Question of the Day #198

"Trump calls for Republicans to trigger 'nuclear option' if stalemate continues"
From the headline of this article at The Hill.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〔交渉などの〕行き詰まり、こう着状態

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

a situation in which neither group involved in an argument can win or get an advantage and no action can be taken

Etymology/語源

によると、

1765年から。stale （フランス語のestale (停止、休止)）+ mate "checkmate"（チェスで「王手」の意味）からの造語。比喩的な使い方は、1885年から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

1765, in chess, from stale "stalemate" (early 15c.) + mate (n.2) "checkmate."... Figurative sense is recorded from 1885.

Examples

• Tomorrow's meeting between the two leaders is expected to break a diplomatic stalemate that has lasted for ten years.
• Despite long discussions, the workers and the management remain locked in stalemate.
• The budget debate ended in a stalemate.
• The new agreement could break the stalemate.
• After 12 days of stalemate, conversations – if not negotiations – have started.

Question of the Day #197

"In New York, tourists left high and dry as Statue of Liberty shuts down"
From the headline of this article at Reuters.

上記の文で、leave high and dry の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "leave high and dry" mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


〈米俗〉〔困っている〕（人）を見放す［見捨てる］

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To leave one in a situation that they have little chance of escaping or improving.

Examples

• You really left me high and dry when you forgot to pick me up last night. I had no way of calling or getting home!
• The departure of several key employees has left the business high and dry.
• All my workers quit and left me high and dry.
• All the children ran away and left Billy high and dry to take the blame for the broken window.

Question of the Day #196

"Trump Administration Wants to Arrest Mayors of 'Sanctuary Cities'"
From the headline of this article at Newsweek.

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

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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：
RNN時事英語辞典によると、


不法移民受け入れに寛容な都市

となっているが、一般的に不法移民を許すわけではないけれど、不法移民であることが発覚してもImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE、移民税関捜査局)に引き渡さない都市のことです。詳細は、各都市によって異なります。

Answer

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

(in North America) a city whose municipal laws tend to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.

Etymology/語源

CNNによると、

現在のsanctuary cityの運動は1980年代に始まったと言われている。当時、中米諸国の国民が自国の紛争等から逃れるためにアメリカ合衆国に難民として渡ったが、連邦政府は難民として認めなかった。それ反対した教会等がその難民をかくまったと言われている。

According to CNN:

The sanctuary movement is said to have grown out of efforts by churches in the 1980s to provide sanctuary to Central Americans fleeing violence at home amid reluctance by the federal government to grant them refugee status.

Examples

• ‘mayors in those cities reaffirmed their status as sanctuary cities’
• Houston is one of the better-known sanctuary cities for immigrants in the US.
• His plan to target US "sanctuary cities", however, likely sets the stage for a much tougher, uglier domestic political fight. [BBC News, January 2017]

Question of the Day #195

"Sens. Cotton and Perdue are outed for lying on Trump's behalf"
From the headline of this article at the Washington Post.

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


～を暴露する

が一番いいでしょう。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to identify publicly as being such secretly

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「公に晒す、暴露する、知らせる」という意味は、１４世紀半ばから

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

sense of "disclose to public view, reveal, make known" has been present since mid-14c.

Examples

• a gay actor who was outed in a magazine article
• He is threatening to out other players who have used steroids.
• "At the same time, Sherman’s stunning fall from grace has underscored the muscular role of the anonymous activists known as antifa in not only tracking and outing far-right partisans but pushing back on their efforts to intimidate people." — OregonLive.com, "Emboldened white nationalists? Look no further than this liberal Oregon college town," 29 Dec. 2017
• Lots of people are now wondering: Who’s next — and what should happen to the men being outed as boors or more? — Maria Panaritis, Philly.com, "Are Sen. Daylin Leach, Rep. Tom Caltagirone the first #metoo dominoes to fall in Pennsylvania? | Maria Panaritis," 20 Dec. 2017
• The depressingly lengthy list of celebrities and government officials and businessmen to be publicly shamed just since media mogul Harvey Weinstein was outed is mind-boggling. — Paul Jenkins, Anchorage Daily News, "Left squanders outrage on the tweets of Trump," 16 Dec. 2017

Question of the Day #194

"Trump just got busted forging the results of his physical health examination"
From the headline of this article at Washington Press.

