circumscribe

1. To draw a line around; encircle.
2. To limit narrowly; restrict.
3. To determine the limits of; define. See synonyms at limit.
4. a. To enclose (a polygon or polyhedron) within a configuration of lines, curves, or surfaces so that every vertex of the enclosed object is incident on the enclosing configuration. b. To erect (such a configuration) around a polygon or polyhedron: circumscribe a circle around a square.

abdicate

To relinquish (power or responsibility) formally.

empathy

1.Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. See synonyms at pity.
2.The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.

self-fulfilling prophecy

心理学用語で、日本語訳は「自己充足的予言」のようだ。

absolve

1. To pronounce clear of guilt or blame.
2. To relieve of a requirement or an obligation.
3. a. To grant a remission of sin to. b. To pardon or remit (a sin).

abomination

1. Abhorrence; disgust.
2. A cause of abhorrence or disgust.

lumber

1. a. To cut down (trees) and prepare as marketable timber. b. To cut down the timber of.
2. Chiefly British. To clutter with or as if with unused articles.

moniker

A personal name or nickname.

hackney

1. To cause to become banal and trite through overuse.
2. To hire out; let.

shibboleth

1. A word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another.
2. a. A word or phrase identified with a particular group or cause; a catchword. b. A commonplace saying or idea.
3. A custom or practice that betrays one as an outsider.

hat in hand

In a humble manner; humbly.

Hat in hand the U.S. Auto Industry lined up for their slice of government aid and it appears as of this posting that they will get the money they are asking for.

misogynist

One who hates women.

by no means

In no sense; certainly not

acatamathesia

Loss of the faculty of understanding.

clean someone's clock

In American English, To clean someone’s clock means to trounce one’s opponents in a game (“We’ll clean the Dodgers’ clocks today”) or generally to inflict a severe reverse (“Republicans got their clocks cleaned in November’s elections”).

corroborate

To strengthen or support with other evidence; make more certain.

Yo-yo quiz

A quiz from the Oct 20, 2008 episode of A Way with Words.
Find a verb making phrasal verbs with the prepositions 'up' and 'down' with given meanings.

Example 1
~ up: to appear
~ down: to reject
Answer: turn

Example 2
~ up: to save all the data on your computer's hard drive just in case
~ down: to retreat, no longer threaten
Answer: back

Q1
up: to withstand
down: to apply yourself to a problem

Q2
up: to be overcome emotionally
down: to suppress

Q3
up: to laugh uncontrollably
down: to become more strict about an issue

Q4
up: to rise from a seated position
down: to boogie-woogie-woogie

Q5
up: a satire or parody
down: to suspend from university (chiefly British English)

Q6
up: to improve usually in a small but perceptible way
down: to land after a flight

Q7
up: to maintain a required pace
down: to prevent from progress through force or intimidation

Q8
up: reverse parasitosis
down: to begin a fight

A1: bear
A2: choke
A3: crack
A4: get
A5: send
A6: touch
A7: keep
A8: throw

Blank the Blank

A puzzle named "Blank the Blank" or "Verb the Noun" was presented on the 2008-10-11 episode of "A Way with Words." Here are the clues and answers:

C1. Tony and Angela have been enemies for years, but they finally decided to Blank the Blank.

C2. Tony and Angela have been close friends for years, they finally decided to Blank the Blank.

C3. Tony said "I don't believe I cheated on you, Angela. Therefor I didn't cheat on you." But he's just Blank the Blank.

C4. If you thought cheating Angela was bad, Tony has also been Blank the Blank in his job as an accountant.

C5. After the way he cheated her, I can't say I'm surprised at Angela would Blank the Blank to the Feds.

C6. Wow, in a fair indictment there's no way for tony to run now, he's just gonna have to Blank the Blank.

C7. Wow, it really stinks in here. Hey Tony, did you Blank the Blank?

C8. I think the whole show is finally running out of ideas and adding dumb plot elements. They've really Blank the Blank.

C9. Let's turn off the TV, call a few friends and have them come over, play the naughty game Blank the Blank.

A1. bury the hatchet
A2. tie the knot OR jump the broom
A3. begging the question
A4. cooking the books
A5. spill the beans
A6. face the music
A7. cut the cheese
A8. jumped the shark
A9. spin the bottle

circuitous

Being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course. See synonyms at indirect.
Buying mortgage related securities from banks is a very circuitous way to solve the problem.

