Question of the Day #1441

This Story Is 'The Cat's Meow!'

From the headline of this article at VOA News.

  上記の文で、cat's meowの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "cat's meow" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

《the ～》〈俗〉素晴らしい［最高の］人［もの］◆【同】cat's whiskers

Cat's meowやcat's whiskersの他に、cat's pajamasも同じ意味です。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

used to say that someone or something is very appealing

 

Examples

1. I really like that car; it's the cat's meow.
2. Sandhu responded with a cat's meow that became an instant internet meme, while Harvey received criticism on Twitter for the question. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2021
3. And to think, the typical 14-year-old thinks they’re the cat’s meow when they level up in Elden Ring. From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2022
4. If your children are fans of all things furry and feline, then this event in and around the Asbury Park Convention Hall is, well, the cat’s meow. From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2019
5. For her, that vintage dress was the cat’s meow — she wore it proudly to every special occasion.

   

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Question of the Day #1440

Niagara Falls high-wire plans could go haywire

From the headline of this article at the Toronto Star.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〈話〉〔計画・機械・手順などが〕めちゃめちゃになる、おかしくなる、正常に機能しなくなる

   

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

To break down or cease to function properly

 

Examples

1. They told us later in the hospital that his heart had gone haywire.
2. Their career going haywire seems to be a recurring motif. The Guardian (2018)
3. Your mind plays all kinds of tricks on you when geopolitical events go haywire. From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
4. There's every reason to believe this trial could go haywire. From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2024
5. It's during this crucial period of cell division that things can go haywire. From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2024

   

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Question of the Day #1439

Put a Bow On it: Paterson Officials, Community Celebrate Vera Ames' Birthday with Ribbon Cutting

From the headline of this article at TAPinto Paterson.

  上記の文で、put a bow on itの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "put a bow on it" 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：
このイディオムは英辞郎に掲載されていないのでHiNativeによると、

何かに最後のタッチを加えることを意味するイディオムです。つまり、何かを終えることを意味します

   

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary "put a bow on something" means:

to make something complete or perfect

 

Examples

1. This final victory puts a bow on his success story.
2. The story ends as they put a bow on their long pursuit of love by getting married.
3. This is a really good idea, let’s put a bow on it.
4. Joe Mixon: ‘Let’s put a bow on it, s--, we’re desperate, too’ Texans can clinch AFC South division Sunday
5. Put a bow on your holiday app marketing with new innovations to find high-value users

   

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Question of the Day #1438

Man, can you imagine giving up a Biglaw partnership to run interference for a dead pedophile? Or, you know, that dead pedophile’s buddy.

From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Above The Law.

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

1. 《アメフト》〔敵の動きを〕妨げる、妨害する◆ボールを持って走る味方の選手の前を走って、敵の選手をブロックして、進路を開けること。
2. 〈比喩〉〔誰かのために〕邪魔［障害］を取り除く、盾になる、援護する、助け舟を出す

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to provide assistance by or as if by clearing a path through obstructions

 

Examples

1. His no-nonsense assistant runs interference for him on just about everything, from work to social life.
2. The press secretary runs interference for the governor.
3. At times Robbie has to run interference between his son and daughter when things get too heated. From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
4. “Whenever she visits, I’ve never seen her turn anybody away. She’s accessible almost to a fault. Sometimes, we don’t know if we should go and run interference, but she never seems bothered.” From Washington Post ● Sep. 5, 2022
5. He told her: “He’s gonna run interference for me right now, and that’s damn good advice, and I appreciate that very much.” From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2022

   

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Question of the Day #1437

President Donald Trump is in the catbird seat as New York City’s mayoral race enters its final days — positioned to benefit no matter who takes City Hall.

From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Politico.