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

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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： 以前は、bust one's ballsというイディオムがありましたが、今回のbustの意味は違います。

英辞郎によると、いろいろないみはあるが、例題の場合は


〈俗〉〔麻薬取引場所の〕手入れ、急襲、逮捕

が一番意味は近いけれど、この場合は、「健康診断の結果で嘘をついたのがバレた」の「バレた」に意訳したほうがいいと思います。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

Slang

1. Arrest
2. Raid

Of course, neither of these is really suitable in this example, but this is as close as it gets according to the dictionary.

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「逮捕する」という意味は1953年から。（「急襲する」は禁酒法時代から。）

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

that of "place under arrest" is from 1953 (earlier "to raid" from Prohibition)

Examples

• Police busted 12 gang members on weapons charges.
• She got busted for drug possession.
• Two students got busted by the teacher for smoking in the bathroom.
• The bar has been busted three times for selling drinks to minors.
• He’s been busted for drug trafficking.

Question of the Day #193

"CNN Interview With Roy Moore Spox Janet Porter Goes Totally Off the Rails: ‘Are You Having Fun?’ "
From the headline of this article at Mediaite.com.

今回は、2問。

上記の文で、spoxとoff the railsの意味は？
Two terms today. In the sentence above, what do "spox" and "off the rails" mean?

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Spoxの解答/Answer to Spox

意味： Oxford Dictionariesによると、


spokespersonの略。すなわち、〔組織・企業・政府などの情報を発表する〕広報担当者、報道官、スポークスパーソン

Answer

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

A spokesperson.

Etymology/語源

WordReference.comによると、

Googleニュースのタイムラインによると、spoxは２００７年に突然流行り出したが、それまではなかった用語のようである。

According to WordReference.com:

According to the Google news time-line, it suddenly became popular in 2007, apparently not existing before that year.

Examples

• Schneiderman campaign spox James Freedland just sent out the following statement.
• "(Elections will be held) absolutely on schedule," said government spokesman Theodore Roussopoulos.
• ‘the Homeland Security spox has assured us that there would be “robust and thorough security threat assessments” in place’

Off the railsの解答/Answer to "Off the rails"

意味： 英辞郎によると、


軌道からはずれて、頭が狂って

to goで使用されるのが最も一般的ですが、to beやto comeと使用されることもある。

Answer

According to Dictionary.com:

In an abnormal or malfunctioning condition

Etymology/語源

Dictionary.comによると、

1800年代半ばにできたイディオムで、汽車の脱線事故から。

According to Dictionary.com:

This idiom alludes to the rails on which trains run; if a train goes off the rails, it stops or crashes. [ Mid-1800s ]

Examples

• A lot of kids from strict backgrounds go off the rails when they leave home.
• The campaign for independence seems to have gone off the rails.
• He went off the rails in his first year at university.
• Our project has started going off the rails ever since the manager up and quit last month.
• He was a promising student but he went off the rails after he started taking drugs.

Question of the Day #192

First question for 2018.

"JUST IN: Sarah Huckabee Sanders SNAPS – This Time It’s Not On The Press"
From the headline of this article at The Political Voice.

上記の文で、snap の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "snap" 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： 英辞郎によるとさまざまな訳はあるけれど、この場合、これが一番いいと思います。 


〔怒って〕きつく言う［言い返す］

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster there are quite a few definitions, but I think the following is the most suitable for this case:

to utter sharp biting words : bark out irritable or peevish retorts

Examples

• There's no need to snap at me - it's not my fault that you lost your wallet.
• "Well, I hate you too!" she snapped.
• 'Of course I don't know her,' Roger snapped.
• I'm sorry, Casey, I didn't mean to snap at you like that.
• ‘McIllvanney snapped at her’