Question of the Day #774

Petrol subsidy retention: President Buhari kicks the can down the road

From the headline of this article at The Cable.

上記の文で、kick the can down the roadの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "kick the can down the road" mean?

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Write your answer in the Comments.

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

〈主に米話〉〔難題への対応を繰り返し〕先に延ばす、先送りする

下記英語の定義にあるように、このイディオムは特に政治関連でよく使用されます。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Especially in politics, to postpone or defer a definitive action, decision, or solution, usually by effecting a short-term one instead.

Examples

• I don't think we should kick the can down the road and let our grandkids solve that problem.
• You can’t solve a debt problem with more debt. That’s just kicking the can down the road.
• You can’t continue to kick the can down the road. Someone will have to tell him that he is fired.
• Kicking the can down the road is not a solution to any problem. We need to fix it permanently.
• It looks as though congress is going to kick the can down the road again on the debt ceiling issue, but they'll have to find a lasting solution eventually.

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Question of the Day #773

Called the Safe Outdoors Dog Act, it lays down basic safeguards for outdoor dogs, as follows:
Defines “adequate shelter” to protect dogs from extreme temperatures, inclement weather, and standing water.

From the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of this article at Culture Map San Antonio.

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

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

1. 無情な、厳しい、冷酷な
2. 〔天候が〕荒れ模様の

下記英語の定義にあるように、一番の訳はarchaic（古めかしい）のでほとんど見かけません。さらに、問題文のように一番見かける使い方がinclement weatherで、現在ほとんどの場合、天気・気候の修飾語として使用されます。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

lacking mildness: such as:

1. physically severe: STORMY
2. archaic: severe in temper or action: UNMERCIFUL

Examples

• The game was postponed due to inclement weather.
• We should come to terms with our generally inclement climate, particularly in my part of the country.
• Collections were made by the ship's doctor on the deck of the ship, where conditions were sufficiently inclement on occasion to partially freeze the water in the washing baths.
• "What brings you off the reservation on such an inclement Saturday evening? Tony Hillerman TALKING GOD (2001)
• Growers in Florida and the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned of a particularly low crop yield this year caused by inclement weather and a disease targeting oranges. — NBC News, 19 Jan. 2022

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Question of the Day #772

The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Ugly Cry

From the headline of this article at The New Republic.

上記の文で、ugly cryの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "ugly cry" 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：
英辞郎等のオンライン辞典に掲載されてなく適訳もないので、下記Lexicoの定義を意訳すると、

激しく泣いているために顔の表情が歪んでしまう状態

になります。
動詞として使用する場合は、ハイフォンを入れるのが正しいですが、ハイフォンのない場合も多く見られます。

Answer

According to Lexico:

A period of crying so intensely that one's facial expression becomes contorted.

語源

this article at Merriam-Websterによると、

ugly cryingという表現は1970年代後半に遡りますが、ugly cryは2000年代前半にOprah Winfreyが頻繁に使用したので有名になった。

Merriam-Websterの記事にもっと詳しい経緯の説明がありますので、ぜひ読んでみましょう。

Etymology

According to this article at Merriam-Webster,

Though the term 'ugly crying' can be traced to the late 1970s, it rocketed to fame with Oprah Winfrey in the early 2000s.

Please see the entire article for a more detailed explanation.

Examples

• ‘the ending of the film will probably elicit an ugly cry’
• No movie can make you ugly cry like My Dog Skip.
• By 2013, Claire Danes had also become associated with the ugly cry because of her emotional portrayal on Homeland of a CIA analyst struggling with bipolar disorder.
• Oprah Winfrey helped popularize the expression, however, when she described how meeting Mary Tyler Moore made her go “into the ‘ugly cry’” in the early 2000s.
• “There is NO shame in feeling deeply. Have that ugly cry, be lost, be confused, but address it - and work towards healing and understanding.”

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Question of the Day #771

“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle,” Orwell wrote.

From the 8th paragraph of this article at The Los Angeles Times.

上記の文で、in front of one's noseの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "in front of one's nose" mean?

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解答

意味：
どういうわけか、よく使われるこのイディオムは英辞郎等のオンライン英和辞典に掲載されてなく、近いものは全部直訳になっている。なので、The Free Dictionaryの定義を訳すと、

すぐに明らか、明らかに

になります。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Immediately obvious or clearly apparent.

