hoot, to (RECEIVING), rational, irrational. Nevertheless, its efforts at controlling the birthrate completely failed.

Its Birthrate Falling, Russia Targets Child-Free Lifestyles

The country’s lower house of Parliament passed a law that would ban what it calls “propaganda” discouraging Russians from having children.

The majority of Americans, however, embrace some form of blind faith. But because that faith by its very nature requires a leap into irrationality, it is almost impossible to explain or to defend in rational terms.

	"Nevertheless, its efforts at controlling the birthrate completely failed. The foundation's executives attributed this to the irrationality of the Indians. "Couldn't they understand that failure to reduce ... "

Family Harford has just put in an offer for the house next door, to hoots of scorn from my colleagues, who know me as a bear among bears. It is true that the London housing market seems (who knows?) to be in the final stages of its biggest-ever bubble. But there are special circumstances involved here, one of which is that no rational economic actor disobeys an order from his wife.

我和老婆家剛剛打算出價買鄰居的一棟房產，便遭到同事一番嘲諷，因為他們知道我是一個“熊市論”者。確實，倫敦房地產市場看來（誰曉得？）正處於有史以來最大泡沫的最後階段。不過，我們家這件事還存在著一些特殊情況，其中的一條是：沒有哪位理性的經濟人會不聽老婆的命令。

hc 我家剛剛打算出價買鄰近的房產，便遭到同事一番嘲諷，笑我這“熊市論中最悲觀的”竟然出手啦。確實，看來倫敦房地產市場正處於有史以來最大泡沫的尾聲（誰曉得已達谷底？）。不過，我家還有些特殊情況，其一便是：沒有哪位理性的經濟人會不聽從老婆的命令。


to (RECEIVING) Show phonetics
preposition
1 used for showing who receives something or who experiences an action:
I lent my bike to my brother.
I told that to Glyn and he was horrified.
Who's the letter addressed to?

2 With many verbs that have two objects, 'to' can be used before the indirect object:
Give me that gun./Give that gun to me.

hoot
n.

1. 1. The characteristic cry of an owl.
   2. A sound suggesting the cry of an owl, especially the sound of a horn.
2. A cry of scorn or derision.
3. Informal. One that is hilariously funny: “Emmett, that skirt is a hoot!” (Bobbie Ann Mason).

rational economic actor 經濟學用語 -- 合"經濟理性"的"人"

rational Show phonetics
adjective
showing clear thought or reason:
He was too upset to be rational.
a rational course of action/argument/explanation

rationally Show phonetics
adverb
in a way based on reason rather than emotions:
Rationally, he knows that she won't ever go back to him, but emotionally he can't accept it.

irrational Show phonetics
adjective
not using reason or clear thinking:
It's totally irrational, but I'm frightened of mice.
His parents were worried by his increasingly irrational behaviour.

irrationality Show phonetics
noun [U]

irrationally Show phonetics
adverb
People often behave irrationally when they are under stress.