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

有利な立場、権力の座

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a position of great prominence or advantage

 

Examples

1. With memory giants like Samsung and SK Hynix cranking up production to keep pace with Nvidia’s Blackwell ramp, Lam is sitting in the catbird seat. — John Buckingham, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
2. And Shanae is in the catbird seat, still mulling over whether to pick Logan or James. — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2022
3. Of the two Democratic leaders, Newsom had the easier path to the political catbird seat. — John Myers, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022
4. Publicly the Communist Party acts like this market dominance puts it in the economic catbird seat. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2021
5. Even with all of the congressional turnover — and the prospect that more could be coming — the GOP still sits in the catbird seat in Texas. — Tom Benning, Dallas News, 9 Aug. 2019

   

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Question of the Day #1436

Priceless 145-Year-Old Martin Guitar Accidentally Gets Smashed to Smithereens in Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight

From the headline of this article at Open Culture.

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

〈話〉〔破壊・爆発などによってできた〕小さな破片

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

small broken pieces: FRAGMENTS, BITS

Examples

• The city was bombed to smithereens during the war.
• So many movies involve everyone and everything being blown to smithereens.
• The fragile dish broke into smithereens.
• Any such attempt, of course, would get laughed into smithereens on Twitter. — Washington Post, 27 June 2021
• Those most terrible weapons have been hovering around Verdansk since early on in its lifespan, spurring on speculation that the developer would be blowing the map to smithereens. — Dave Thier, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2021

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Question of the Day #1435

For America’s Rarest Wildlife, Survival May Hinge on a Single Word

From the headline of this article at Yale Environment 360.

  上記の文で、hinge on (something)の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "hinge on (something)" 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、

～次第である、～で決まる、～による、～に依存する、～にかかっている、～に左右される

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to be determined or decided by (something) : to depend on (something)

 

Examples

1. The prosecution's case hinged on the evidence of a witness who died before the trial.
2. The film's plot hinges on a case of mistaken identity.
3. Many of the changes ordered by Biedscheid hinge on strong age-verification measures. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
4. The lawsuit does not hinge on the question of whether ICE should be operating at the Glenwood Springs strip mall, Hanlon reminded the council, asking the members to take their feelings about the federal agency out of the equation. — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 7 Aug. 2026
5. The answers to these questions, as so many inevitably do, hinge on time and money. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2024

   

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Question of the Day #1434

A Flint woman is suing a man for $10,000 after he stood her up on a date.

From the 1st paragraph of this article at Fox 2 Detroit.

  上記の文で、stand someone upの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "stand someone up" 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）を立たせたままにする、（人）を待たせる、（人）に待ちぼうけを食わせる、（人）との約束［デート］をすっぽかす◆【参考】get stood up

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To fail to meet someone for a date, meeting, or appointment, especially without telling them. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "stand" and "up."

 

Examples

1. I'm sorry I stood you up, but I had a family emergency last night.
2. Tom is really bad about standing up his dates.
3. He stood her up at the restaurant.
4. I don't know if I've been stood up or if she's just late - I'll wait another half hour.
5. He stood up his date while he played basketball with the guys.

   

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Question of the Day #1433

And I can’t wait for Derrick Rose, Jennifer Hudson or Kanye West to join forces with the cops to help get the word out in our violent neighborhoods that the definition of a snitch is a criminal who rats out his associates.

From the 10th paragraph of this article at My Chicago.

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

【句他動】

1. 〈俗〉〔人を〕密告［告げ口］する
2. 〈俗〉〔人を〕見捨てる

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To inform an authority figure of one's bad or illegal behavior.

 

Examples

1. I can't believe you ratted me out like that to Mom and Dad—I'm never telling you anything ever again!
2. The criminal ratted out his accomplices to avoid jail time.
3. He decided to rat out his coworker to the manager.
4. She threatened to rat out the thief to the police.
5. He didn't want to rat out his friend, but he had no choice.

   

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Question of the Day #1432

Military groups advocate for 7-day mail-in ballot grace period as they await Supreme Court decision

From the headline of this article at Spectrum News.

