2012年6月29日 星期五

conversation, dialogue, probophile, ostracised, vilified.




“There’s a real culture of secrecy here that influences everything,” the former executive said.
Some other technology companies operate differently.
“We talk to a lot of outsiders,” said Gary Niekerk, director of corporate citizenship at Intel. “The world’s complex, and unless we’re dialoguing with outside groups, we miss a lot.”

The probophile', Davies and Kenny write, ' places false confidence in numbers ,
and uses these as his focus for justification of activity, ...



Probophilia

In much the same vein: ‘Probophilia’, a doctor writes, ‘is a pathological love of verification over achievement’. Ivan Tyrell, a leader in the Human Givens movement (a profoundly constructive and efficacious approach to mental health), described the same phenomenon as ‘obsessive target disorder’. The point being made is that those who suffer from this disorder are mad but they don’t know it.


The probophiles create their own disconnected world, the doctor writes. It is so true. Some fledgling systems thinkers in the NHS who have tried to get a dialogue going with managers about the need to study the system and then change the measures etc find themselves ostracised and vilified. It is like something out of a Dilbert cartoon. The mind-blocked probophiles cannot even connect, to do so would disturb their psychological edifice, so they attack instead. We should worry, over the last ten years the NHS has created a monstrous management culture. If this continues in the new structures we can only expect more of the same.


You can read the doctor’s paper here:

http://www.civitas.org.uk/nhs/download/probophilia.pdf

 conversation
n.
    1. The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk.
    2. An instance of this: held a long conversation on the subject.
  1. An informal discussion of a matter by representatives of governments, institutions, or organizations.
conversational con'ver·sa'tion·al adj.
conversationally con'ver·sa'tion·al·ly adv.
---
dialogue
n.
  1. A conversation between two or more people.
    1. Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative.
    2. The lines or passages in a script that are intended to be spoken.
  2. A literary work written in the form of a conversation: the dialogues of Plato.
  3. Music. A composition or passage for two or more parts, suggestive of conversational interplay.
  4. An exchange of ideas or opinions: achieving constructive dialogue with all political elements.

v., -logued, or -loged, -logu·ing, or -log·ing, -logues, or -logs. v.tr.
To express as or in a dialogue.

v.intr.
  1. To converse in a dialogue.
  2. Usage Problem. To engage in an informal exchange of views.
[Middle English dialog, from Old French dialogue, from Latin dialogus, from Greek dialogos, conversation, from dialegesthai, to discuss. See dialect.]
dialoguer di'a·log'uer n.
USAGE NOTE In recent years the verb sense of dialogue meaning "to engage in an informal exchange of views" has been revived, particularly with reference to communication between parties in institutional or political contexts. Although Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Carlyle used it, this usage today is widely regarded as jargon or bureaucratese. Ninety-eight percent of the Usage Panel rejects the sentence Critics have charged that the department was remiss in not trying to dialogue with representatives of the community before hiring the new officers.

psyched to, straw, the likes, confidence, overconfidence


Multiple Missteps Led to RIM's Fall
RIM is expected to report an operating loss following a decline caused partly by overconfidence in its keyboard devices amid the rise of touch-screen smartphones.




Luo Jye chairs Cheng Shin Rubber, a one-time manufacturer of bicycle tires that has grown into one of the world's largest supplier of automotive tires. Customers include GM and Ford. Cheng Shin's shares have risen 10% in the past year, helping to boost the Luo family's wealth by $300 million. The company, whose tires are sold under the "Maxxis" trade name, competes with the likes of Goodyear and Michelin.

Psyched to Buy, in Groups

By DAVID POGUE

Internet-organized group buying has been tried before by the likes of Mercato and MobShop, but Groupon seems to have created the right formula.

Living Planet | 30.09.2010 | 22:30

Swiss architect provokes rethink of straw houses

If Werner Schmidt were one of the three little pigs, he'd be the first one. He likes to build with straw.

