
5. 2005 November 6, Donald Morrison, “Still Enough Wrongs To Write”, in Time‎[2], archived from the original on 30 June 2013:
   He too championed the anti-apartheid cause, paid his dues, had his works banned.

   

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Question of the Day #1379

The Big Tech Regulation Rigamarole

From the headline of this article at Tech News World.

  上記の文で、rigamaroleの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "rigamarole" 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：
英辞郎では、別の綴りのrigmaroleで掲載されています。

1. 訳の分からない［役に立たない・長過ぎる］話［説明］
2. 無駄な［無意味な・煩わしい・うんざりする］手続き

なお、下記英語の定義では、一つ目の意味は今ではあまり使用されていません。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. something (such as a procedure or an explanation) that is long, complicated, and tedious
2. dated: confused or meaningless talk

 

Examples

1. Why the hold-up? There's still a whole bunch of legal rigamarole to work out … — Tristan Hopper
2. We know now … the real reason McDonald's ice cream machines always seem to be broken is because they're not—they just take four hours and an 11-step process to clean. This rigmarole is often what's actually preventing McDonald's employees from serving up your hot fudge sundae. — Megan Scott
3. Passengers departing from here do not have to go through the same security rigmarole as they do in major airports. From Washington Post
4. "I was a journalist for 20 years and I can spot marketing rigmarole and a contrived script. You have to be your crude, authentic self to attract your audience." From BBC
5. The entire rigmarole, I realised, was just a charade.

   

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Question of the Day #1378

Majority of Canadians would pay under the table cash to avoid sales tax: survey

From the headline of this article at Global News.

  上記の文で、pay under the tableの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "pay under the table" 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）に賄賂［袖の下］を払う［与える］

Pay under the tableは「非合法的」なお金の渡し方に間違いありませんが、「賄賂」と限りません。どちらかというと「裏金」の方が適訳です。例えば、問題の見出しの場合は、「統計によると、カナダ人の大多数は、売上税を回避するために裏金で現金払いを好む」になります。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To give a worker payment that is not officially documented and has not been taxed.

 

Examples

1. Because the restaurant pays me under the table, no taxes come out of my paycheck.
2. I don't have a visa to work in this country, so I've been nannying for a family who pays me under the table.
3. How should an employer respond to an employee that wants to be paid under the table?
4. However, he asked if he could get paid under the table to save us both a bit of $$.
5. Is being paid under the table a good thing or a bad thing?

   

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Question of the Day #1377

Hold fast: How a nautical phrase inspired the motto of our times

From the headline of this article at CBC.com.

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

【句動】

1. 〔～に〕しがみつく
2. 〔～を〕固守する
3. 〔～を〕堅持する
4. 〔色が〕あせない

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. To remain securely adhered (to something).
2. To remain determined, stalwart, and unyielding, as in one's position or opinion.

 

Examples

1. He held fast to his principles.
2. No, tape won't hold fast in this case—you need to use a stronger adhesive.
3. Though it may be hard, we must hold fast in our pledge to environmental reform.
4. I've held fast to my principles my whole life, and I don't intend to compromise them now with your gang of thugs!
5. ”The strikers held fast at Hicks’s mines, but world events intervened.”
Fannie Never Flinched by Mary Cronk Farrell

   

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Question of the Day #1376

Team USA’s militarism is a big bummer in an otherwise incredible WBC tournament

From the headline of this article at Royals Review.

  上記の文で、bummerの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "bummer" 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. 〈話〉嫌な［がっかりする］こと［出来事・体験］、不愉快なこと［出来事・体験・状態・時間］、残念なこと、失望、失敗（作）、駄作
2. 〈米話〉怠け者

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1.              
   1. an unpleasant experience
   2. something that is unpleasant or disappointing
2. FAILURE, FLOP

 

Examples

1. All this goodwill and success are a huge bummer for Jessi’s current husband, Jordan. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
2. People thought the script was a bummer. — Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Mar. 2026
3. Still, the creators and the cast didn’t want the revival to feel like a bummer. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2023
4. "I've left my wallet at home." "What a bummer!"
5. Are we to believe that one of pop’s bright new stars was once … kind of a bummer? From Los Angeles Times

   

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Question of the Day #1375

With a finish in the top three of an event required to punch one's ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, some Hokies will look to either take a well-deserved rest this summer or continue training at the professional level.

