2014年9月29日 星期一

self-taught, gris-gris, fetish, orrery


The orrery memorial
Wright's birthplace at 28 Irongate, Derby is commemorated with a representation of an orrery on the pavement nearby.




Bloomberg
Mystery Man Who Moves Japanese Markets Made More Than 1 Million Trades
In the process, he has become a cult figure among Japanese day traders, a tight circle of self-taught professionals who take pride in working one of the ...

orrery

Line breaks: or¦rery
Pronunciation: /ˈɒrəri
  
/


NOUN (plural orreries)

A clockwork model of the solar system, or of just the sun, earth, and moon.

Origin

early 18th century: named after the fourth Earl of Orrery, for whom one was made.
What's an orrery? An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system, including the planets, their moons, and their relationship to the sun. David Rittenhouse, born on April 8, 1732, was a clockmaker and astronomer whose inventions include two orreries, one of the first telescopes to be used in the US, clocks, mathematical instruments, and tools he used for surveying land boundaries, including part of the Mason-Dixon Line. Rittenhouse, self-taught in mathematics and astronomy, was at one time treasurer of Pennsylvania, and was the first person to serve as director of the US Mint. He later became active in the American Philosophical Society, succeeding Benjamin Franklin as its president.
Quote:
"For the greater beauty of the instrument, the balls representing the planets are to be of considerable bigness; but so contrived, that they may be taken off at pleasure, and others, much smaller, and fitter for some purposes, put in their places." David Rittenhouse

orrery
[ɔ'ːrəri | ɔ'r-] [名]太陽系儀:惑星の動きを示すために18世紀に作られた模型.

gris-gris (GREE-gree)

noun: A charm, amulet, or fetish.

Etymology
From French, of West African origin. Earliest documented use: 1698.

Usage
"The marabout [a Muslim holy man] produced a small calculator, punched in some numbers, and quoted a price of more than a thousand dollars for the gris-gris. 'With it you can walk across the entire desert and no one will harm you,' he promised." — Peter Gwin; The Telltale Scribes of Timbuktu; National Geographic (Washington, DC); Jan 2011.



amulet

2014年9月27日 星期六

lost his leg to diabetes, understand, outdistance

  Islamic State fighters besieging the Syrian town of Kobane on the Turkish border have been targeted by air strikes, the BBC understands: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29390781
The French lingerie market is the biggest in Europe, according to beancounters at the Institut Français de la Mode, a fashion school, and France is also the biggest European exporter of bras, knickers and the like. French women spend more per head on their scanties than others, just beating the Germans and outdistancing the cheap and cheerful British by a country mile http://econ.st/J3L7IV

iPad '4G' claims face UK scrutiny

Apple is facing a wider inquiry over its "4G" advertising of the latest iPad in the UK, the BBC understands.
Blame Photoshop, Not Diabetes, for This Amputation
A poster being put up in the subway system shows a man who lost his leg to diabetes. But he really didn’t.


lose
(lūz) pronunciation

v., lost (lôst, lŏst), los·ing, los·es. v.tr.
  1. To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay: He's always losing his car keys.
    1. To be deprived of (something one has had): lost her art collection in the fire; lost her job.
    2. To be left alone or desolate because of the death of: lost his wife.
    3. To be unable to keep alive: a doctor who has lost very few patients.
  2. To be unable to keep control or allegiance of: lost his temper at the meeting; is losing supporters by changing his mind.
  3. To fail to win; fail in: lost the game; lost the court case.
  4. To fail to use or take advantage of: Don't lose a chance to improve your position.
  5. To fail to hear, see, or understand: We lost the plane in the fog. I lost her when she started speaking about thermodynamics.
    1. To let (oneself) become unable to find the way.
    2. To remove (oneself), as from everyday reality into a fantasy world.
  6. To rid oneself of: lost five pounds.
  7. To consume aimlessly; waste: lost a week in idle occupations.
  8. To wander from or become ignorant of: lose one's way.
    1. To elude or outdistance: lost their pursuers.
    2. To be outdistanced by: chased the thieves but lost them.
  9. To become slow by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece.
  10. To cause or result in the loss of: Failure to reply to the advertisement lost her the job.
  11. To cause to be destroyed. Usually used in the passive: Both planes were lost in the crash.
  12. To cause to be damned.
v.intr.
  1. To suffer loss.
  2. To be defeated.
  3. To operate or run slow. Used of a timepiece.
phrasal verb:
lose out
  1. To fail to achieve or receive an expected gain.
idioms:
lose it Slang.
  1. To lose control; blow up.
  2. To become deranged or mentally disturbed.
  3. To become less capable or proficient; decline.
lose out on
  1. To miss (an opportunity, for example).
lose time
  1. To operate too slowly. Used of a timepiece.
  2. To delay advancement.
[Middle English losen, from Old English losian, to perish, from los, loss.]



