Danielle Steelの 'Five Days in Paris' を読んでいます。
主人公のPeterが付き合っている彼女、Kate、の父親、Frank Donovan、からDonovanの会社で働くよう勧められます。
Like Peter, Frank Donovan was a marketing man, and a great one. He talked to Peter about his career, his life's plan, his future, and liking what he heard, he offered him a job at Wilson-Donovan. He said nothing about Katie. In fact, he insisted the job had nothing to do with her whatssoever.
...
He agonized over it, debated endlessly, and even his father thought it was a good move when Peter called him to discuss it. Peter went home to Wisconsin to talk to him about it over a long weekend. His father wanted the moon for him, and encouraged him to take Donovan's offer.
Peterの父親は "wanted the moon" とは何のことでしょうか？ その仕事を受けることを望んでいるのは間違いないので、この様な表現が英語であるのか辞書を見ましたが、"moon" ではどの辞書にも当てはまるような説明は見当たりません。しかしながら、"cry for the moon" あるいは "ask for the moon" に次の意味があることが分かりました。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Ask for what is unattainable or impossible.: ‘there must be no more self-pity, no more time wasted on crying for the moon’
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: to ask for something that is very difficult or impossible to get: The striking workers say they just want to be paid a fair wage. They're not asking for the moon.
"ask for the moon" で調べていると次の辞書に "want the moon" も使われるとありました。
・Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary: (also want the moon) (British English, informal) want or ask for something you cannot get, or something that will not be given to you: Is it asking for the moon to hope for peace in this country?; I don’t want the moon; I just want him to listen to me for once.
主人公のPeterが付き合っている彼女、Kate、の父親、Frank Donovan、からDonovanの会社で働くよう勧められます。
Like Peter, Frank Donovan was a marketing man, and a great one. He talked to Peter about his career, his life's plan, his future, and liking what he heard, he offered him a job at Wilson-Donovan. He said nothing about Katie. In fact, he insisted the job had nothing to do with her whatssoever.
...
He agonized over it, debated endlessly, and even his father thought it was a good move when Peter called him to discuss it. Peter went home to Wisconsin to talk to him about it over a long weekend. His father wanted the moon for him, and encouraged him to take Donovan's offer.
Peterの父親は "wanted the moon" とは何のことでしょうか？ その仕事を受けることを望んでいるのは間違いないので、この様な表現が英語であるのか辞書を見ましたが、"moon" ではどの辞書にも当てはまるような説明は見当たりません。しかしながら、"cry for the moon" あるいは "ask for the moon" に次の意味があることが分かりました。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Ask for what is unattainable or impossible.: ‘there must be no more self-pity, no more time wasted on crying for the moon’
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: to ask for something that is very difficult or impossible to get: The striking workers say they just want to be paid a fair wage. They're not asking for the moon.
"ask for the moon" で調べていると次の辞書に "want the moon" も使われるとありました。
・Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary: (also want the moon) (British English, informal) want or ask for something you cannot get, or something that will not be given to you: Is it asking for the moon to hope for peace in this country?; I don’t want the moon; I just want him to listen to me for once.
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