Question of the Day #1423

How to Properly Cull the Herd — Part I

From the headline of this article at North American Whitetail.

  上記の文で、cull the herdの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "cull the herd" 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cullの他動詞の意味は、

1. 〔最良・最上のものを～から〕選択する、えり抜く、抜粋する、選び取る
2. 〔役に立たなくなった動物を〕間引く、（殺）処分する
3. 〔花などを〕摘む、（摘み）集める

問題の記事は、North American WhitetailというWhitetail Deerに関するサイトからなので、cull the herdの意味が「群れを間引く」になります。
一般的に、動物が対象ですが、比喩的に人のチーム、グループ等で使用することもあります。

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. Literally, to separate or remove (and usually kill) inferior animals out of a herd so as to reduce numbers or remove undesirable traits from the group as a whole.
2. By extension, to separate or remove people from a larger group.

 

Examples

1. We had to quickly cull the herd when it came to light that some cows might be carrying an infectious disease.
2. The farmers culled the herd to ensure that only the strongest would reproduce.
3. With so many people applying for a limited number of jobs, employers have had to cull the herd by introducing much stricter criteria and a more elaborate application for hiring.
4. Universities have long used standardized test results as a means of culling the herd of applicants they receive each year.
5. Our team had grown too large to manage effectively, so we had to cull the herd.

   

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