No. 30 (July 29, 2011)
Awhile
For a brief time(ちょっとの間)
→“Wait for me awhile. I just want to send this one e-mail.”
→“Okay, we are pulling into the rest area. Get off the bus and stretch awhile.”
Brouhaha
An exaggerated reaction; overblown attention(大袈裟な評判、過剰に取り沙汰されること)
→“I am sick of all the brouhaha that the media are creating about the astronaut.”
→“There was a widespread brouhaha when the actress announced her intention to run for president.”
Closure
The dawning of a feeling that something has been completed and put to rest(事やプロセスに終止符が打たれたという実感、心の区切り)
→“The solemn graduation ceremony gave the students a sense of closure.”
→“The execution of the serial murderer brought a closure to the victims’ families.”
Corrode
To weaken or destroy gradually(~を徐々に弱める・破壊する)
→“The manager’s pattern of verbal abuse is corroding the team members’ confidence in the company.”
→“The spread of drug addiction among the youth is corroding the country.”
Forebear
An ancestor; a precursor(先祖、前身)
→“My favorite pastime is to look up my forebears in the family tree.”
→“I am interested in Judaism as the forebear of Christianity.”
Lugubrious
Extremely sad and melancholy(非常に悲しい)
→“I heard a lugubrious howl from the bushes and turned around.”
→“What’s wrong? You look so lugubrious today.”
Portend
To serve as a sign that something bad is going to happen(何か悪いことが起こる兆しとなる、前触れとなる)
→“Before the calamity struck the coastal village, there were some strange phenomena that portended disaster.”
→“This latest white-collar crime portends a wave of similar sophisticated criminal acts by copycats.”
Prod
(促す、行動を起こすようプッシュする)
→“During our one-on-one meeting, my boss gave me an ultimatum. It prodded me into quick action to drive up my sales figures.”
→“The party members are now prodding the unpopular president to resign before his term is up.”
Soar
To rise or increase rapidly(急激に浮上・増加する、空高くそびえる)
→“After the major disaster, insurance claims soared.”
→“From here you can see the Tokyo Sky Tree soaring over the Sumida River.”
A spate of
A high frequency of similar events or phenomena in a relatively short time span(短期の間に頻繁に起きる似たような事件や現象)
→“Chiba Prefecture has been having a spate of muggings.”
→“People are frightened to make a trip up north after a spate of gang attacks there.”
Temerity
Insolent boldness(無礼な大胆さ、向う見ず)
→“The tailor had the temerity to tell me to lose weight so the pants will fit me.”
→“That pitcher has a reputation for temerity.”
Venue
A place for some event to take place(会議やイベントが催される場所)
→“We had a phone chat and agreed on a date and a venue for a meeting the following week.”
→“Lady Gaga will play at 7 venues in Asia.”
Wily
Cunning and manipulative(狡賢い、狡猾な)
→“That lady is elegant and attractive on the outside, but I have heard rumors that she could be wily.”
→“The wily politician is back in the spotlight in the wake of the latest scandal.”
Wistful
Yearning for something that is beyond one’s reach(実現不可能なものを念頭に物欲しげな、懐かしげな)
→“My grandfather looked wistful as he said how wonderful it would be to be young again.”
→“‘I stayed in this apartment for the first 2 years of college,’ she said with a wistful smile.”