Question of the Day #265

"Trump, Putin mocked by Finnish newspaper billboards over freedom of the press"
From the headline of this article at ABC News.

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


出版［報道・言論］の自由、自由な取材活動

とあるが、この場合は「報道の自由」が適訳でしょう。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

the right of newspapers, magazines, etc., to report news without being controlled by the government

Examples

• "Participation in free democratic elections and freedom of the press are certainly two very good elements in our election process."
• Freedom of expression is not freedom of the press.
• 'Freedom of the Press' Doesn't Justify Naked Prince Harry Photos.
• Freedom of the press is a cardinal American right—a pillar of our democracy, a guarantor of our freedom and our free institutions.
• Should freedom of the press be extended to state secrets.

Question of the Day #264

"With all odds against them, here's how rescuers pulled off 'miracle' Thai cave mission"
From the headline of this article at ABC News.

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

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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、


ありそうもない見込み

Answer

Interestingly, the best definition I could find for "odds against" was at PokerZone.com. According to them:

The ratio of negative outcomes compared to positive outcomes, as expected in the long term given a particular situation; as opposed to odds for.

Question of the Day #263

"Zipper merge will upset other drivers. Why you should do it anyway."
From the headline of this article at USA Today.

上記の文で、zipper merge の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "zipper merge" 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：
英辞郎にこの用語は掲載されていません。しかし、ググるとNaverまとめに下記の説明があります。

ジッパー法(zipper merge)
合流車線の先頭で交互に合流する方法。

すなわち、「交互合流」の方法です。「ジッパー法」という用語がまだ一般的ではないので、「ジッパー法による交互合流」の訳では不十分だと思いますので、説明をつけるかただの「交互合流」で済ませてもいいような気がします。

Answer

According to this Minnesota Department of Transportation page:

When a lane is closed in a construction zone, a zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in "zipper" fashion into the open lane.

Examples

• The beauty of zipper merging, or why you should drive ruder
• There's a name for it: late merging, though advocates prefer the term "zipper merging" because it doesn't have a negative connotation.
• Use the zipper merge
• What we all should be doing is called the "zipper merge," or Reißverschlusssystem, as the Germans call it.

Question of the Day #262

"Fans Think Demi Lovato Is Shading Her Ex-Sobriety Coach After She Posted A Cryptic Tweet"
From the headline of this article at BuzzFeed.

上記の文で、shade の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "shade" 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：
英辞郎には、この場合の適訳はありません。
そこで、英語の文献をググるとMerriam-Websterの記事に下記のような説明があります。

Shadeとは、言葉や態度で人に対する軽蔑や嫌悪感を微妙に表現する事を言う。

また、throw shadeというイディオムとして用いられることが多いようです。

Answer

According to this Merriam-Webster article:

Shade is a subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone—sometimes verbal, and sometimes not. 

Etymology/語源

上記のMerriam-Websterの記事によると、

私たちが調べた結果、Shadeが初めて侮辱的な言葉として使用されたの1990年のドキュメンタリーParis is Burningである。

According to the aforementioned Merriam-Webster article:

Our first recorded use of shade to refer to an insult is from the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning.

Examples

• It appears in the phrase to throw shade, as in "The Sunday Stylers are the last people I'd expect to throw shade on President Bill's hair pursuits" (New York Times, 4 July 1993).
•  It even appeared in a jokey headline about an eclipse: "Uppity Earth Throws Shade" (Newsday, 28 November 1993).
• What ensued was a competition of epic takedowns, and though the contestants were reading, most of the write-ups afterwards called it throwing shade.
• Rose threw shade at Mona when she said there isn't a guy in her degree program Mona hadn't kissed.
• Man bro the teacher just threw shade at me for not passing the test.

Question of the Day #261

"‘I snookered them’: Illinois Nazi candidate creates GOP dumpster fire"
From the headline of this article at Politico.

