Question of the Day #729

For the girls side, both Newburyport (9-2-2) and Pentucket (9-2-2) are battling neck and neck for the CAL Kinney Division.

From the 10th paragraph of this article at Yahoo! News.

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

〔勝負が〕接戦で、互角に

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Extremely close together; at or near an equal level. Usually said of competitors in a race or competition.

語源

英辞郎によると、

【語源】競馬でゴールに到達するとき、ギリギリ首の差であるときの様子から。

Etymology

According to Know Your Phrase,

The expression “neck and neck” is a term in horse racing. It’s used when two or more horses are running alongside each other towards the finish line. When the horses are evenly matched, running side by side, they are said to be “neck and neck.” So it’s believed that horse racing is where this phrase comes from.

Examples

• The two athletes have been neck and neck for this entire race.
• The election is neck and neck. We're going to have to wait until the very last votes are tallied.
• Mary and Ann were neck and neck in the spelling contest. Their scores were tied.
• Pears run neck and neck with apples as one of Americans’ favorite fruits. — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 4 Sep. 2021
• The Holy Cross boys battled neck and neck with Bishop Brossart before taking home the team title with 55 points. — Siera Jones, The Courier-Journal, 11 June 2021

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Question of the Day #728

Corsair 275R Airflow review: Good thermals let down by too many cut corners

From the headline of this article at Windows Central.

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

1. 近道する◆【直訳】角を曲がらずに土地を横切る
2. 手を抜く、工程をはしょる
3. 無駄を省く、経済的にする
4. 〔経費・時間などを〕節約する

一番目の意味から二番目以降の意味につながると考えていいと思います。
また、下記英語の定義でわかるように、どちらかというと負のニュアンスが強い。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To skip certain steps in order to do something as easily or cheaply as possible, usually to the detriment of the finished product or end result.

Examples

• Don't cut corners on this project—it has to be done thoroughly, no matter the cost.
• If you cut corners and don't apply a top coat, then your nails probably are going to chip faster.
• I don’t like to cut corners when I have company for dinner.
• Don't try to cut any corners as you'll only be making work for yourself later on.
• “The product is too expensive to make right now. We’ll have to cut some corners to get the manufacturing cost down.”

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Question of the Day #727

8 Ways Companies Cook the Books

From the headline of this article at Investopedia.

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

帳簿をごまかす

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To falsify financial records for a company or organization.

Examples

• Officials at the bank were found to have cooked the books.
• Congress cooked the books with phony spending cuts and accounting gimmickry to appear to reduce the federal deficit. — Colleen O'Connor
• The body of an accountant suspected of cooking the books at a local glass factory turns up in a stream. The Sun (2007)
• She knew that when the auditors looked over the books there would be no hiding the fact that she had cooked the books and £3 million was missing.
• My partner had been cooking the books for years, but because I was the CEO, I got the blame for our company's collapse.

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Question of the Day #726

Whether you talk with your partner, friends, family, or a therapist, it will help to get it out there.

From the 10th paragraph of this article at Health Line.

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

〈米俗〉〔人に悩みなどを〕打ち明ける

Get ~ outやget it out ~で直訳の他に意味がさまざまありますが、"get it out"には、このような特定な意味があります。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Fig. to tell someone about a problem; to pour out one's grief.

Examples

• Come on, get it out. You'll feel better.
• He would feel better if he could get it out.
• “For the most part, we didn’t get to finish all the questions, but we really started diving into a bunch of questions and I kind of let everyone get it out and talk about it,” Davis said.

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Question of the Day #725

It seems basically impossible that this image was made up just as something cool to post on Instagram; you wouldn’t just do this for kicks.

From the 3rd paragraph of this article at Screen Crush.

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

〔悪事・危険行為などの動機が〕スリル［快楽］を得るために、面白がって、面白いから

ただし、下記例文でわかるように、「悪事・危険行為など」だけではなく広範囲な行為に対して使用できるイディオムです。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Only for the sake of fun, excitement, or distraction.

Examples

• Just for kicks, let's order dessert first.
• Living in such a small, rural town, there wasn't much to do for kicks other than drive around in our car all night.
• They made a few small bets for kicks.
• Medina began posting his own photo composites just for kicks.
• There's a group of kids who go around smashing car windows for kicks.

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Question of the Day #724

Although his facial expressions don’t change much, he can get under someone’s skin.

From the 4th paragraph of this article at Clutch Points.

上記の文で、get under someone's skinの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "get under someone's skin" 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、

1. （人）の気［癇］に障る、（人）をひどく怒らせる、（人）をイライラ［ムシャクシャ・うんざり］させる、（人）を悩ませる、（人）を困らせる
2. （人）の心を強く捕らえる、（人）を魅了する、（人）をとりこにする、（人）に興味を起こさせる、（人）を感動でぞくぞくさせる

かなり違う意味が二つあるので、文脈から読みとるしかないと思うイディオムです。問題文の場合は、前者の意味です。
なお、下記例文で二通りの意味のセンテンスを紹介していますので、文脈から意味を考えましょう。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. to irritate or upset someone
2. to affect someone positively even though he or she does not want or expect to be affected that way: grow to like something

Examples

• His constant boasting was beginning to get under my skin.
• The continuing criticism of his behaviour is getting under his skin a little bit.
• I just can't stand Dean's voice, so everything he says gets under my skin.
• I used to hate the city, but after a while it kind of got under my skin.
• After a slow start, the film gets under your skin because of its affection for its characters and sympathy with the frustrations of small-town life.

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Question of the Day #723

Although it sounds like a catch-all term, there is a reason "culture" is so often discussed.

From the 1st paragraph of this article at Forbes.

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

[形]
数多くのさまざまな［いろいろな］ものを含む

catchallとも書きます。
なお、名詞系もあるのでリンクで意味を確認しましょう。

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

general and intended to include everything

Examples

• "South London" is a catch-all phrase/term for anywhere south of the river.
• Globalisation is a catch-all to describe increased international trade.
• Indigestion is a catch-all term for any kind of stomach distress.
• The catch-all phrase for the modern liberal and conservative alike.
  Times, Sunday Times (2010)
• Transnationalism is in danger of becoming a catch-all concept, with almost as many meanings as there are instances of it.

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