From the 5th paragraph of this article at HokieSports.com.

  上記の文で、punch one’s ticketの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "punch one’s ticket" 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：
Punch one’s ticketの和訳は、ほとんどありませんがえいご1日1語にありました。推測で説明しているので、途中までそれなりですが、問題文の意味まで辿り着いていません。
そこで、下記のThe Free Dictionaryの定義を訳すと、

1. 文字どおりの意味は、特にバスや汽車に乗車する時、運賃を払っていることを証明するために切符に改札鋏等で切ってもらうこと。
2. 1番の定義の延長の意味として、（とくに競技等において）前進するために何らかのアクションを起こすこと。

問題文の場合は、この2番の訳が適切です。

 

Answer

  According to The Free Dictionary:

1. Literally, to punch a hole in or otherwise mark one's ticket, especially for a bus or train, to show they have paid the fare to ride.
2. By extension, to perform an action that allows one to proceed, especially in a competition.

 

Examples

1. With a win tonight, they will punch their ticket to the tournament.
2. If this deal goes through, you'll have punched your ticket to the corner office.
3. She has punched her ticket to her second Olympics Games.
4. You have punched your ticket to the final round with this win.
5. In scoring 13 points, they punched their ticket to the Super Bowl in Jacksonville.

   

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Question of the Day #1374

$48M ‘boondoggle’ set to be killed by N.J. gov. ‘Not good enough,’ she says.

From the headline of this article at NJ.com.

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

【名・自動】
〈米話〉〔多大な労力・時間・金を費やす〕無駄［無意味］な仕事［活動・計画・公共事業］（を行う）

ただし、上記の訳に下記英語にある大事な部分が含まれていません。それは、often involving graftつまり「しばしば収賄を伴う」の部分です。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft

 

Examples

1. Is high-speed rail a valuable addition to infrastructure, or a boondoggle?
2. Republicans called the plan a boondoggle and a drain on federal highway funds.
3. The senator called the new highways proposal "a fraud and a boondoggle that the taxpayer should not tolerate."
4. Why: In a state known for its outlandish mansions, this is the boondoggle that set the standard. — Christopher Reynolds, latimes.com, 21 May 2017
5. The judges were not somebody’s nephew on a boondoggle but were, for the most part, their countries’ best legal minds. — Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2023

   

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Question of the Day #1373

COLUMN: People going bananas for baby macaque online

From the headline of this article at OrilliaMatters.

  上記の文で、go bananasの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "go bananas" 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. 〈俗〉頭がおかしくなる、気が狂う◆【語源】バナナを目の前に出されたサルが騒ぐ様子から◆【参考】go ape
2. 〈俗〉熱狂する、怒り狂う
3. 〈俗〉〔機械などが〕駄目になる、いかれる

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. To become irrational or crazy.
2. To express great excitement about something in an exuberant manner.

 

Examples

1. I'll end up going bananas if I have to work in this cubicle for one more day!
2. The kids are going to go bananas when we tell them about the trip.
3. Confession: I don’t always go bananas for depictions of food in art, but April brings a smattering of excellent and tasty shows. From Seattle Times
4. “Yet it’s not cluttered up; it’s streamlined and simple. Whatever we did was going to be seen in that opening shot of the train going through Asteroid City, so we couldn’t go bananas and let any part of it get too big and out of control.” From Los Angeles Times
5. Students are going bananas over the lack of options available in the cafeteria for lunch.

   

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Question of the Day #1372

Scoot and shoot the breeze for charity

From the headline of this article at defense.gov.au.

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

〈米話〉おしゃべりする、無駄話をする、油を売る◆【直訳】口から風を吹く

   

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

Talk idly, chat

 

語源

Wiktionaryによると、

1919年に初めて記録されたスラングで、風に向かって話すことを意味する。

 

Etymology

According to Wiktionary:

A slang phrase, alluding to talking into the wind, it was first recorded in 1919.

