Question of the Day #516

"'The low we hit in the middle of March, I would bet dollars to donuts that low will get taken out,' Gundlach said."
From the headline of this article at Financial Advisor Magazine.

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

〈米話〉〔起こる可能性が〕ほぼ確実に

なぜこのような意味になるかというと、下記英語の定義をみると理解できます。つまり「何かが起こることを確信しているので、あなたのトーナッツ（価値の低いもの）に対して私はドル（価値のあるもの）を賭ける」。

dollars to donutsの中に「賭けをする」の意味が最初から含まれるので、問題の引用のbetは意味が重複していることになります。このような使用方法（bet dollars to donuts）もありますが、betを使う必要性はありません。

ちなみに、英辞郎ではドーナッツの綴りが違います。Donutsではなくdoughnutsとなっています。どちらも正しいのですが、donutsは主にアメリカ英語でdoughnutsはイギリス英語。ただし、アメリカでもdoughnutsという綴りを使用します。（とくに、固有名詞で使用されることが多い。）

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

I assure you (that something will happen, with so much confidence that I would bet money against something less valuable).

Etymology/語源

The Phrase Finderによると、

Dollars to doughnutsは、19世紀後半に流行したdollars to ~のイディオムの１つです。例えば、dollars to buttons（ボタン）（1884年のG.W. Peckの著書Boss Bookより）やdollars to cobwebs（クモの巣）（1904年のBoston Herald新聞より）。ボタンとクモの巣は、価値がないことから使われたと思われますが、dollars to doughnutsのように頭韻ではないことから人気が出なかったのでしょう。

According to The Phrase Finder:

'Dollars to doughnuts' is one of several 'dollars to ...' phrases, like 'dollars to buttons' and 'dollars to cobwebs', which date from 1884 (in G. W. Peck's Boss Book) and 1904 (in The Boston Herald) respectively. Buttons and cobwebs were presumably chosen for their obvious lack of value, but the expressions failed to catch on as they lacked the perky alliteration of 'dollars to doughnuts'.

Examples

• I lost my umbrella. Dollars to donuts it rains tomorrow!
• Dollars to donuts that Kevin will be late tonight—he's never on time.
• And I'll bet dollars to donuts that he will have no strategic plan on how to effectively deny Clinton's speech.
• Dollars to donuts that John will lose the battle as his opponent is very strong as compared to him.
• Dollars to donuts that the economy is going to be hit adversely due to fall in prices. Source: theidioms.com

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Question of the Day #515

"Playing in a home World Cup is a special moment for any cricketer, particularly as a youngster looking to make a name for oneself on the biggest stage, "
From the 8th paragraph of this article at SA Cricket Mag.

上記の文で、make a name for oneselfの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "make a name for oneself " mean?

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

名を成す［上げる］、名声を得る［手にする］、名前が売れる

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to become well-known or famous

Examples

• He has made quite a name for himself as a golfer.
• She is making a name for herself in the art world.
• It took a long time and a bunch of supporting roles, but I've finally made a name for myself as an actor.
• She was beginning to make a name for herself as a portrait photographer.
• He made his name with several collections of short stories.

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Question of the Day #514

"Early voting varies from state to state in how far ahead people can vote, but regardless of the date early voting offers not only convenience but reduces the number of people going through a polling place on Election Day."
From the 12th paragraph of this article at Brookings.edu.

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

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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、

〈米〉投票所◆【同】〈英〉polling station

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a building where people go to vote in an election

Examples

• Every four years, Americans go to their polling places to cast their ballots for president.
• Depending on a person's address, they're assigned an official polling place — this might be a government building, a school, a community center, or a church. 
• The legislative body in each city, village, and township shall designate and prescribe the place or places of holding an election for a city, village, or township election, and shall provide a suitable polling place in or for each precinct located in the city, village, or township for use at each election.
• The list of persons permitted in the polling place and early voting areas is defined in Section 102.031, Florida Statutes....

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Question of the Day #513

"The sticking point will be on how to pay for the plan."
From the 7th paragraph of this article at wkzo.com.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〔計画などの進行を停止させる〕障害

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

an item (as in negotiations) resulting or likely to result in an impasse

Examples

• The length of the contract has become a sticking point in the negotiations.
• The price is his sticking point. 
• There’s still this sticking point of lying and saying Annalise ordered them to kill Sam. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "How to Get Away With Murder star Jack Falahee on Connor and Michaela's decision, 'big lie'," 3 Apr. 2020
• Congressional debates over the relief bill were held up by several sticking points, one of which was whether Planned Parenthood would be eligible for federal money under the legislation. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 2 Apr. 2020
• Exactly how the land is to be divided up is the main sticking point of the peace talks.

