No. 41 (Oct 21, 2011)
Assiduous
Meticulous and conscientious(律儀で堅実な)
→“I am assiduous in my daily exercise schedule.”
→“He has been assiduously keeping his diaries since his school days.”
Bare
To reveal or expose(隠された状態から表に出す)
→“It was so hot that I took off my T-shirt and bared my chest to the sun.”
→“The political party bared its internal rifts as it debated the free trade proposal.”
Career
To move forward quickly, often out of control(コントロールが危うい状態で疾走する)
→“When I was driving home late last night, I momentarily dozed off and let the car career down the highway for a few seconds.”
→“When I visited New York for the first time, I felt overwhelmed as pedestrians careered past me in crowded streets.”
Duck
To avoid something difficult or unpleasant(難しい又は不快な状況を免れる)
→“Several people in the audience expressed their disagreement to what the speaker had said, but he ducked the issue and walked off the podium.”
→“A policy of secrecy lets the auditor duck scrutiny.”
Garner
To collect or gather(収集する)
→“I spent the whole morning online trying to garner information on our client company.”
→“The EU will instruct the banks to garner bigger reserves.”
Lame
Weak and ineffective(弱く効果に欠ける)
→“I was quite offended when the salesperson gave me a lame excuse for being late.”
→“He could find only lame words to console her.”
Mitigate
To weaken the negative effect of something(悪い効果を弱める)
→“The government finally decided to take some action to mitigate the effects of car exhaust gases in the city.”
→“His financial decline was mitigated by the fact that some old friends still esteemed him.”
Plaintive
Sad in sound or voice(音や声が物哀しげな)
→“She took slow steps on the beach, listening to the plaintive horns from the ships and freighters off shore.”
→“The singer’s voice was made plaintive by distance.”
Put off
To delay; to discourage(遅らせる、関心や意欲を失わせる)
→“The government keeps putting off a decision on the critical issue.”
→“Car makers are not put off by global overcapacity.”
Resolute
Strong and firm in attitude or decision(態度や決意が揺るがない)
→“I am resolute in my determination to complete the project.”
→“The campaign to free the dissident drew a resolute crowd in support of the movement.”
Shirk
To intentionally avoid one’s duties(意図的に責任を逃れる)
→“My brother and sister-in-law are shirking their responsibilities towards their children.”
→“You always have some excuse for shirking work.”
Tinker
To make small changes or adjustments for improvement(改善の為に小さな変更を施す)
→“I tinkered with the draft over the weekend.”
→“That is an ill-advised idea to tinker.”
Upscale
Luxurious(高級な、ハイカラな)
→“She drove me around the upscale neighborhood of the city.”
→“Upscale hotels are thriving in this resort town.”
Whopping
Surprising; shocking(驚くべき)
→“After wining and dining at the new restaurant, I almost had a heart attack when I got the whopping bill.”
→“Foreign traffic at the airport is down by a whopping 19%.”