Werner Schmidt has been using straw as an alternative material for insulation in a range of buildings over the past decade, and is drawing increasing attention for innovative solutions from as far away as Argentina and Australia.

psych


v., psyched, psych·ing, psyches. v.tr.
    1. To put into the right psychological frame of mind: The coach psyched the team before the game.
    2. To excite emotionally: The children were psyched to see the circus.
  1. To undermine the confidence of by psychological means; intimidate: "Depending on whose personality is stronger, one can more easily psych the other" (Harold C. Schonberg).
    1. To analyze, solve, or comprehend.
    2. To anticipate or guess the intentions of: "Most others could never approach [his] ability ... to psyche out the opposition's thinking so consistently" (Steven Brill).
  2. Informal. To analyze and treat by psychoanalysis.
v.intr.
To become confused or mentally deranged.

n. psych
Psychology.


overconfidence
n.
Excessive confidence; too great reliance or trust.


like[like1]

  • レベル:最重要
  • 発音記号[láik]
[形](more 〜, most 〜;時に((詩))lik・er, lik・est)((限定))
1 〈外見・形・性質などが〉同じの, 〈数量・価値などが〉等しい, ほぼ同じの[等しい]
things of like shape
同じ形の物
poems of like character
同じ性格の詩
in like mannerfashion
同様に.
2 似かよっている, 類似性をもつ
baseball, football, and like sports
野球・フットボールおよびそれに類するスポーツ
(as) like as two peas (in a pod)
とてもよく似て, うり二つで
two plants with like flowers
似たような花の咲く2種の植物
Things which seem to be like may be different.
外見は似ている事物にも区別を要することがある.
3 ((古・方言))ありそうで;(…)しそうで;(危うく)(…)しそうで((to do))
It isn't like he'll accept the offer.
彼はその申し出は受けそうもない
I had like to have said something else.
もう少しでほかのことを言うところだった.
━━[前]
1 (外観・内容などが)…に似て, 類似して, …でありそうで, …みたいで. ▼likeの直前にくるのはbe, seem, lookなどの連結詞
She was like a daughter to me.
私にとって彼女は娘のようなものでした
She is just like her mother.
じつに母親似だ
What's your job like?
あなたはどんな仕事をしていますか
You sound like a professor.
教授のような話し方だ
What was it like?
それは何に似ていましたか;それはどうでしたか(▼×Like what was it?とはいわない)
That woman over there looks like Mary.
向こうにいる女の人はメアリーに似ている(▼A woman like Mary would never act in that manner. は「メアリーのような女性ならあんなふるまいをしないだろう」)
There is nothing like a good glass of wine with dinner.
夕食のときの1杯のワインほどありがたいものはない.
[類語]be like ...は「AがBに似ている」という意味でもっとも一般的. 「AとBが相互に似ている」の場合はalike, similarどちらも用いる. resembleは外観や性格が似ている場合によく用いる. 名詞のlikenessは外観の類似, resemblanceは人物について用いることが多い.
2
(1) …と同じやり方で, 同じように;いかにも…らしいやり方で;…と同じ程度に;…に匹敵する
drink like a fish
大酒を飲む
act like a gentleman
(紳士でない人が)紳士らしくふるまう(▼「紳士が紳士としてふるまう」はact as a gentleman).
(2) …として(as)
They are killers and must be treated like killers.
人殺しなんだから人殺しとして扱うべきだ.
3 …の特性を示して, (いかにも)…らしく
That is like the prudent person you are.
いかにも君らしい慎重さだ
Isn't that like a girl
あまりにも女の子じみてないかい
That's just like him.
いかにもあいつのやりそうなことだ.
4 [look like A]〈Aが〉起こりそうで, (…する)徴候を示して. ▼Aは名詞・名詞句
It looks like rain.
雨になりそうだ.
5 [feel like A]〈Aを〉したい気持ちで. ▼Aは動名詞・名詞
feel like resting
休みたい気がする
feel like a beer
ビールを飲みたい.
6 (たとえば)…のような(such as)
hobbies like photography or painting
写真とか絵画のような趣味.
like this [that, so]
((話))
(1) (手順などを示しながら)こんなように, そんなふうに.
(2) ((like thatで))突然あっさりと, すぐさま(just like that).
more like ...
むしろ…に近い.
That's more like it.
((話))ずっといい;よくなった.
━━[副]
1 ざっと, おおよそ, ほぼ.
2 ((〜 enough))((略式))たぶん, おそらく(probably)
Like enough it will snow.
たぶん雪になろう.
3 ((非標準))
(1) ((ふつう文尾に用いて))いわば;…みたい(▼前の語の意味をやわらげる)
She seemed discontented, like.
何やら不満があるみたいだった.
(2) ((文尾・文中・文頭に用いて))((略式・話))その, まあ, 何か(sort of)(▼つなぎの言葉)
I helped him up, like, but he stood on his own.
ちょいとまあ手を貸してやったんだが, 彼は自分の足で立ったんだ.
(3) ((略式))((引用文の前で))…とか
I said like, “I love you. ”
「愛してるよ」とか言っちゃった.
like as ...
((古・方言))ちょうど…のように(just as).
like as not
((略式))たぶん, おそらく.
━━[接]((主に話))
1 …と同じように, のように
It's nice, just like you say.
まったくおっしゃるとおり結構なことですね
Use the spoon like I do.
私がするようにスプーンを使うんだよ
like I say
私が言うように.
2 あたかも[まるで]…のように
It looks like her bed wasn't slept in.
彼女のベッドに人の寝た形跡はないようだ(▼(1)くだけた会話ではitを略して, Looks like ...となる.  (2)文章体ではas ifが標準的)
The snow looks like it's about to stop.
雪はすぐやみそうだ.
━━[名]
1 ((通例one's 〜, the 〜))(…に)似た人[物], (…の)ような人[物];(…に)対応する人[物];つり合う人[物], 匹敵する人[物]((of ...))
I've never heardseenthe like(s) (of it).
((話))そんな話は聞いた[見た]ことがない
compare like with like
似たようなものを比較する
like attracts like
類は友を呼ぶ.
2 ((通例one's 〜))(…と)同類の人[物], 同じ型の人[物].
3 ((the 〜))《ゴルフ》(自分の打数が相手の打数と同じになる)最後のストローク.
and [or] the like
(ものを列挙した最後で)および[または]同種[同類]のもの, など.
the likes of me [you]
((話))私のような卑しい者ども[あなた方のようなりっぱな方々].
━━[動](自)((非標準))((方言))[like [had liked] to have done](今にも[危うく])…しそうであった(▼ふつう完了不定詞を伴うが, そのhaveを省略することもある)
I liked to have gone crazy.
気がおかしくなりそうだった.
[古英語gelīc(似ている). ge-は消失した. △LIKE2