understand[un・der・stand]

  • レベル:最重要
  • 発音記号[ʌ`ndərstǽnd]
[動](-stood)(▼進行形不可)(他)
1III[名]/wh-節/wh- to do]…を理解する, の考えをつかむ, 〈…ということを〉了解する, …がわかる
understand Chinese [a poem]
中国語[詩]がわかる
I don't understand you [what you say].
あなたの言うことがわかりません
I cannot understand why she is in Mexico. [=I cannot understand her being in Mexico. ]
彼女がなぜメキシコに住んでいるか解せない(▼前者のほうがくだけた言い方)
English isn't understood in that country.
その国では英語は通じない
He doesn't understand friendship [what friendship is].
彼には友情というものがどういうものかわかっていない.
2III[名]/that節/V[名]to do]((話・形式))…を聞いて知っている, と理解している
I understand (that) I was drunk last night.
昨夜は酔いしれていたようで
We understand you to be arriving tomorrow.
あなたはあす到着なさるそうですね
I understand from your letter that he is not coming.
あなたの手紙によれば彼は来ないわけですね
I understand that he is a distant relation. [=I understand him to be a distant relation. ]
彼は私の遠縁にあたると思っています.
3III[名]/that節]…と解釈する, 見なす;[V[名]to do]…が(…することと)解する;[V[名]as [to be][名][[形]]]…を(…であると)解する
What do the English understand by patriotism?
愛国心というとイギリス人はどういうものだと解しますか
I understood his remark as a threat.
私は彼の意見はおどしだと受け取った.
4 ((しばしば受身))…を(特定の方法で)解釈する;〈語句などを〉補って解釈する;〈語を〉略す
the understood subject
省略された主語.
━━(自)(←(他))
1 (言おうとすることを)理解する;理解力がある
You still don't understand.
まだわかっていないね
Do [Can] you understand?
いいですね[か], わかりましたか
Now I understand.
ああ, わかった(▼×Now, I understood. とはいわない).
2I([副])](特定の問題などの)知識がある, 背景を知っている((about ...))
He understands about horses.
馬のことをよく知っている.
3 寛大[同情的]に受け取る, 理解を示す
I can't help you. I hope you understand.
あなたをお助けできません. おわかりいただけますね.
give a person to understand
((形式))
(1) 〈人に〉それとなくわからせる.
(2) 〈人に〉(…ということを)わからせる, はっきり言ってやる((that節))
I was given to understand that only by cutting it could my novel be published.
私の小説は短くしなければ出版できないとはっきり言われた.
make oneself understood
自分の考え[言葉]を人にわからせる
Can you make yourself understood in French?
フランス語で用が足せますか.
understand each other
(1) 了解している, わかり合っている
They have not reached an agreement yet, but they understand each other.
合意には達していないが, 相手の意向はお互いにわかっている.
(2) 結託している, 共謀する.
[古英語understandan (under-下に, 間に+standan立つ=間に立つ→理解する). △STAND

understand

Line breaks: under|stand
Pronunciation: /ʌndəˈstand 
  
/

VERB (past and past participle understood /-ˈstʊd/)

[WITH OBJECT]
1Perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or a speaker):he didn’t understand a word I saidhe could usually make himself understood[WITH CLAUSE]: she understood what he was saying
1.1Perceive the significanceexplanation, or causeof:she didn’t really understand the situation[WITH CLAUSE]: he couldn’t understand why weburst out laughing
2Interpret or view (something) in a particular way:as the term is usually understood, legislation refersto regulations and directives
2.1[WITH CLAUSE] Infer something from information received (often used as a polite formula inconversation):I understand you’re at art school[WITH OBJECT]: as I understood it, she was flyingback to the States tomorrow
2.2Regard (a missing wordphrase, or idea) aspresent:present company excepted’ is always understood when sweeping generalizations are being made
2.3[WITH CLAUSE] Assume to be the case; take forgranted:he liked to play the field, that was understood
3Be sympathetically or knowledgeably aware of thecharacter or nature of:Picasso understood colour[WITH CLAUSE]: I understand how you feel

Origin

Old English understandan (see under-stand).

