Question of the Day #862

Where once you had to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth, now a middle-class person could afford a whole set.

From the 20th paragraph of this article at The Sydney Morning Herald.

  上記の文で、born with a silver spoon in your mouthの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "born with a silver spoon in your mouth" 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、

《be ～》裕福な［金持ちの・富貴の］家に生まれた、生まれつき金持ちである、高貴な家柄に生まれた、上流の生まれである、良い星の下に生まれた、何不自由なく育った◆【直訳】銀のスプーンを口にくわえて生まれた ⇒ 銀のスプーンを使っているような金持ちの家に生まれた

   

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

born into a very wealthy family

   

Examples

• Samantha was born with a silver spoon in her mouth; there's always someone to pay her bills if her inheritance isn't enough.
• We may both be wealthy now, but I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had nothing when I was young, and all of my fortune is down to my own hard work.
• Everyone who attends that university was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, so I just don't think it's the right place for me.
• It is an issue close to her heart as she raised her son Shiia while a single mother and, as she puts it, “wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth”. (The Royal Gazette)
• Needless to say, 39-year-old Laps—that’s his nickname—was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, which he immediately had gold-plated and diamond-­encrusted, then filled with cocaine (hello, Mr. DeLorean!) and later heroin. (Car and Driver Magazine)

   

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Question of the Day #861

His once-rival Iceman — Val Kilmer — is back, too, a huge Navy muckety-muck now.

From the 5th paragraph of this article at ABC News.

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

〈俗〉〔傲慢な〕重要人物、お偉方、高位の人

決して褒め言葉ではないので、使い方に注意してください。
別の言い方は、high muckety-muck, muckamuck, mucky-muckです。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

an important and often arrogant person

Examples

• Bike industry muckety-mucks met with Barack Obama in Chicago.
• He is currently a muckety-muck with the Hunter-Dickinson Group and has had a distinguished career.
• A Dell marketing muckety-muck chucked muck at Apple's iPad 2.
• We're just waiting for the muckety mucks in upper management to give us the green light before we get the project started.
• "All hail the muckety-muck," Jerry muttered under his breath as the CEO walked by.

   

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Question of the Day #860

How Building Resilience Now Helps You Avoid Burnout in the Future

From the headline of this article at Entrepreneur.

  上記の文で、burnoutの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "burnout" 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. 燃え尽き症候群、疲れ果てること、極度の疲労
2. 〈話〉疲れ切った人、燃え尽きた人
3. 〔ロケット・エンジンの〕燃焼終了（点）◆燃料不足や補給経路の故障による異常。
4. 〔機械の〕熱焼損、バーンアウト
5. 《金融》バーンアウト効果
6. 〔山火事延焼防止用の〕焼き払い
7. 〔タイヤの〕バーンアウト◆急発進などでタイヤが過熱して白煙を上げること。

Burnoutには多くの意味・使い方がありますが、問題文のような使い方が一番多いと思います。そして、その訳は一番です。
 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

1. the cessation of operation usually of a jet or rocket engine
2.              
                
   1. exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration
                
   2. a person suffering from burnout
                
3. a person showing the effects of drug abuse

   

Examples

• Teaching can be very stressful, and many teachers eventually suffer burnout.
• We have found there is much more burnout and sickness among those who don't get help.
• Long and unpredictable work hours have led to burnout and frustration.
• The group has led other protests nationwide, saying the grueling work conditions of the pandemic have led to burnout among nurses. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 30 Aug. 2022
• That practice, which started last year, comes at the risk of staff burnout, says Mr. Dougherty, while noting that many of these employees would seek out multiple jobs even if the hotel didn’t offer them. — Allison Pohle, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2022

   

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Question of the Day #859

The Manti Te'o Netflix Doc is About More Than Just Catfishing

From the headline of this article at Men's Health.