fall in line,impetus, Ride Crisis to Victory


 People like Ms. White of Harvard say that until consumers demand better conditions in overseas factories — as they did for companies like Nike and Gap, which today have overhauled conditions among suppliers — or regulators act, there is little impetus for radical change. Some Apple insiders agree.



Ride Crisis to Victory in Spanish Vote

Spain's conservative opposition won a sweeping electoral victory, in the latest sign that Europe's financial crisis is remaking the political map.


Riders fall in line after rail problem


ride
v., rode (rōd), rid·den (rĭd'n), rid·ing, rides. v.intr.
  1. To be carried or conveyed, as in a vehicle or on horseback.
  2. To travel over a surface: This car rides well.
  3. To move by way of an intangible force or impetus; move as if on water: The President rode into office on a tide of discontent.
  4. Nautical. To lie at anchor: battleships riding at the mouth of the estuary.
  5. To seem to float: The moon was riding among the clouds.
  6. To be sustained or supported on a pivot, axle, or other point.
  7. To be contingent; depend: The final outcome rides on the results of the election.
  8. To continue without interference: Let the matter ride.
  9. To work or move from the proper place, especially on the body: pants that ride up.
v.tr.
  1. To sit on and move in a given direction: rode a motorcycle to town; ride a horse to the village.
  2. To travel over, along, or through: ride the highways.
  3. To be supported or carried on: a swimmer riding the waves.
  4. To take part in or do by riding: He rode his last race.
  5. To cause to ride, especially to cause to be carried.
  6. Nautical. To keep (a vessel) at anchor.
  7. Informal.
    1. To tease or ridicule.
    2. To harass with persistent carping and criticism.
  8. To keep partially engaged by slightly depressing a pedal with the foot: Don't ride the clutch or the brakes.
n.
  1. The act or an instance of riding, as in a vehicle or on an animal.
  2. A path made for riding on horseback, especially through woodlands.
  3. A device, such as one at an amusement park, that one rides for pleasure or excitement.
  4. A means of transportation: waiting for her ride to come.