Derivatives

understander

NOUN

outdistance

Syllabification: (out·dis·tance)
Pronunciation: /ˌoutˈdistəns/
Translate outdistance | into Spanish

verb

[with object]
leave (a competitor or pursuer) far behind:she could maintain a fast enough pace to outdistance any pursuers

fix, alumn, alumnus, plaudit, sinki, Fix-It Job

Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and International Airlines Group (IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia), are all in the same fix. Low-cost rivals such as EasyJet and Ryanair now dominate short-haul services. Europe's national flag-carriers are struggling to stay in short-haul, to ensure they have passengers to feed into their more profitable long-haul routes http://econ.st/1sDuxik


Wife's Trades Sink Banker
Swiss National Bank President Hildebrand has resigned in the wake of a scandal involving currency trades, removing a bank chief who has generated both controversy and plaudits during his two-year tenure.



If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
INFORMAL SAYING
said when you recognize that something is in a satisfactory state, and there is no reason to try to change it






John A. Thain won plaudits as Wall Street's Mr. Fix-It by revitalizing the embattled New York Stock Exchange. Now, he has been tasked with turning around Merrill Lynch, the once-proud Wall Street firm battered by losses from the mortgage debacle.

The challenge officially began Wednesday, when Mr. Thain, who had risen to co-president of Goldman Sachs but left for the stock exchange, was named chairman and chief executive of Merrill. Mr. Thain was selected, not just because of his success at the exchange but also because of his understanding of risk management systems at Goldman, which has largely avoided the problems plaguing its rivals, The New York Times said.

Bloomberg News notes that Mr. Thain is the first chief executive in Merrill's 93-year history with no prior links to the firm. The hiring of a complete outsider, it said, amounts to a "recognition of the mess made by [his] predecessor," E. Stanley O'Neal, it wrote.

Breakingviews points out another potential reason why Merrill tapped Mr. Thain. If fixing Merrill should require drastic steps, such as merger, his record of deal-making at NYSE Euronext suggests he's well-equipped to achieve it -- unlike Mr. O'Neal, who Breakingviews says bungled his last-minute approach to Wachovia.

Go to Article from The New York Times»
Go to Article from Bloomberg News »
Go to Article from Breakingviews»
Go to Press Release from Merrill Lynch»

Below, more coverage of Mr. Thain's move to Merrill from The Times and DealBook:

-- Many were surprised that BlackRock chief Laurence Fink was not offered the job
-- With Mr. Fink passed over, will ties between Merrill and BlackRock be strained?
-- Mr. Thain is out of the running in Citigroup's C.E.O. search
-- Goldman's high-powered alumni continue to extend their reach
-- The new chief of NYSE Euronext will face his own challenges
-- Mr. Thain and the man he's replacing have a few things in common

NOUN

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1[IN SINGULAR] informal difficult or awkward situationfrom which it is hard to extricate oneself; apredicament:how on earth did you get into such a fix?
2informal dose of a narcotic drug to which one isaddicted:he hadn’t had his fix
2.1An experience of something from which onederives great pleasure or stimulation:get your coffee fix at home with this state-of-the-art espresso-maker
3A measure taken to resolve a problem or correct amistake; a solution or remedy:making everything easier for the car driver wouldonly be a short-term fixthe company is working on a fix but suggests usersconsider technical workarounds in the meantime
4A position determined by visual or radio bearings orastronomical observations:the radio operator received the distress call andcalculated the fix
5[IN SINGULAR] informal dishonest or underhandarrangement:obviously, his appointment was a fix



alumnus Show phonetics
noun [C] plural alumni MAINLY US
someone who has left a school, college or university after completing their studies there:
the alumni of St MacNissi's College
Several famous alumni have agreed to help raise money for the school's restoration fund.




An alumnus (masculine, plural alumni) or alumna (feminine, plural alumnae) is a former student or pupil of a school, college, or university. Commonly, but not always, the word refers to a graduate of the educational institute in question.[1] An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor, or inmate, as well as a former student.[2][3] If a group includes both sexes, even if there is only one male, the male plural form alumni is used.plaudit plau·dit (plô'dĭt) pronunciation

n.
Enthusiastic expression of praise or approval: a new play that opened to the plaudits of the critics.
[Short for Latin plaudite, pl. imperative of plaudere, to applaud (used at the end of Roman plays).]