Examples

• Even people with plenty of money will complain about what they don't have, rather than be grateful for the blessings that are right in front of their noses.
• The solution was right in front of my nose, but I just couldn't grasp it.
• All that time we've been searching for the answer, and it was right in front of our noses.
• The answer to the question was right in front of her nose, but she just couldn't figure it out.
• We've been looking for a solution to our financial problems for a long time while it was right in front of our noses.

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Question of the Day #770

People are social creatures, and all that social distancing can take a toll on our mental health and memory function, said Ani Kalayjian, a psychotherapist in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.

From the 11th paragraph of this article at NBC News.

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

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解答

意味：
英辞郎によると、

大きな被害［打撃］を与える、大被害［大打撃］を与える、大損失をもたらす、多くの人命を奪う

注：問題文のように「〜に大きな被害を与える」場合、前置詞のonを使用してtake a toll on~になります。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to have a serious, bad effect on someone or something: to cause harm or damage

Examples

• If you keep working so hard, the stress will eventually take its toll.
• Too much sunlight can take a (heavy) toll on your skin.
• The inclement weather in these parts really takes a toll on the exteriors of the buildings.
• She just doesn't have her usual quickness. It seems like the long season has taken a toll.
• Drug abuse takes quite a toll on the lives of people.

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Question of the Day #769

Morbius Looks Campy, But That Might Be Its Greatest Strength

From the headline of this article at Game Rant.

上記の文で、campyの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "campy" 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. 〈俗〉〔振る舞いが〕わざとらしい
2. 〈俗〉〔古くさいけれども〕面白い
3. 〈米俗〉同性愛の、いかにもホモ〔差別語〕らしい

注：英辞郎のこの３番の訳は、古い定義で現在このように使用されません。

Answer

According to The Cambridge Dictionary:

used to describe an activity, or someone's behaviour or appearance, that is funny because it is obviously intended to be strange or shocking

Examples

• The result is a mixed bag of campy humour and special effects.
• Witnessing their synchronized routine, he almost expects them to break into some campy chorus line from one of the seedier nightclubs. — Margaret Atwood
• He could modify his outbursts into what were sometimes hilariously campy performances. — Robert Gray
• Not technically a straight horror film as the title might suggest, it also falls in the realm of campy and psychedelia.
• Additionally, the stories generally leaned toward parody, campy humor and cartoonish villains instead of the more realistic action-suspense format of its progenitor.

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Question of the Day #768

How did we arrive at the point of Cancel Culture?

From the headline of this article at Critical Hit.

上記の文で、cancel cultureの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "cancel culture" 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：
一般的なオンライン英和辞書に適訳はありませんが、シマウマ用語集のこの記事によると、

キャンセルカルチャー（cancel culture）とは、個人や組織、思想などのある一側面や一要素だけを取り上げて問題視し、その存在すべてを否定するかのように非難すること。文化的なボイコットの一つ。

この定義は概ね正しいのですが、ここ数年間だけでも意味が微妙に変わってきているので注意が必要です。
下記英語の例文に賛否両論の意見がいくつかあります。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure

However, this article at Vox notes,

The idea of canceling began as a tool for marginalized communities to assert their values against public figures who retained power and authority even after committing wrongdoing — but in its current form, we see how warped and imbalanced the power dynamics of the conversation really are.

語源

Merriam-Websterによると、

初めて使用されたのは、2016年。

Etymology

According to Merriam-Webster,

First Known Use of cancel culture: 2016

Examples

• For those of you who aren't aware, cancel culture refers to the mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren't socially accepted today. This practice of "canceling" or mass shaming often occurs on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. — Demetria Slyt
• Cancel culture is supported as a tool to stop offensive and harmful behavior, while others find it problematic and toxic. — Elise Krumholz
• The main argument against cancel culture is that it doesn’t enable people who have wronged society the opportunity to apologize and learn from their mistakes.
• Cancel culture has its place - it helps to call out and remove problematic people from mainstream culture.
• In a cancel culture, we appoint ourselves the arbiters of right and wrong and also the judge and jury, because thanks to social media, we get to dole out punishment.

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