foregather, far-fetched, round out/round off, Shangri-La

Driverless cars arrived in 2016. Our video exploring how this seemingly farfetched future came to pass was one of our most popular this year

Mars has always been Shangri-La for space buffs. But past private missions were aborted or very far-fetched. From the archive



There are good reasons to object both to the timing and the details of the spending cuts. But the idea that they will produce anything like a stripped-down state looks far-fetched.
我们有充分的理由反对支出削减的时机和细节。但认为这将缔造一个“瘦身”政府的想法，听上去也太牵强了。

Samsung Readies New iPod Rival

Samsung will sell a stripped-down version of its Galaxy S smartphone as a digital media player, move that will round out a series of Galaxy-named gadgets that matches Apple product for product.

Shangri-La 

Pronunciation: /ˌʃaŋɡrɪˈlɑː/ 

1A Tibetan utopia in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon (1933).

1.1(as noun a Shangri-La) A place regarded as an earthly paradise, especially when involving a retreat from the pressures of modern civilization:we moved out of Los Angeles and created this mountain-top Shangri-La

More example sentences

Origin

From Shangri (an invented name) + Tibetan la 'mountain pass'.

round out

1. See round off, def. 2.
2. Grow or develop to a round form, as in The tree was spindly when first planted, but it has since rounded out nicely. [c. 1900]

round off

1. Change a number to the closest whole number or the closest multiple of 10. For example, Rounding it off, I expect the new school addition will cost a million dollars.
2. Also, round out. Finish, complete, especially in a neat or perfect way. For example, They rounded off the dinner with a magnificent liqueur, or That stamp rounded out his collection. [Mid-1700s; variant, mid-1800s] Also see round out.

far-fetched (färfcht)

adj.

Not readily believable because of improbable elements therein: a far-fetched analogy; a far-fetched excuse.

[kjv] And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
[bbe] So Judah and Israel were living safely, every man under his vine and his fig-tree, from Dan as far as Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 】
It was Mrs. McCool's night to go with the can for beer. So she fetched
it and sat with Mrs. Purdy in one of those subterranean retreats where
house-keepers foregather and the worm dieth seldom.

王永年譯：「這晚輪到麥克庫爾太太去打啤酒。她去打了酒來，

同珀迪太太一起坐在地下室裡。那種地下 室是房東們聚會的地方、也是蠕蟲不會死的地方*。」

hc評：去『拿罐子』漏了。不過加一注，相當精彩。*參見新約馬 可 福 音 第9章第48節：「在那裏（地獄）蟲是不死的、火是不滅的。」

for·gath·er (fôr-găTH'ər, fōr-)

also fore·gath·er
intr.v., -ered, also -ered, -er·ing, -er·ing, -ers, -ers.

1. To gather together; assemble.
2. To meet another, especially by accident.

Meaning #1: collect in one place
Synonyms: meet, gather, assemble, foregather