Question of the Day #606

From a creative standpoint, fans deserve closure, but the show was circling the drain with meandering plots in those final seasons.

From the 3rd from the last paragraph of this article at TV Fanatic.

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

〈米俗〉〔患者の〕死期が近い、〔患者が〕余命幾ばくもない

ただし、人間だけてはなく、このイディオムは問題文のようにさまざま物を対象とします。と言うか、その他のものの方が多いです。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To be in a state of severe deterioration such that one is approaching inevitable ruin, failure, or death. Usually used in the continuous form.

Examples

• Get Mrs. Smith’s son on the phone. She’s circling the drain.
• The restaurant where I work is circling the drain. I think I'll be out of a job soon.
• He was already circling the drain when the decision was made to take him off life support.
• The company's closure was inevitable, as it has been circling the drain for the last six months.
• Her political career began to circle the drain after news of her affair came to public light.

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Question of the Day #605

A second point, he said, is “to bring home to a wider public, the politicians, the press, just the nature of the way the Chinese Communist Party operates, therefore, whatever policy we devise towards them must take that into account."

From the 9th paragraph of this article at Voice of America News.

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

AにBを痛感させる

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary :

To cause something to be more intimately acknowledged, recognized, or understood.

Examples

• Her passionate speech about the environment really brought the importance of conservation efforts home to me.
• The sight surely brought home to me the misery of the lives in Nazi concentration camps.
• his account brought home to us the gravity of the situation
• Ministers said that this would bring home to jurors the victims' distress. Times, Sunday Times (2007)
• And that was brought home to them by their famous visitors. The Sun (2014)

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Question of the Day #604

Eventually, they jury-rig the ventilation system to pull in fresh air instead of recirculating it and make the entire unit as “negative pressure” as possible to keep COVID-19 particles from aggregating dangerously. 

From the 6th paragraph of this article at Forward Kentucky.

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

〔有り合わせの物などで〕即席［応急・間に合わせ］の～を作る、～の代用とする

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to erect, construct, or arrange in a makeshift fashion

Etymology/語源

Vocabulary.comによると、

Jury-riggedは、もともと長い航海の時に帆柱が損傷した時の「代替の帆柱」(jury-rig)の意味の航海用語です。
航海用語で

According to Vocabulary.com:

Jury-rigged　was originally a nautical term — a　jury-rig　was a backup mast that sailors would bring on long voyages in case the original mast was damaged.

Examples

• to jury-rig stage lights using automobile headlights
• In the shed they jury-rigged a cooking stove to get some heat.
• ‘jury-rigged classrooms in gymnasiums’
• The　survivors　of　the　wreck　jury-rigged　some　fishing　gear.
• Connors　jury-rigged　a　sail　and　headed　toward　land.

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Question of the Day #603

10 things Trump may do as a lame-duck president

From the headline of this article at The Hill.

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

1. 〔政治の〕レーム・ダック、死に体◆政権を担っているが、選挙で敗れて政権を離れることになる議員、知事、大統領、政党、政権などを指す。
2. 〈米〉〔大統領の〕レーム・ダック◆任期を残して次の選挙への不出馬を表明した大統領。
3. 〔後任が決まっている〕退職間近の人
4. 〔株式市場で〕大損をした人
5. 〔経営状態が〕悪化した会社
6. 〔交換される〕古いもの
7. 役立たず、無能者、効率の悪いもの

英辞郎には、さらに具体的にlame-duck presidentの詳しい説明があります。二通りのlame-duck presidentがいることに注目していただきたいと思います。

《a ～》〈米〉今期限りで［任期満了とともに］職を退く大統領◆特に、次期大統領として再選されなかった場合。広義では、次期大統領選に出馬しない場合や、今期ですでに2回（上限回数）大統領に選ばれている場合も含む。◆今後の支持率についてあまり気にする必要がないため、思い切った政策を実行する場合がある。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. one that is weak or that falls behind in ability or achievement
2. an elected official or group continuing to hold political office during the period between the election and the inauguration of a successor
3. one whose position or term of office will soon end

Etymology/語源

The Idiomsによると、

初めて使用されたのは、1755〜65年ごろ。
1700年代に生まれたこの表現は、当初借金が払えない株式仲買人を指したが、1860年代に政治家に使われるようになった。

According to The Idioms:

Origin: [1755–65].
This expression originated in the 1700s and then meant a stockbroker who did not meet his debts. It was transferred to officeholders in the 1860s.

