No. 20 (May 20, 2011)
Acclimate
To get used to a new environment or situation(新しい環境や状況に慣れる)
→“When I first immigrated to this country, it took relatively short for me to get acclimated to the new life style.”
→“I have been living in Tokyo 3 years now, but I am still unable to acclimate myself to the crowded trains.”
→“When we first moved to California, it was a daily struggle for our son to acclimate to the new school.”
Beware of
To be careful of; to take precaution(注意を払う、用心する)
→“Beware of the traffic when you cross the street.”
→“You should beware of the impact that your speech and manners make on children.”
Cabal
A conspiracy; a collusion(陰謀)
→“The discontented members formed a cabal to take over party leadership.”
→“A sensational tabloid claimed that a royal cabal was responsible for the king’s death.”
A dash of
A small amount of something(微量の)
→“With the hiring of 10 foreign nationals, the company can now boast of a dash of globalism.”
→“I decided to add a dash of love to my life by getting a pet.”
Enchant
To mesmerize; to put under the spell(魅惑する)
→“When I overheard the music, I was quite enchanted by the vocalist’s spiritual voice.”
→“The robust economy is enchanting a lot of investors.”
→“When she first met him in person, she stood motionless like an enchanted princess.”
Hiccup
A small problem or glitch in executing a plan(計画等を実行する上での比較的小さな問題点)
→“This is a highly complicated process, so I would advise you to expect a hiccup or two somewhere down the line.”
→“Just as we were about to finish the project, we ran into some technical hiccups.”
Menace
An ominous threat(恐怖を伴う危険)
→“That man is homeless but he is in no way a menace to society.”
→“Faced with the menace of a nuclear meltdown, the government decided to close the power plant.”
(As verb) To threaten or terrorize(脅かす)
→“The almost daily aftershocks are menacing the local people.”
→“Well into my adulthood, I am still menaced by bats.”
Outlay
Money set aside for a new project, plan, undertaking or business(新しい事業や企画の為の予算)
→“You don’t need a large outlay for starting a dot.com business.”
→“The automaker is planning a huge outlay on building new plants.”
Pariah
Somebody or something that is widely hated; an anathema(嫌われ者、のけ者)
→“Hey, stop acting so obnoxiously! Else, they will start treating you as a pariah!”
→“The senator may be a pariah in the rest of the country but is a hero in his state.”
In style
To be in fashion; to be done in an impressive or stately manner(流行の、華やかに)
→“Leather sneakers are in style these days.”
→“The royal wedding was conducted in style.”
Trot out
To present reasons, opinions or excuses(理由、意見、言いわけなどを述べる)
→“Don’t insult me. You are just trotting out the same old excuses you used on me before!”
→“The opposition leader trotted out all the reasons she has against the proposal.”
Vindicate
To justify something or someone that was initially suspected negatively; to clear one’s name(当初の非難・疑惑などが不当であることを証明する、嫌疑を晴らす)
→“At first, half the office was opposed to my new strategy, but I felt vindicated when our sales figure kept making a steady increase.”
(Noun) Vindication(正当化)
→“No matter what they say, there is no vindication for torturing prisoners.”
Wrangle
To argue heatedly for a long time(延々と強烈な論争・口論をする)
→“The scholars are still wrangling with each other over the significance of the new discovery.”
→“After days of wrangling with the opposition leaders, the ruling party was finally able to get the bill passed.”