fall in line
Also, fall into line. Adhere to established rules or predetermined courses of action. For example,This idea falls in line with the entire agenda, or It wasn't easy to get all the tenants to fall into line concerning the rent hike. A related term is bring into line, meaning "to make someone fit established rules," as in It was her job to bring her class into line with the others. These terms employ line in the sense of "alignment," a usage dating from about 1500.


impetus[im・pe・tus]

  • レベル:社会人必須
  • 発音記号[ímpətəs]
[名](複〜・es)
1 [U][C]起動力;勢い, はずみ;(…に対する)刺激((to ...))
gainlose] impetus
勢いを得る[失う]
the impetus of a hard push from behind
背後からぐいと押されたはずみ
His success gave a great impetus to the others.
彼の成功は他の者に大きな刺激を与えた.
2 [U]《力学》運動力.
[ラテン語impetus (im-上に+petere落ちる+-tus過去分詞語尾=上に突入すること). △PETITION, REPEAT

defunct, in-orbit spacecraft collision, marathon, to orbit

German Silva, left, of Mexico, made a wrong turn and entered Central Park a block too early during the final minutes of the New York City Marathon in 1994.  He overcame the wrong turn to win the race with a time of 2:11:21.
Carol Zoccola/Associated Press

42 Years of Memorable Marathon Moments

The New York City Marathon has produced runner collisions, a wrong turn into Central Park, above, and even a dust cloud that obscured the runners.




Google Trio Convicted of Privacy Violations
An Italian court convicted three Google executives of violating the privacy of a disabled boy by allowing a 2006 video of students bullying the boy to air on the now-defunct Google Video site, in a ruling that could restrict the way Internet companies operate in Italy.



A Cosmic Question: How to Get Rid
Of All That Orbiting Space Junk?

Last month's collision of an American satellite with a defunct Russian one added much more debris to space, sparking renewed interest in space-cleaning ideas.








 On June 29, 1995, the shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.



Satellites Destroyed in Orbital Collision
A U.S. commercial satellite was destroyed in a crash with a defunct Russian military satellite. NASA said it was the first in-orbit spacecraft collision.
美俄兩顆衛星太空相撞

一顆美國商業衛星與已報廢的俄羅斯軍用衛星發生碰撞并遭到破壞。這是太空軌道首次衛星相撞﹐增加了人們對太空碎片危險的擔憂。


Steele's Campaign Spending Questioned
Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors.
(By Henri E. Cauvin, The Washington Post)


defunct company
Company that no longer exists; company that has suspended all operations and is out of business.

de・funct


━━ a. 現存しない, 消滅した; 死んだ (the ~ 故人).




orbit[or・bit]

  • レベル:大学入試程度
  • 発音記号[ɔ'ːrbit]
[名][U][C]
1 《天文》軌道
the earth's orbit round the sun
太陽を回る地球の軌道
putsend] a satellite ininto] orbit about the earth
人工衛星を地球を回る軌道に乗せる.
2 (人生の)行路;活動[経験]範囲;勢力圏.
3 《解剖学》眼窩(がんか)(eye socket);目;眼球.
4 《物理学》電子軌道.
5 《航空》(着陸待ちなどの)旋回コース.
go into orbit
軌道に乗る;((比喩))際限のない動きを始める.
━━[動](他)
1 〈天体の〉周囲を軌道を描いて回る;…を旋回する.
2 〈人工衛星などを〉軌道に乗せる.
━━(自)軌道に乗る[描いて回る];旋回する.

2012年6月26日 星期二

High on the hog, paunchy/potbelly, ventriloquism


ventriloquism (ven-TRIL-uh-kwiz-uhm)

noun:
1. The art or practice of speaking without moving lips so that the voice seems to be coming from somewhere else.
2. The expression of one's views through another person, used as a literary technique.

