No. 22 (June 3, 2011)
Askance
With criticism or disapproval(批判・非難をこめて)
→“The teacher looked askance when she entered the classroom and found it a total mess.”
→“The cashier woman looked askance at me when I brought a pile of teenage romantic paperbacks to the counter.”
Banal
To be so frequently used or commonplace that it ceases to be interesting; to be stale or trivial(新奇さに欠け陳腐な、平凡な)
→“In romantic novels, the expression ‘I love you’ has become banal.”
→“Oh, the train ride was long and boring. For the most part, I was engaged in banal conversations with my fellow passengers.”
Catatonic
To be unable to move or talk due to a shock, nervousness, fatigue or illness(ショック、緊張、疲労、疾病などで動けない状態、または声が出ない状態)
→“When she heard the news, she was catatonic for a few minutes till the phone rang.”
→“After the accident he remained in a catatonic state at the hospital for 3 weeks.”
Deploy
To activate; to leverage; to organize and station military forces or equipment(駆動する、配置する)
→“This is a rather difficult project. You must deploy all your talents.”
→“The US forces deployed advanced missiles in the ongoing war in Afghanistan.”
Ebullient
Happy; enthusiastic; excited(喜びにあふれ活気ある)
→“People love the child because she is always ebullient.”
→“The philosopher has an ebullient personality, and it is reflected in his optimistic view of human nature.”
Fatuous
Ridiculous and devoid of meaning; silly(無意味な、馬鹿げた、くだらない)
→“That was a fatuous thing for me to say. I am sorry, I didn’t really mean it.”
→“When the students started asking fatuous questions, the teacher got exasperated and walked out of the room.”
Humdrum
Mundane and boring(日常茶飯事で退屈な)
→“Oh, my life is very structured. I keep to a regimented schedule. My wife says it is humdrum.”
→“Most people are too preoccupied with their humdrum existence to think about philosophical matters.”
Iconoclast
Someone who criticizes or destroys conventional ideas or customs(常識や習慣を批判したり破壊する者)
→“I am proud to be an iconoclast. I don’t see the point of blindly accepting conventional wisdom.”
→“Every major progress in human history was initiated by one iconoclast or another.”
Jaded
No longer interested or curious(興味や関心が廃れた)
→“In today’s class I am not going to talk about the political situation in the Middle East. It’s been commented on and discussed so extensively that I am already jaded.”
→“Don’t have such a jaded attitude. This problem deserves a fresh approach.”
Nuanced
Slight and inconspicuous but meaningful; subtle(微妙な)
→“When you read his novels, you must pay close attention to his nuanced language so you will grasp the full meaning of his words.”
→“In addressing the peace conference, the speaker skillfully used nuanced language, being careful not to offend any parties.”
Pepper
To add or sprinkle a big dose of something(多量の~を付け加える)
→“I always pepper my lecture with a lot of jokes.”
→“His brilliant career path is peppered with scandals.”
Pesky
Annoying; irritating(癇に障る)
→“While I was having a sandwich by the river, those pesky mosquitoes kept bothering me.”
→“The new bank manager is determined to run his business without the pesky risks.”
Ruckus
A commotion; a loud argument(大騒ぎ、大喧嘩)
→“The company management is desperately trying to prevent the labor dispute from developing into a ruckus.”
→“The quarrel between the two actors resulted in a major ruckus.”
Shy of
To fall short of; to fail to miss the target quota(~に満たない)
→“The marathon runner ran a good race but was 2 minutes shy of a world record.”
→“Emergency food provision for the disaster victims is still shy of the target figure.”