Resistentialism

A Way with Wordsで紹介された単語。
修理に持って行ったら直ったとか、子供を病院に連れて行ったらなんともなくなったとか、そういう場合に使ってはどうかと。この言葉はそれとはやや違う意味なのだが、近い単語として。

数字が2つ入った四字熟語

本のしおりに日能研の広告が載っていて、それが以下の四字熟語の問題だった。
次の■に漢字を入れて、それぞれの四字熟語を完成しなさい。

1. 三■四■
2. ■三■四
3. 三■九■
4. 十■十■
5. 千■万■

はずかしながら、2番が分からなかった。日能研のウェブサイトに回答があると書いてあったので見に行ったがみつからない。
再三再四あるいは朝三暮四だろう。
3は三々九度かと思ったが、それだと■の1つに数字が入ることとなり、あまりよろしくない。
三拝九拝のほうがいいのだろう。

否定形しかない英単語

Grammar GirlのWhy Isn't “Gruntled” a Word?で取り上げられた。

• disgruntled
• disheveled
• out of whack
• disaster
  

mitosis, meiosis

mitosis: The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides, typically consisting of four stages, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and normally resulting in two new nuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parental chromosomes

meiosis: The process of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in reproductive cells, leading to the production of gametes in animals and spores in plants.

2010-01-11

paralinguistic restitution

emoticonや、強調のためにすべてを大文字で書くなどのことを指す。

prochlorococcus

日本語では原核緑藻類というのが正しいようだが、プロクロロコッカスとすることもある。

cognitive dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological state that describes the uncomfortable feeling when a person begins to understand that something the person believes to be true is, in fact, not true. Similar to ambivalence, the term cognitive dissonance describes conflicting thoughts or beliefs (cognitions) that occur at the same time, or when engaged in behaviors that conflict with one's beliefs. In academic literature, the term refers to attempts to reduce the discomfort of conflicting thoughts by performing actions that are opposite to one's beliefs.
-- from Wikipedia
日本語では「認知的不協和」というようだ。

debilitate

To sap the strength or energy of; enervate.

Having "the flu" is something of a generic complaint. Other common and less debilitating diseases are often mistaken for influenza. As a result, people tend to regard flu in casual terms, and to take it less seriously than they should---at least until they actually get the real thing!

wither

it seems to me that the history of corporate acquisitions is littered with takeovers in which the shareholders may have profited, but the corporation's life and creativity withered.

mycelium

The vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, threadlike hyphae.
hypha (pl hyphae): 菌糸

tenacious

1. Holding or tending to hold persistently to something, such as a point of view. See synonyms at strong.
2. Holding together firmly; cohesive: a tenacious material.

get under (one's) skin

1. To irritate or stimulate; provoke.
2. To become an obsession.

scrounge

v.t. せびり取る.
v.i. あちこちあさる.

have A to show for B

Bに対する成果としてAを得ている

A wise dog doesn't let his fleas bother him.

という諺があるんだな。

Burkholderia cepacia

その道の人はB cepaciaと呼ぶようだ。
正式にはBurkholderia cepacia complexで日本語ではバークホルデリア・セパシア菌群のようだ。
そしてセパシア菌と呼ぶことが多いよう。

類義語パズル

A Way with Wordsでやっていたパズル。
単語Aと単語Bが類義語で、かつ単語Bと単語Cが類義語であるとする。
単語Aと単語Cが与えられた場合に、単語Bを当てるパズル。
以下の例では答えはすべて動物。

1. 問題： imp, mess around
   答え： monkey
2. 問題： school, angle
   答え： fish
3. 問題： deliver, stomach
   答え： bear
4. 問題： coward, showdown
   答え： chicken
5. 問題： highway, weapon
   答え： pike

Too much catsup can ruin the fries

Too many cooks spoil the brothの変形というところか

時を表す節で完了形を使う例

By the time you've finished this book, you will have learned not only the language itself, but also how to apply well to your day-to-day asks.

barefaced, bald-faced, bold-faced

いずれも、厚かましい・ずうずうしい、という意味で、この順に古い。barefacedはシェークスピアも使っているそうだ。bold-facedはボールド体の活字でという意味にもなるし、比較的新しく、bald-facedを使うのが無難なようだ。

Staphylococcus aureus

黄色ブドウ球菌。Graig Venterが講演の中でStaphylo. aureusと略していた。

Thucydides

Greek historian. Considered the greatest historian of antiquity, he wrote a critical history of the Peloponnesian War that contains the funeral oration of Pericles.
日本語ではツキディデス

Raynaud's phenomenon

A circulatory disorder that affects the hands and feet, caused by insufficient blood supply to these parts and resulting in cyanosis, numbness, pain, and, in extreme cases, gangrene.

toot one's horn

I know he's going to be too bashful to toot his own horn, so I'll take on the job.