Etymology
Literally speaking, ventriloquism is speaking from the stomach, from the former belief that the voice was produced from the ventriloquist's belly. The word is derived from Latin ventriloquus (ventriloquist), from ventr- (belly) + loqui (to speak). Earliest recorded use: 1797.

Usage
"'In recreating his mother as a resourceful and often hilarious character Walters's sustained act of literary ventriloquism captures the ingenuity and passion of the diasporic narrative in Canadian cultural history,' the jurors said in a statement." — Immigrant Tale Wins $10K Creative Non-Fiction Prize; CBC News (Toronto, Canada); Oct 13, 2010.


paunchy
adj., -i·er, -i·est.
Having a potbelly.

paunchiness paunch'i·ness n.

paunchy (adjective) Having a large belly.
Synonyms:abdominous, potbellied
Usage:He was … a plump, paunchy, sturdy-looking fellow.

High on the hog

Meaning
Affluent and luxurious.
Origin
High on the hogThe source of this phrase is often said to be the fact that the best cuts of meat on a pig come from the back and upper leg and that the wealthy ate cuts from 'high on the hog', while the paupers ate belly pork and trotters. The imagery of lords and ladies feasting on fine meats, done to a turn, at Olde Englyshe banquets is easy to bring to mind and this seems to be the right context for the phrase to have been coined in. However, as far as the source of this expression goes, our imagination needs to leap forward a few centuries.
None of the variants of the phrase 'living (or eating) high on (or off) the hog' is to be found in any of the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare or the like. In fact, they aren't found in print in any form until the 20th century, and then in the USA rather than England.
'High' has been in used in the UK with the meaning 'impressive; superlative; exalted' since the 17th century and in the USA since the early 19th century. For example, this from Samuel Pepys Diary or, as he liked to call it, Samuel Pepys' Memoirs - Comprising his Diary, in the entry for 29th July 1667:
"Where it seems people do drink high."
The word alluded to people's status and is the source of the terms 'high-life' (18th century), 'high-table' (15th century) and even 'high-heaven' (9th century).
The idea that 'living high on the hog' initially meant 'living the high life' and eating pork, rather than literally 'eating meat from high on the pig', seems plausible but is dealt a blow by the following citation. This is the earliest printed form of the phrase that I have come across - from the New York Times, March 1920:
Southern laborers who are "eating too high up on the hog" (pork chops and ham) and American housewives who "eat too far back on the beef" (porterhouse and round steak) are to blame for the continued high cost of living, the American Institute of Meat Packers announced today.
'High off the hog' has a similar pedigree, i.e. mid 20th century USA. For example, the San Francisco paper the Call-Bulletin, May 1946:
I have to do my shopping in the black market because we can't eat as high off the hog as Roosevelt and Ickes and Joe Davis and all those millionaire friends of the common man.
Why, when people had eaten pork for millennia, did the phrase not originate before the 20th century, is a difficult question to answer. Nevertheless, 'high on the hog' appears to have been derived, in the USA, as a reference to the cuts of meat on pigs. The question of why the clunky idiom 'eating too far back on the beef' didn't quite catch on with the public is a little easier to resolve.

2012年6月25日 星期一

collaborate, cooperate, hold one's own, reasonably






 20 Taiwan Businesspeople To Watch -- Why Taiwan Matters
Forbes
In conversations about Asia's future these days, it's usually mainland China and India that get the most attention, and reasonably so. They have relatively big ...




Growth in the Middle East and the privatizing of many industries that were previously controlled by national governments have demonstrated the region’s need to cultivate more leaders who can hold their own on the international stage. To develop new executive talent, Middle East leaders are examining the roots of their own success.


hold one's own
Do reasonably well despite opposition, competition, or criticism. For example, The team held its own against their opponents, or Rumors often hold their own against facts. [First half of 1300s]









從字根稍可了解此兩字之差異 :Collaborate vs Cooperate 共同研究 提攜 協力
James March 在謝辭
I am grateful for the collaboration of my co-authors…; and for the cooperation of the journals in which the papers are first appeared.


collaborate
(kə-lăb'ə-rāt') pronunciation
intr.v., -rat·ed, -rat·ing, -rates.
  1. To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.
  2. To cooperate treasonably, as with an enemy occupation force in one's country.
[Late Latin collabōrāre, collabōrāt- : Latin com-, com- + Latin labōrāre, to work (from labor, toil).]
collaboration col·lab'o·ra'tion n.

collaborative col·lab'o·ra'tive adj.
collaborator col·lab'o·ra'tor n.


