HOT WORDS No. 52 (Jan 13, 2012)
Afloat
Having enough money to stay in business or stay out of debt(経営や生活を続行するための金銭的土台がある)
→“I was out of a job for so long that I finally had to borrow money from my parents, just to keep afloat.”
→“The company may become nationalized to stay afloat.”
Buff
To polish; to make stronger; to bolster(磨く、強化する)
→“I work part-time at a McDonald’s, buffing the floor.”
→“After years of declining popularity, the company is finally buffing its public image with imaginative services.”
Congenital
Innate; inherent(持って生まれた、不可避の)
→“He overcame his congenital speech defect and became a great public speaker.”
→“With my congenital pessimism and bad health, I am not very hopeful that anything good will happen this year.”
Dish or dish out
To give a lot of something, often private and embarrassing info(プライベートな情報などを多量に提供する)
→“In this autobiography, the senator dishes on his experiences in the asylum for abused children.”
→“She started writing weekly columns, dishing out her unconventional opinions.”
→“The woman is writing a tell-all book about her marriage to the film director in order to dish dirt on him.”
Doctor
To deliberately change something for one’s own advantage(自分に有利になるよう事実に手を加える)
→“The professor was accused of doctoring evidence in support of his theory.”
→“In this doctored picture, we find the entertainer standing next to the Meiji Emperor.”
Eddy
To move or proceed in a circle(円を描きながら動く)
→“Cold winds are eddying around my house.”
→“Friendship began to eddy into my loneliness.”
Farthing
A tiny amount(微量)
→“She came down on hard times, losing all her wealth. Now she doesn’t have a farthing to her name.”
→“I did not receive a farthing in reward.”
→“The sales clerk sounded like she didn’t care a farthing if I bought or not.”
Marquee
A large tent or canopy; a large sign over the entrance(大きなテントや天蓋、入口の上にかかった大きな掲示板・ポスター)
→“Let’s have coffee in the marquee at 2 pm.”
→“A marquee announced the names of the speakers.”
Outflank
To outmaneuver an opponent(敵に対して有利になるように事を展開する)
→“The government forces finally outflanked the rebels in the capital city.”
→“The president is trying to outflank Congress on defense.”
Paramount
Overwhelmingly important(最も重要な)
→“In my investment strategy, security and stability are of paramount importance.”
→“Economy is paramount in the US presidential race.”
Supine
Lying on one’s back; prone; weak and acquiescent, letting others take the lead(仰向けの、人のいいなりになる弱腰の)
→“He stretched out supine on the bed.”
→“Even liberals are beginning to think that the president is submissive and supine to the opposition.”
→“I don’t approve of your supine acceptance of ill-treatment by the bullies.”
Turgid
Excessively pompous and difficult to understand(難しくて分かりづらい)
→“After trying to make my way through the turgid introduction to the novel, I gave it up and plunged right into the story itself.”
→“Admissions office personnel started describing the application process in turgid language.”
Umpteen
So many that it is annoying(腹が立つほど多い)
[語尾にthをつけumpteenth timeという助数詞の形で用いられることが頻繁にある]
→“I decided to quit the company because I could not stand its umpteen policies and rules.”
→“Having nothing else to do, I went to the neighborhood museum for the umpteenth time.”