Examples

• A lot of time and effort goes into supporting employees who are essentially lame ducks.
• This is regarded by many as a lame-duck initiative that has failed to deliver its promises.
• What do you expect from a lame-duck mayor?
• The flip side of this recognition went unacknowledged by the White House, but it can no longer be denied: Trump is officially a lame duck. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "A Victory for Democracy: Trump Allows the Transition to Begin," 24 Nov. 2020
• At the same time, lawmakers continue to work through a lame duck session and prepare to return to regular session in early January. — J.d. Davidson, Washington Examiner, "Ohio jobless numbers good, but just one month: Policy group," 23 Nov. 2020

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Question of the Day #602

Internet humorist and podcaster Asterios Kokkinos had no idea he’d wind up in the New York State Supreme Court embroiled in one of the pettiest cases to pass through the halls of justice when he entered into a mutually destructive flame war with George “Maddox” Ouzounian years ago.

From the headline of this article at Vice.

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

《イ》ネットワーク上で議論するときに過熱し過ぎてけんか状態になること

なお、日本語と英語の違いがあるので一概に言えませんが、日本語のネット上の「炎上する」に一番近い言い回しです。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

An online discussion on a newsgroup, forum, or thread of blog comments in which debate about a subject degenerates into an exchange of personal insults.

Examples

• I can't come to work today because i'm having a flame war on www.flamewarforum.com.
• A wordn00b/word had started an innocent thread about graphical differences between Half-Life 2 and Doom3, but when Brassmonkey came in, the discussion turned into a flamewar, until Abom|nation had to close it down.
• "It started out as a discussion poll but quickly turned into a fu**ing flamewar."
• The result of this exchange led to an extended internet flame war.
• Flame wars often draw in many users (including those trying to defuse the flame war) and can overshadow regular forum discussion if left unchecked.

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Question of the Day #601

We’ve all had bad days. Occasionally it’s been a tough week. And some months are better than others — blistering heat in August and ice storms in February come to mind. But an entire year gone off the rails?

From the 1st paragraph of this article at The Pilot.

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

軌道からはずれて、頭が狂って

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

1. To be in a state of chaos, dysfunction, or disorder.
2. To be crazy, eccentric, or mentally unhinged.

Examples

• Our project has been off the rails ever since the manager up and quit last month.
• I think you should cut back on your drinking—you were totally off the rails last night!
• They've got to do something about these children because clearly they've gone off the rails.
• By the spring, the project seemed to be going off the rails. No major sponsor had come forward with the extra £1 million or so needed.
• The campaign for independence seems to have gone off the rails.

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Question of the Day #600

We hope you’ll join us—it’ll definitely be rad.

From the last line of this article at Slate.

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

1. 〈俗〉急な、過激な
2. 〈俗〉素晴らしい、見事な

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

COOL, RADICAL

Examples

• That skateboard is totally rad.
• The party was totally rad.
• "Those are some rad shoes."
• Robyn provides her stunning and distinctive voice to a really rad single that's showing how the disc renaissance is growing with Channel Tres bringing the song into a cool R&B and house avenue. — Star Tribune, "6 cool things in music this week include Robyn, Amanda Shires, Rhiannon Giddens and Neal Karlen's Prince book," 2 Oct. 2020
• If the foursome can tap deeper into their superhero personas to will the Tokyo Olympics into existence next summer, that truly would be rad. — Jeff Metcalfe, The Arizona Republic, "Jagger Eaton takes turn as Captain America while waiting on Olympic qualifying to resume," 23 Sep. 2020

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