  上記の文で、grace periodの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "grace period" 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. 〔ローンや借金の支払い〕猶予期間◆利子や延滞金などがかからない期間。◆【同】period of grace
2. 〔保険の〕猶予期間◆毎月の保険料の支払いが期限より遅れても保険が有効な期間。◆【同】period of grace

なお、上記の例は金融関係ですが、今ではあらゆる金融以外の分野でもgrace periodは使用されます。（下記、例文参照）

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a period of time beyond a due date during which a financial obligation may be met without penalty or cancellation

Despite the definitions in many dictionaries, I think it we can all agree that the phrase "grace period" is no longer limited to loans and the like; e.g., see the examples below.

 

Examples

1. Most recently, a district court judge in July reinstated a three-day grace period for voters to return mail ballots after election day, which GOP lawmakers had eliminated. — John Hanna, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
2. Diaz said there is a 30-day grace period for students where all lunches will be provided free of charge. — Austin Horn july 22, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
3. The new law will take effect after a two-year grace period. — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2025
4. This may take the form of an interest rate subsidy or an extended grace period.
5. The second defect is that the grace period of five years creates rather a long delay.

   

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Question of the Day #1431

A couple getting married in St. Lucia share the biggest lessons they've learned from planning a destination wedding

From the headline of this article at Business Insider.

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

リゾート婚◆リゾート地で行う結婚式。

上記の訳は間違っているわけではないが、下記の英語の定義は「伝統的には、destination weddingとは、挙式または披露宴が結婚するカップルの住んでいる地域以外のところで行われる」とのことです。

 

Answer

According to The Knot:

Traditionally, though, a destination wedding is a ceremony and/or reception that's held outside of the couple's hometown, which requires travel for most (if not all) of those involved.

 

Examples

1. It's nearly impossible to create one, concise destination wedding definition because it looks different for every couple.
2. According to The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed nearly 17,000 recently married couples, destination weddings are somewhat common these days.
3. The Caribbean islands, Mexico, and the Bahamas are among the most popular wedding destinations, though couples have endless options when it comes to locale.
4. A big part of what makes something a ‘destination wedding’ is the randomness of the location.
5. The sun setting over lapping ocean waves or behind the Eiffel Tower as you say “I do” to your beloved sounds downright magical. But a far-away wedding locale isn’t for every couple. Read on to discover whether a destination wedding is right for you.

   

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Question of the Day #1430

Six WBC storylines in international event chock-full of star power

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

  上記の文で、chock-full of (something)の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "chock-full of (something) " 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〉ぎっしり詰まった～、たっぷり入った～

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Having a lot of something; very full of something.

 

Examples

1. If you don't like raisins, you won't like this cake—it's chock full of them.
2. Good luck fitting anything else in that storage locker—it is just chock full of boxes.
3. You're looking to try out some new recipes? Well, that shelf over there is chock full of cookbooks, if you want to borrow one.
4. 2016 was a year chock full of athletic insanity. – NY Post
5. Except for one little detail, the final chapter of Elfrieda Knaak’s life reads like an Agatha Christie mystery novel. It was chock full of ambiguity. – Chicago Tribune

   

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Question of the Day #1429

Behind him Gunnersaurus bared his teeth and menacingly pawed the air

From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

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

〔動物・人が〕歯をむき出す［むき出しにする］

上記の意味の他に、怒り・攻撃性等を表す比喩として使用されることが多い。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To display an angry, violent, or threatening reaction to or against something or someone, as does a dog or wolf when threatened.

 

Examples

1. I will bare my teeth to anyone who tries to take away my land.
2. We seemed to be getting along just fine, but she suddenly bared her teeth when I brought up religion.
3. His refusal to accept my offer made it clear I'd have to bare my teeth.
4. She bared her teeth during the heated argument.
5. The dog bared its teeth at the stranger.

   

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