   

Examples

1. They've been sitting on the porch for hours, just shooting the breeze.
2. We were just standing around shooting the breeze.
3. 1999, The Ninth Gate (motion picture), spoken by Dean Corso (Johnny Depp):
   Listen, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. If you want to expound your personal philosophies, write another book.
4. Catch him after practice and he’s happy to shoot the breeze with a smile on his face. From Seattle Times
5. “It felt like they were just shooting the breeze,” recalled Robinson Chavez, whose aching black-and-white photos anchored the series. From Los Angeles Times

   

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Question of the Day #1371

Coups, colonialism and all that jazz: the film that unravels extraordinary cold war truths

From the headline of this article at the Guardian.

  上記の文で、and all that jazzの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "and all that jazz" 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、

～などなど、～とかいろいろ、それに類したもの

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

And everything else; and many related things.

 

Examples

1. They sell televisions and radios and all that jazz.
2. I’m fed up with work, meetings, and all that jazz.
3. Yeah, bring in the candy bars, the cookies, and all that jazz.
4. If we're going to paint this weekend, we need rollers, drop cloths, and all that jazz.
5. My sister is involved in so many extracurricular activities—student council, Model UN, the literary magazine, and all that jazz.

   

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Question of the Day #1370

Have an itch to go for a nature walk? Watch for poison ivy on the paths

From the headline of this article at Bradford Today.

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

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. かゆみがある
2. 〔～を欲して〕ウズウズする

問題文の意味は、2番目に訳になります。
なお自動詞の場合、itchだけでも「〔～を〕欲しくてたまらない、〔～したくて〕ウズウズする」の意味があります。  

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary "have an itch for (something)" means:

To have an interest in or desire to do something.

 

Examples

1. He has an itch (= desire) to travel.
2. I have an itch to study abroad.
3. I have an itch for another road trip, but I'm not sure where to go.
4. If you're starting to have an itch for acting again, then you should get back on stage.
5. Every so often, I have an itch for a slower, quieter life in the country.

   

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Question of the Day #1369

Family's chicken lays 'ginormous egg' 3 times the normal size

From the headline of this article at Fox News.

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

【形】
〈俗〉とてつもなく大きい◆【語源】gigantic + enormous

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

extremely large : HUMONGOUS

 

Examples

1. Buffett was known to sit on ginormous piles of cash at Berkshire, waiting for the right opportunity to invest. — Luciana Lopez, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
2. Yes, the door is ginormous, to say the least, and appears to be rather heavy, if judged by the photos. — Tj MacIas, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2025
3. Step right up, folks, and feast your eyes on the most ginormous, the most humongous phone known to man! — David Pierce, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2018
4. Billie ate his way through a ginormous ice cream sundae.
5. It will probably reach something like £50 million before the task is finished, which is a ginormous sum.

   

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Question of the Day #1368

'Willy-Nilly'—Singapore Defense Minister Says The US Is No Longer A Stabilizing Force, But A 'Landlord Seeking Rent'

From the headline of this article at Yahoo! Finance.

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

【副】

1. いや応なしに、有無を言わせずに
2. 手当たり次第に、ずさんに、きちんと計画されないで、行き当たりばったりに

【形】

1. なかなか決心できない、決断力のない、ためらう、優柔不断の
2. なかなか決心できない、決断力のない、ためらう、優柔不断の
3. いや応なしの、好むと好まざるとに関わらない、有無を言わせない

   

Answer

According to :

adverb or adjective

1. by compulsion : without choice
2. in a haphazard or spontaneous manner

 

Examples

1. Move, but don’t run willy-nilly or blindly follow a crowd. — Marissa Vonesh, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
2. And yet, Indiana Jones isn’t a franchise to rewrite canon willy-nilly. — Vulture, 30 June 2023
3. Bubbly is also one of those few things that should never be ordered willy-nilly. — Jeff Burkhart, Mercury News, 14 May 2025
4. These men who were thrown together willy-nilly by the Army had nothing in common.
5. She threw her clothes willy-nilly into a drawer.

   

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