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

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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：
英辞郎にはdumpster fireの訳はありませんが、dumpsterの訳は、


〈米〉ダンプスター、大型ごみ容器［収納器］、ごみの収集箱◆アメリカの移動式ごみ箱（mobile garbage bin）の通称。

すなわち、共同住宅や商業施設の周辺にあるかなり大きい（人が数人入れるぐらいの）ゴミ箱です。
ということは、dumpster fireは、その大きなゴミ箱で起きた火事のことです。そして、そのようなdumpster fireは、最初の出火がわかりにくく、かなり大きくなってから初めて発見され、また周辺の建物に飛び火することが多いことから、Merriam-Websterは、下記のように定義している。

壊滅的なまたは完全に処置の誤った状況や事態

この定義から、現在では侮辱的な意味で使用されることも少なくない。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

an utterly calamitous or mismanaged situation or occurrence

And as the article from the Huffington Post cited below in the etymology states, the term "dumpster fire" has come to be used as an insult.

Etymology/語源

Huffington Postの記事によると、

Jeff Sherwoodは、2003年のArizona Republic新聞のThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreの批評での使用を初期の例としてあげている。

According to this article at the Huffington Post:

[Jeff] Sherwood pointed to a 2003 Arizona Republic review of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” as a particularly early example of this usage....

Examples

• Reese and McAdoo take the fall for what has been a dumpster fire of a season, one which has them at 2-10 on the season, and in line for one of the top two picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. — James Kratch
• So while 2017 has been, by many measures, a complete dumpster fire of a year, New Yorkers can at the very least take refuge in the fact that their city is becoming an even safer place to live. — Clayton Guse
• As you might imagine, a 17-1 loss was a dumpster fire.
• That intern spilled coffee on himself yesterday and accidentally laminated his tie today. He's a total dumpster fire.
• The politician failed because his bill was a dumpster fire.

Question of the Day #260

"Anti-establishment fervor grips Dems"
From the headline of this article at The Hill.

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


熱烈（さ）、熱心（さ）、熱情

ところで、英辞郎に英語の例文がありますが、間違っています。

Jackson's wife said he was such fervor for duck hunting he is beginning to look like a duck.

上記の文のwasは、間違いでhasであるべきです。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

intensity of feeling or expression

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「暖かさや気持ちの高揚」の意味は、14世紀中頃から。古フランス語のfervorから。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

mid-14c., "warmth or glow of feeling," from Old French fervor 

Examples

• His renewed anti-immigrant rhetoric in recent days, adding to the mood of populist fervor south of the border, is playing into AMLO’s hands. — Eric Martin, Bloomberg.com, "Mexico’s Populist Tide Pushes AMLO Toward a Blowout Victory," 27 June 2018
• In the 1950s and ’60s, the country was a bulwark against the communist fervor sweeping Southeast Asia, and during the Vietnam War, Bangkok was a vital staging post for U.S. troops. — Time, "Thailand’s Leader Promised to Restore Democracy. Instead He's Tightening His Grip," 21 June 2018
• Based off of critical reactions and fan base fervor, the likeliest frontrunners for that title would be Logan and 2016's Deadpool.
—
Ciara Wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Deadpool 2': Mutants Were Always Meant to Be This Way," 22 May 2018
• The country was swept by patriotic fervor.
• Much of the fervor for war in 1860 was driven by a moral crusade against slavery.

Question of the Day #259

"Comedian claims he tricked Trump with prank call onboard Air Force One"
From the headline of this article at The Guardian.

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

---

解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、


迷惑［いたずら・嫌がらせ］電話

なので、この場合は、「いたずら電話」でいいでしょう。

Answer

According to MacMillan Dictionary:

a telephone call in which the caller lies to or tricks the person they called

Examples

• Prank callers masquerading as Comcast representatives have reportedly found fresh victims on the company’s Twitter feed, phoning frustrated customers simply to insult them.
• They prank call people for fun.
• i hate prank calls, i write down the number and tell the police, cause im sick to death of them
• ‘someone made a prank call to police’
• ‘she received a prank call by a caller claiming to be Russia's president’