  • [kəlǽbərèit]
[動](自)
1 (人と)共同して行う((with ...));(仕事を)共同でする((in ..., to do));(作品を)合作する, 共同制作する((on ...))
collaborate with a person on a book [=in writing]
人と共同で本を書く.
2 (敵国などに進んで)協力する((with ...)).
[後ラテン語collabōrātus (col-共に+labor仕事+-ATE1=共同して働く)]


cooperate

(kō-ŏp'ə-rāt') pronunciation
intr.v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.
  1. To work or act together toward a common end or purpose.
  2. To acquiesce willingly; be compliant: asked the child to cooperate and go to bed.
  3. To form an association for common, usually economic, benefit: When buyers cooperate, they can make large wholesale purchases at a discount.
[Late Latin cooperārī, cooperāt- : Latin co-, co- + operārī, to work (from opus, oper-, work).]
cooperator co·op'er·a'tor n.

  • [kouɑ'pərèit | -ɔ'p-]
[動](自)
1 [cooperate with A]〈A(人)と〉(…で)協力する, 協同する((in, for, on ...));〈Aと〉(…するために)協力する((to do))
cooperate with a person on a project
人と協力して計画を進める
Everyone cooperated with the police to find the lost child.
その迷子を捜すために皆が警察と協力した.
2II to do]〈事情が〉働き合って(…)する, (…)の結果を生じる
Various circumstances cooperated to make him a great success.
さまざまな状況がうまく重なって彼は大成できた.
3 経済協力をする.
4 おとなしく言うことを聞く.

2012年6月23日 星期六

form and features, labor of love, tough love, tough cry


Richard Ford: By the Book

The author of "Independence Day" and "The Sportswriter" says he's not a tough cry under any circumstances. "My own book 'Canada' made me cry the last time I read it."

America and Israel

A new book lowers the boom on some of Israel’s firmest friends



It was during my first furlough in Canada, in 1880, that the people of my native county, Oxford, Ontario, at the sugges- tion of the " Sentinel- Revie w " newspaper of Woodstock, undertook to raise funds sufficient for erecting a college building in Formosa. Ministers and other Christian friends ap- proved of the proposal, and it was carried out with enthusiasm and vigor. At an immense farewell meeting held in the Methodist church, Woodstock, on the eve of my return to Formosa, the sum of $6215 was presented to me; and with that money the college building at Tamsui was erected, and, as was fitting, it w^as called Oxford College. It is with gratitude and pleasure that I recall this and other tokens of regard on the part of my home friends ; and when I think of that farewell meeting in 1881 there stand out against the back- ground of loving memory the form and features of Oxford's greatest son, the late Rev. John Ross, of Brucefield, whose life of faith was to me an inspiration, and whose labor of love the Canadian church ought not to forget. pp 291- 292 FROM FAR FORMOSA 




 tough love
n.
The use of strict disciplinary measures and limitations on freedoms or privileges, as by a parent or guardian, as a means of fostering responsibility and expressing care or concern.

