Hot Words No.55

Animus

発音：

[ǽnəməs]

意味：

憎悪

A strong sentiment of dislike or hatred

例文1：

The speaker was quite dismayed as she felt the auditorium packed with animus towards her.

例文2：

The new book spread animus against illegal immigrants.

Bogeyman

発音：

[búɡimæ̀n]

意味：

想像上の悪霊、世で広く悪人と思われている人物

An evil spirit that only exists in someone’s mind; an individual who is widely considered evil

例文1：

With an obsessive concern with the myth of the communist government’s threat to the neighboring countries, the US policy-makers are making a bogeyman out of it.

例文2：

Hey, don’t get me wrong. I am a nice man. Don’t make a bogeyman out of me.

Duke it out

発音：

[djúːk ít áut]

意味：

争う

To fight

例文1：

The family restaurants are duking it out, lowering the prices.

例文2：

The two candidates duked it out over tax policy at the debate.

Encroach

発音：

[inkróutʃ]

意味：

徐々に侵害・浸食・侵略する

To gradually take away someone’s property or rights; to gradually cover more territory or land

例文1：

With a set of new regulations, the government is encroaching on the citizens’ civil liberties.

例文2：

The small nation decided to seek a greater US military presence as its larger neighbor continues to encroach on its territories.

Foot-dragging

発音：

[fút-drǽɡiŋ]

意味：

意図的な遅延

A deliberate procrastination

例文1：

The United Nations criticized the authoritarian regime’s foot-dragging in its human rights reform efforts.

例文2：

I was so upset that I employed a foot-dragging strategy to frustrate my boss.

Glut

発音：

[ɡlʌ́t]

意味：

供給過剰

An oversupply

例文1：

The great housing crash of 2007 resulted in a glut of new houses and buildings.

例文2：

A glut of welfare-dependent people is becoming a burden on the national economy.

Handicap

発音：

[hǽndikæ̀p]

意味：

勝ち負けの確率を計算する

To estimate the odds for or against someone in a competition

例文1：

I would handicap the Chunichi Dragons at 2 to 1 to beat the Yomiuri Giants.

例文2：

Let me handicap this presidential candidate for the next primary.

Pull

発音：

[púl]

意味：

取り除く

To remove

例文1：

As soon as there was a complaint against the racist implication of the ad, the firm pulled it from the newspapers and TVs.

例文2：

The US completed pulling its troops from Iraq by the yearend.

例文3：

The court pulled permits of several phone companies.