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

〈俗〉キャットフィッシング◆インターネットのソーシャルネットワーキングサービス（Facebook、Twitterなど）、または携帯電話を使って、自分の素性を隠して他人になりすまして、詐欺行為のターゲットとなる人とオンラインの人間関係を築くこと。

とくに、男女関係で他人になりすます行為を言います。
また、catfishを動詞としても使用できます。

Answer

According to the Cambridge Dictionary:

the practice of pretending on social media to be someone different, in order to trick or attract another person

   

Examples

• Is editing your profile pic to make yourself look better really so different from catfishing?
• If a random, attractive person starts talking to you online, you are very likely being catfished.
• On “The Circle,” contestants living in their own apartments talk to each other through a social media-like chat platform, with the goal of becoming the top influencer and sniffing out catfishes.
LIONS, TIGERS, BEARS, LOVE? NETFLIX’S ‘SEXY BEASTS’ BAFFLES THE INTERNET.|ANNABEL AGUIAR|JUNE 24, 2021|WASHINGTON POST
• "They never actually met. She was an online thing. They'd been talking for over a year. We were all pretty sure she was catfishing him, but he was convinced she was legit and that they were in love." — R. L. Naquin
• "Heather" stopped messaging me abruptly several months after we started talking. She was a grown woman, and I never lied about how young I was. Even so, I've never been quite sure which one of us was being catfished. — Vanessa Vitiello Uruhart

   

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Question of the Day #858

It’s probably a half inch short, but it’s good enough for government work.

From the 5th paragraph of this article at D Magazine.

  上記の文で、good enough for government workの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "good enough for government work" 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：
この言い回しは、close enough for government workと同じ意味です。そして、Amebaの このブログによるとその意味は、

アメリカ人が完璧でない仕事ぶりを”雑な”政府の仕事ぶりに例えて言う表現。

言い換えれば、下記英語の定義にあるように、

Adequate「十分な出来」、passably sufficient「許せる程度」

ということになります。違う言い方をすればmediocre（平凡な、二流の、あまり良くない、可もなく不可もない）ということもできます。
また、この言い回しは、政府の行う仕事はそれほど良くないことを示唆しています。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Serviceable or adequate; passably sufficient. The phrase implies that government work is usually of mediocre quality.

   

Examples

• But as the old cliche goes, it was close enough for government work — particularly with a leftist Legislature. (The Los Angeles Times)
• Max: "Hey, you done trimming those shrubs?"
  Minnie: "I don't know, they look a little uneven yet..."
  Max: "Nah, that's good enough for government work, let's go get a beer!"
• When my project ripped in half as I walked out the door, my mom glued it back together and sent me on my way, saying, "It's good enough for government work!"
• A: "Are you sure this report is ready to be published? There are a lot of issues with some of the research." B: "Meh. Good enough for government work."

   

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Question of the Day #857

Slugger is one shy of A-Rod for fourth on all-time list

From the lede of this article at MLB.com.

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

不足して

   

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Slightly less than some amount.

     

Examples

• The Democrats are three votes shy of a majority.
• Jessica died Monday. She was one week shy of her 13th birthday.
• The bill was four votes shy of a majority.
• Our current rent is just shy of $1,500. If it goes any higher, I don't know how we'll be able to afford it.
• We're just two people shy of a full team. Are any of your friends interested?

   

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Question of the Day #856

Of course, no-knock raids have resulted in plenty of collateral damage — both to cops and civilians — as the element of surprise tends to be bullet-and-flashbang heavy.

From the 2nd paragraph of this article at Techdirt.com.

  上記の文で、flashbangの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "flashbang" 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：
英辞郎は、flash bangとして掲載していますが、今では複合語のflashbangの方が主流になりつつあります。その意味は、

スタン［特殊閃光］手りゅう弾◆相手を傷つけることなく、音と光で混乱させるための武器

Flash bang, flash-bang, flashbangの他に、別名のstun grenadeやflash grenadeがあります。

 

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

an explosive device that produces a blinding flash of light and a sudden, loud noise intended to temporarily stun, distract, and disperse people and that is thrown by hand or projected

 

Examples

• He then uses a flashbang to escape.
• Smoke was seen rising from the window and witnesses reported explosions, thought to be from 'flashbangs', used to disorientate a suspect. Times, Sunday Times (2018)
• When armed motorcades arrive at the entrance, Marines toss flash-bang grenades to clear the crowd. — Gregg Zoroya
• "It was like that of a flash bang, something I've heard a few times whilst in the cadet force years ago, the pressure wave hitting my ears and then silence."
• A Kane County man is suing the Chicagoland Emergency Vehicle Show, the village of Oswego and other agencies, arguing he lost hearing and has tinnitus, or permanent ear-ringing, from a "flash bang" that exploded near him during a Kendall County Sheriff Special Response Team demonstration in August 2018.

   

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