((米))(友人や家族の麻薬中毒などを治すために)きびしい態度をとること, 愛のむち.



  form and features 性格與特徵

  labor of love
 Work done for one's satisfaction rather than monetary reward. For example, The research took three years but it was a labor of love. This expression appears twice in the New Testament (Hebrews 6:10, Thessalonians 1:3), referring to those who do God's work as a labor of love. [c. 1600]

 a labor of love
(報酬目当てでなく)楽しんでやる仕事

 
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
在天主和我們的父前,記念你們因信德所作的工作,因愛德所受的勞苦,因盼望我們的主耶穌基督所有的堅忍。(思高本)



tough
(tŭf) pronunciation
adj., tough·er, tough·est.
  1. Able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking; strong and resilient: a tough all-weather fabric.
  2. Hard to cut or chew: tough meat.
  3. Physically hardy; rugged: tough mountaineers; a tough cop.
  4. Severe; harsh: a tough winter.
    1. Aggressive; pugnacious.
    2. Inclined to violent or disruptive behavior; rowdy or rough: a tough street group.
  5. Demanding or troubling; difficult: skipping the toughest questions.
  6. Strong-minded; resolute: a tough negotiator.
  7. Slang. Unfortunate; too bad: a tough break.
  8. Slang. Fine; great.
n.
A violent or rowdy person; a hoodlum or thug.

idiom:tough it out Slang.
  1. To get through despite hardship; endure: "It helps if one was raised to tough it out" (Gail Sheehy).
[Middle English, from Old English tōh.]
toughly tough'ly adv.
toughness tough'ness n

night cap, patronising, Federated Hospitality


Dirk Elzinga, chairman of the Cape region of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, said the "patronising and childish" law which would also prevent international guests arriving on late long-haul flights from enjoying a night cap.
南非聯合餐旅協會開普敦地區主席艾欽加說,這個「傲慢又幼稚的」法規,也會讓搭深夜長途班機抵達的國際賓客無法享受睡前小酌一杯。

 去年,為了開發中國市場,負責中國的張齊娥,為集團旗下的中國酒店基金(China Hospitality Fund),募得十點七億的人民幣資金。這不但代表悅榕在中國現有的七個據點深獲肯定,也象徵投資者看好集團未來的經營能力。



◎新聞辭典:

night cap:名詞,睡前酒,或結束一晚飲宴前的最後一杯酒。例句:A night cap gives me a good night’s sleep.(睡前小酌讓我一夜好睡。)

federate[fed・er・ate]

[動] 〔fédrèit〕 (他)(自)
1 (州を)連合させる;連合する.
2 (国に)連邦制を敷く.
━━[形] 〔fédrt〕 連合した;連邦制度の
federate nations
連邦国家.

hospitality[hos・pi・tal・i・ty] 

  • レベル:社会人必須
  • 発音記号[hɑ`spətǽləti | hɔ`s-]
[名](複 -ties)[U][C]
1 厚遇, 歓待, 心のこもったサービス
give hospitality to a person
人を歓待する
Thank you for your hospitality.
ご歓待にあずかり, ありがとうございました.
2 (新思想などの)理解, 受容
extend a wide hospitality to Western thought
西欧の考え方を広く取り入れる.
 
 
 
hospitality suite
(ホテルなどの)接待用特別室.

2012年6月21日 星期四

Maori, Pakeha, reconnoiter, territory







Spotlight:
Waitangi Meeting House
Waitangi Meeting House
Why is today called Waitangi Day if it celebrates the founding of New Zealand? On this date in 1840, some 40 Maori chiefs and British Governor William Hobson gathered in the village of Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, to sign a treaty which gave Britain sovereignty over the land of New Zealand, while protecting the Maoris' ownership of their lands and treasures. This was called the Treaty of Waitangi. Over the coming years, the Maori were disappointed with persistent encroachment upon their territory, and battles ensued. A New Zealand government eventually apologized for violations of the treaty, promising compensation. Today, Waitangi Day (celebrated on February 6), is considered New Zealand's founding day and is a national holiday. The term Maori means "original people" 原住民 or "local people." It was used to signify the local inhabitants of New Zealand, as opposed to the "Pakeha," the "new arrivals." When the European settlers came to the area, the word came to mean the Maori people.


Quote:
"New Zealand is not a small country but a large village."Peter Jackson




 

reconnoiter, ((英))-tre[re・con・noi・ter, ((英))-tre]

  • 発音記号[rìːkənɔ'itər | rèk-]
[動](他)(自)(軍事目的で)(敵地などを)偵察する;(地域などを)調査[踏査]する.
re・con・noi・ter・er, ((英))-trer
[名]

wearing, misstep, apparel, wear on

  wear

  To pass gradually or tediously: The hours wore on.

