HOT WORDS No. 57 (Feb 17, 2012)
Avalanche
A sudden arrival of a large quantity of things or people(殺到)
→“An avalanche of bargain hunters stormed into the newly opened mall.”
→“Since his spectacular performance, the actor has been buried by an avalanche of fan letters.”
Blaze
To burn robustly; to shine brightly; to write in an attention-grabbing way(勢いよく燃える、ギラギラと輝く、注目を集めるような書き方をする)
→“We sat around the blazing camp fire and talked through the night.”
→“The hikers kept on walking under the blazing sun.”
→“The presidential candidate’s latest blunder was blazed all over the newspapers.”
Comb
To search thoroughly(くまなく探す)
→“I went through the whole article, carefully combing every paragraph for the word.”
→“Police combed the streets and alleys in search of the terrorist.”
Dominoes (the plural of domino)
A series of events happening one after another(ドミノ倒しのように次々に物事が発生すること)
→“The debt crisis may set off political dominoes throughout the world.”
→“The popular protest movement had a domino effect, spreading from one country to the next throughout the region.”
Foil
Something that shows the superior qualities of another by contrasting itself to the latter(他のものの方が優れていることを自身との比較対照で立証するもの)
→“The failed economy of the socialist countries serves as a natural foil for capitalism.”
→“By stressing his commitment to a more equitable society, the president invoked a silent foil against his opponent, distinguishing himself from the latter’s wealthy life style.”
Grip
A tight hold; comprehension; control(掴み、理解、支配・コントロール)
→“Don’t loosen your grip on the handles.”
→“I spent 3 hours trying to get a grip on this complicated issue.”
→“Homeless people are dying in the severe winter’s grip.”
Holdover
A remnant from the past(過去からの残留物)
→“Her deep suspicion of authority figures is a holdover from her childhood problems with her father.”
→“My grandmother is a holdover from the previous era.”
Inundate
To give too much of something to deal with(殺到する)
→“Letters of protest inundated the commentator in the wake of his anti-gay remark on TV.”
→“After that spectacular performance, the singer is inundated with (or by) requests for more shows.”
Level
To smooth; to utterly destroy; to equalize; to reduce(スムーズにする、壊滅させる、同レベルにする、減少させる)
→“I am trying to level the countertop.”
→“The earthquake leveled the village.”
→“The government is trying hard to level public sentiments.”
→“His trip to the US will level the White House’s scrutiny on his leadership skills.”
Municipality
A local political entity with the power to make its own decisions, such as a town or a city(地方自治体)
→“The municipality of New York City voted against the governor’s proposal.”
→“10 municipalities got together and signed a mutual disaster aid pact.”
Online
Functional, operating, active(作動中、機能中、起動中)
→“It took three days after the earthquake for electricity to be back online.”
→“The new power plant is scheduled to go online in 2016.”
Prompt
To cause someone to do something; to assist or encourage a speaker to proceed(誰かが何かをするように働きかける、話を続行するように促す)
→“Her message prompted me to write a love poem.”
→“The new leader’s actions abroad are prompting fears and resentment at home.”
→“When the hiring manager saw that the job applicant didn’t know what to say next, he prompted her to tell him about her biggest accomplishment with the present company.”