HOT WORDS No. 60 (March 9, 2012)
Air
External appearance(雰囲気)
→“The actress has an air of elegant serenity.”
→“This whole story has an air of mystery.”
Brawl
A noisy battle or quarrel in public (公の場でのうるさい喧嘩)
→“The fans of the two opposing teams had a brawl after the game.”
→“They are having a brawl over something rather trivial.”
Embed
To put something firmly in something else (何かに根強く植え付ける)
→“Sensitivity for others’ feelings became embedded in my personality after that experience.”
→“Boredom was embedded in the fabric of their work.”
Flushed
Excited; red in the face with strong emotions(興奮した、強い感情で顔が赤くなった)
→“The boy was flushed with pleasure when he saw the new toy.”
→“She stood there with a flushed face.”
Geared to or for
To be arranged and structured for a given purpose(何らかの目的の為にアレンジ・構成された)
→“All the bus seats are geared to mid-size people.”
→“Our university has a program geared for students with high English proficiency.”
Head
Category(範疇、部類)
→“He didn’t think that taking the ring from his wife would come under the head of theft.”
→“In a broad sense, religion comes under the head of philosophy.”
Invoke
To justify one’s act or view by appealing to something else such as the law and religion; to seek support from a higher authority; to cause a certain feeling or image to appear in others’ minds(法や宗教など外部要因に訴えて自分の行動や見解を正当化する、権威に頼って支持を得ようとする、ある感情やイメージを心に呼び起こす)
→“The protester invoked the Fifth Amendment when the police questioned her.”
→“The authoritarian regime invoked a familiar enemy to get the citizens’ support.”
→“The ancients invoked gods to explain the processes of nature.”
→“This story by Kawabata invokes powerful nostalgia about the Showa period.”
Lather
Froth or foam from exerting and sweating; a state of mental agitation and stress(奮起した結果の泡立ち、精神的に興奮したりストレスを感じている状態)
→“The horse was all of a lather and panting after the race.”
→“I was so worried and upset about her e-mail that I worked myself into a lather.”
Provocateur
Somebody who is assertive in a controversial way(物議をかもしだす人、扇動者)
→“The provocateur was forced out of the ruling party.”
→“In time people began to label the commentator as a provocateur.”
Queue
To form a line; to desire something strongly(行列する、強く欲する)
→“A crowd of young fans queued in front of the concert hall for a glance at AKB48.”
→“Chinese students are queuing up to study in the United States.”
Regnant
Currently in power; ruling; predominant(現在統治している、最も優勢な)
→“The eldest son is the emperor regnant.”
→“Hegelian dialectic was the regnant ideology in 19th century Germany.”
Subvert
To destroy someone’s belief or the government’s power & authority(誰かの信条もしくは政府の権力を破壊する)
→“I don’t want nonbelievers to come and subvert my children’s Christian faith.”
→“The rebels keep trying to subvert the established system through daily protests.”
Wrench
To forcefully or roughly pull something from its current position(力づくで、若しくは荒々しく、何かを引っ張って動かす)
→“The store clerk rudely wrenched the item from my hand.”
→“The unexpected gravitational force wrenched an entire planet into a new celestial orbit.”
→“The teenager struggled to wrench himself free from the policeman.”