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Question of the Day #512

"Of course, as they say, the devil is in the details, and it would be naive to think this moment of bipartisan goodwill will last forever."
From the 6th paragraph of this article at the Washington Daily News.

上記の文で、the devil is in the detailsの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "the devil is in the details" 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、このイディオムは掲載されていないためWeblioを検索すると、

悪魔は細部に宿る

となっているけれど、これは直訳で意訳は下記の英語の説明をみると

計画の細部は、さほど重要ではないと思われがちだけれど、実現の可能性を脅かす問題点を含んでいるかもしれない。

すなわち、「細部は重要である」ということになります。

Answer

According to The Phrase Finder:

The details of a plan, while seeming insignificant, may contain hidden problems that threaten its overall feasibility.

Etymology/語源

The Phrase Finderによると、

このイディオムは、ドイツ語の諺"Der liebe Gott steckt im detail"（「神は、細部に宿る」に由来する。

ちなみに、英語でも"God is in the detail."ともいいます。（この時注意することは、detailは単数形であることです。The devil is in the details.の場合、ほぼdetailsで複数です。

According to The Phrase Finder:

The expression derives from an earlier German proverb - "Der liebe Gott steckt im detail", which translates as 'God is in the detail'. 

Examples

• Have you seen my beautiful new bag? I paid a fortune for it."
  "Really? It is a fake. The stitching of the original bags is blue, not green."
  "How disappointing. I guess the devil is in the details."
• You need to make sure that your lawyer reads the contracts very carefully. The devil is in the details.
• Double check your code—with software, the devil is in the details.
• They have no time for the details of their day to day operations. But, as you and I know, the devil is in the details.
• ”I thought I would be able to finish this article in three hours, but it ended up taking me seven. The devil was in the details.”

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Question of the day #511

"Avoid talking politics and religion in polite company."
From the caption of the photo of this article at Medium.com.

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

《a ～》礼儀正しい友達

とありますが、特定の人を指さない限り、冠詞は必要ないと思います。（下記例文参照してください。）また、「友達」というくくりにも問題を感じます。

下記英語の定義によると、「polite companyとは、一般社会において他人に不快感を与えない世間体の良い礼儀正しい行動や言葉を守る人たちをいう。もともとは、上流階級の人のことを指した。」

polite societyということもあります。

Answer

According to Grammarist.com:

Polite company refers to a group of people who are respectable, who conform to norms of behavior and language that are inoffensive to others in society. Originally, polite company referred to socially superior people.

Examples

• This travel and entertainment racket has been around for some time, and polite company in your nation’s capital have decided to look the other way. (The Washington Post)
• Your mother probably told you—mine told me—that you should never talk about religion or politics in polite company. (The Daily Mail)
• Its rough, tough style is no longer welcome in the polite company of safety-conscious, family-friendly cars. Times, Sunday Times (2015)
• The very name offers an inoculation: if you can say it out loud in polite company, you are already nearly immune to embarrassment. Times, Sunday Times (2018)
• It's not something you should talk about in polite company.

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Question of the Day #510

"Berlin leaders should spare us crocodile tears when [a] spate of anti-Jewish attacks continue."
From the 9th paragraph of this article at The Jerusalem Post.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

うそ（の）涙、見せ掛けの涙、空涙、うそ泣き

alligator tearsと言うこともあります。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

false or affected tears

Etymology/語源

英辞郎によると、

ワニは人間をおびきよせるためにうその涙を流すと言い伝えられている

とありますが、下記The Phrase Finderによると、


ワニは獲物を食べるときに涙を流すという古代の言い伝えから。

According to The Phrase Finder:

The allusion is to the ancient notion that crocodiles weep while devouring their prey.

Examples

• In crying crocodile tears, we know that this was a noisy, showy action.
• But there is this to be said at once, particularly about the crocodile tears in some newspapers.
• Some of the guys think these are crocodile tears—and Jordan even calls into question Lincoln's accent. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, "'The Bachelorette' Season 14 Episode 2 Recap: So Many Good Arie Luyendyk Jr. Burns," 4 June 2018
• In a particularly dark October 1993 sketch, Saturday Night Live imitated their smoothly flat voices and the way their faces would crumple into crocodile tears. — Kaitlin Menza, Town & Country, "The Menendez Murders," 26 Sep. 2017
• You seem to be crying crocodile tears at the thought of having to miss work tomorrow.

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