The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkinsを読んでいます。
Why do bad things happen?の章からの引用です。
A fearsome little insect called ant lion digs booby traps for its prey to fall into. The ant lion itself sits under the sand at the bottom of the conical pit that it digs, and seizes any ant that falls into the pit.
"ant lion" は初めて見る英語の昆虫名ですがどんな虫かは文を読めば分かります。子供の頃アリジゴクのすり鉢状の巣を神社の軒下で探すのが遊びの一つでした。
・Oxford English Dictionary: An insect that resembles a dragonfly, with predatory larvae that construct conical pits into which insect prey, especially ants, fall.: I was up to my waist, and as each wave receded I was being pushed forward, and the sand was being dragged from beneath me, in much the same way as an ant lion catches its prey.
アリジゴクの巣を "booby trap" と説明していますが、この表現も気になるので辞書を見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: A booby-trap is something such as a bomb which is hidden or disguised and which causes death or injury when it is touched.: Police were checking the area for booby traps.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: something dangerous, especially a bomb, that is hidden inside somewhere that looks safe: They put a bucket of water on top of his door as a booby trap.
Why do bad things happen?の章からの引用です。
A fearsome little insect called ant lion digs booby traps for its prey to fall into. The ant lion itself sits under the sand at the bottom of the conical pit that it digs, and seizes any ant that falls into the pit.
"ant lion" は初めて見る英語の昆虫名ですがどんな虫かは文を読めば分かります。子供の頃アリジゴクのすり鉢状の巣を神社の軒下で探すのが遊びの一つでした。
・Oxford English Dictionary: An insect that resembles a dragonfly, with predatory larvae that construct conical pits into which insect prey, especially ants, fall.: I was up to my waist, and as each wave receded I was being pushed forward, and the sand was being dragged from beneath me, in much the same way as an ant lion catches its prey.
アリジゴクの巣を "booby trap" と説明していますが、この表現も気になるので辞書を見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: A booby-trap is something such as a bomb which is hidden or disguised and which causes death or injury when it is touched.: Police were checking the area for booby traps.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: something dangerous, especially a bomb, that is hidden inside somewhere that looks safe: They put a bucket of water on top of his door as a booby trap.
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