8 〈時を〉だらだら過ごす((away, out))
wear the evening away watching TV
テレビを見て時間をだらだら過ごす.

He was roused by the bluff greeting of an acquaintance not dissimilar to himself in age, manner, and apparel.
"H'lo, Silly Bill!" said this person, William Sylvanus Baxter. "What's the news?"

 

2010年3月22日星期一


Greenspan concedes missteps

Greenspan acknowledged a range of regulatory failures in a review of the causes of the financial crisis, but disputed the view that the Fed left interest rates too low for too long.

Peacemaking in the Mideast: Obama's Year of Missteps

By Massimo Calabresi / Washington
The Israelis weren't prepared to go as far as Washington demanded; the Palestinians wouldn't settle for anything less

apparel[ap・par・el]

  • 発音記号[əpǽrəl]
[名][U]
1 ((形式))(特に特別な場で着るような)衣服, 服装, 装い. ⇒CLOTHES[類語]
intimate apparel
下着
ladies' [men's, children's] apparel
((米))婦人[紳士, 子供]用衣類(▼店頭掲示).
2 装飾となるもの, おおい.
━━[動](〜ed, 〜・ing;((英))〜led, 〜・ling)(他)((古))
1 〈人に〉衣服を着せる, を装わせる((in ...)).
2 …を(…で)飾る((with, in ...)).
Wang was restless, always heading off in a new direction, copying one master after another. He succeeded so well that by the end of this exhibition the perfectionism, the lack of noticeable missteps, can almost be wearing.

  • wearing
  • 1.intended to be worn: wearing apparel.
    1. Causing fatigue; tiring: a wearing visit.
    2. Causing wear; eroding: the wearing effects of wind on rock formations.
    3. Subject to or showing indication of wear: lubrication applied to wearing points.

in the teeth of, stuck, wearable, to the teeth, lasso, feifer

The head-hunters were armed to the teeth.



Six Great Gifts For Photographers

By ROY FURCHGOTT
Stuck for a gift to give your household shutterbug? Here are some of my favorites from this year -- as well as some perennial favorites -- at a variety of prices.

Wearing Your Computer on Your Sleeve

By NICK BILTON
Millions of people stroll through life staring into a mobile device, absorbed by their screens. Technology will solve this problem by creating wearable computers.


lasso, feifer
Two cows have escaped from a trailer onto a busy Massachusetts highway, but a cowboy stuck in the traffic jam has come to the rescue.
兩頭乳牛從一輛拖車上脫逃,跑到麻州一條繁忙的高速公路上,但一名受困車陣中的牛仔前來解救眾人。
State police say a man wearing a Western hat and boots lassoed the 500-pound heifers Tuesday morning as they wandered on Interstate 91 South in Springfield, one of the state’s biggest cities.
州警表示,當乳牛週二一早在麻州最大城之一春田市的91號州際公路南向方向遊蕩時,一名頭戴西部牛仔帽、腳踏靴子的男子,以套索套住這兩頭500磅重的小母牛。



heif·er (hĕf'ər) pronunciation
n.
A young cow, especially one that has not yet given birth to a calf.

[Middle English, from Old English hēahfore.]


las·so (lăs'ō, lă-sū') pronunciation

n., pl., -sos, or -soes.
A long rope with a running noose at one end, used especially to catch horses and cattle. Also called lariat.

tr.v., -soed, -so·ing, -sos, or -soes.
To catch with or as if with such a long rope.

[Spanish lazo, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, noose. See lace.]
lassoer las'so·er n.

in the teeth of


1. Straight into, confronting, as in The ship was headed in the teeth of the gale. [Late 1200s]
2. In opposition to or defiance of, as in She stuck to her position in the teeth of criticism by the board members. [Late 1700s] Also see fly in the face of.
3. Facing danger or threats, as in The tribe was in the teeth of starvation. [Early 1800s]

to the teeth of a person[to the teeth of a person]






stuck
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: adj. - Caught or fixed; Baffled.

pronunciation Success may be the ability to be happy with whatever we're stuck with. — Marilyn vos Savant