Question of the Day #246

"Fear and failure: How Ebola sparked a global health revolution"
From the headline of this article at CNN.com.

上記の文で、spark の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "spark" 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：
英辞郎の訳の中で最も適切なのは、


～の火付け役となる、～の口火を切る

Answer

According to :

1. to set off in a burst of activity : activate
2. to stir to activity : incite

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「刺激する、口火を切る」の比喩的な使用法は、1912年から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Figurative meaning "stimulate, to trigger" first attested 1912.

Examples

• This proposal will almost certainly spark another countrywide debate about immigration.
• The protests were sparked by the firing of two restaurant employees.
• ‘the severity of the plan sparked off street protests’
• What was it that sparked your interest in motoring? 
• These bright students have sparked her enthusiasm for teaching.

Question of the Day #245

"Irish voters show landslide support for liberalizing abortion laws, exit poll shows"
From the headline of this article at CNN.com.

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


出口調査、投票直後調査

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a poll taken (as by news media) of voters leaving the voting place that is usually used for predicting the winners

Etymology/語源

Stackexchange.comの投稿によると、

Oxford English Dictionaryが1980年に初めて使用されたことを確認している。

「出口調査によると、レーガン候補はアンダーソン候補と同じぐらいの数の民主党員の票を獲得している。」
1980年4月2日、ワシントンポスト、a12ページより。

According to a post at Stackexchange.com:

OED confirms that it is first used in 1980: "Exit polls showed Reagan picking up as many Democratic crossover votes as Anderson was." 1980, Washington Post 2 Apr. a12

Examples

• Exit polls showed Mr Ventura was backed by supporters of all ages.
• Mitt Romney was propelled by moderate and secular voters in Ohio's Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, an exit poll of voters showed.
  the-daily-record.com
• Exit polls from the presidential election illustrate America's religious, cultural divide.
  tulsaworld.com
• But the Pew Research Center's report about how people are using their mobile phones to get health information sent me to the data from the exit polls.
  gpb.org
• Voters in Jasper County seem to be siding with Republican incumbent Peter Kinder over Democratic nominee Susan Montee when it comes to the race for the next Missouri Lt Governor, based on exit polling Tuesday.
  joplinglobe.com

Question of the Day #244

"Mueller probes Ukrainian who pitched peace plan to White House"
From the headline of this article at Politico.

上記の文で、pitchの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "pitch" 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：
英辞郎の訳の中で最も適切なのは、


売り込む

Answer

There are quite a few definitions at Merriam-Webster, but I think this is the best for this example:

to present or advertise especially in a high-pressure way

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

現代の商業広告で使用されるsales pitch（売り込み）は、米英語で1943年から。おそらく、野球用語から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Sales pitch in the modern commercial advertising sense is from 1943, American English, perhaps from the baseball sense.

Examples

• She pitched her idea to me over a business lunch.
• They are pitching for business at the moment.
• ‘I've been pitching for this account for over a month’
• ‘they pitched the story to various magazines and newspapers’
• I have a great idea I would like to present to my boss. I set a meeting to pitch the idea.

Question of the Day #243

"FBI informant met with three Trump campaign advisers: report"
From the headline of this article at The Hill.

上記の文で、informantの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "informant" 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：
英辞郎の訳の中で最も適切なのは、


情報提供者、通知者、密告者

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

a person who gives information

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「情報を提供する者」の意味は1690年代から。ラテン語のinformantemより。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

1690s, "someone who supplies information," from Latin informantem

Examples

• The police were alerted to the plot by a paid informant.
• We learned the language with the help of a native informant.
• His current arrest stems from an ATF informant/neighbor/friend of Rivera’s that was working off his own criminal conduct. — Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, "He sold guns and talked about ‘crazy brown’ heroin; now he’s serving a 42-month sentence," 9 May 2018
• At that time, Kelly was working in narcotics and knew how to deal with informants. — Erin Moriarty, CBS News, "Brutal throat slashing of Utah mom takes investigation on an unexpected path," 5 May 2018
• Investigators used an informant to buy drugs off Hempstead nine times between Feb. 20 and Tuesday, court records say. — Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com, "FBI arrests Cleveland man who won $300,000 after being shot by cop," 4 May 2018

Question of the Day #242

"In Europe, Standing Up to America Is Now Patriotic"
From the headline of this article at The Atlantic.

上記の文で、stand up to の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "stand up to" 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：
英辞郎の訳の中で最も適切なのは、


～に抵抗する、～の言うことを拒否する

Answer

According to Cambridge Dictionary:

to defend yourself against a powerful person or organization when they treat you unfairly:

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「対戦相手等に抵抗する」の意味のto stand upは、1600年ごろから。同じ意味のstand up toは、1620年代から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

To stand up "hold oneself against an opponent" is from c. 1600; as stand up to in the same sense from 1620s.

Examples

• She's a bully and you've got to stand up to her.
• If you stand up to him he'll probably back down.
• Wow, I can't believe youstood up to the boss like that. He's such a bully to everyone else.
• People are urging the president to stand up to theforeign dictator and his plan for nuclear capability.
• Can the witness stand up toquestioning by the prosecution?

Question of the Day #241

"Italy’s nascent government has tough economic circles to square"
From the headline of this article at Reuters.

上記の文で、to squareの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "to square" 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：
英辞郎の訳の中で最も適切なのは、


折り合いをつける

でしょう。
また、tough economic circles to squareは、一種のダジャレになっていることが面白いと思います。

Answer

According to Merriam-Webster:

to set right : bring into agreement

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

「〜と調和させる」の意味は、1590年代から。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

sense of "to accord with" is from 1590s

Examples

• His petty insults, coarse language, lack of humility and private life are difficult to square with Christian faith, opponents say. — Jeremy W. Peters And Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, "Shrugging Off Trump Scandals, Evangelicals Look to Rescue G.O.P.," 24 Apr. 2018
• I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.
• to square our actions by the opinions of others
• ‘I'm able to square my profession with my religious beliefs’
• ‘I had always been into science, and I didn't know how to square the book of Genesis with the things I had read.’

Question of the Day #240

"Rod Rosenstein Jumps the Shark"
From the headline of this article at Politico.

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


〈俗〉〔一時は人気があった存在・特にテレビドラマなどが〕落ち目になる、人気回復を狙って悪あがき［やたらと派手なことを］する

Answer

According to yourdictionary.com:

Jump the shark is defined as something that was previously successful but has now gone downhill.

Etymology/語源

英辞郎によると、

アメリカのテレビドラマHappy Days（1974-1984）に登場人物が水上スキーで「サメを飛び越える」場面があり、それ以降だんだん話がつまらなくなったという。

According to Wiktionary.org:

From "Hollywood (Part 3)", a 1977 episode of the TV series Happy Days, in which the character Fonzie jumped over a shark on waterskis, after which (supposedly) the show bore no similarity to its original form.

Examples

• he global tech giant, whose smartphone brand transformed the everyday technological landscape, seems to have jumped the shark this week when they revealed a line of computer-synced sneakers touted as their new flagship product.
• The governor was accused of jumping the shark during his re-election campaign by joining in with the cheerleading squad at his former high school's football game.
• A TV show's sure "jump-the-shark" sign: the appearance of a "special guest star".
• Tom Cruise jumped the shark the moment he jumped Oprah's couch.
• This show used to have some of the wittiest writing in television, but they really jumped the shark when they introduced a contrived alien invasion in the seventh season.