English Collection

日頃目に付いた覚えたい英単語、慣用句などの表現についてのメモです。

cooling your heels

2020年12月10日 | 英単語
Danielle Steelの 'Five Days in Paris' を読んでいます。
パリに出張中のPeterは会長であり義父のFrankと国際電話で話をしています。
At least Suchard hadn't said it was dead. Peter thought to himself, as he sat up in bed. All he had said was that it had problems. Serious ones to be sure, but there was still hope for his dream child. "Well, enjoy yourself in Paris for a few days. We'll hold the fort for you here. There's nothing dramatic happening at the office. And tonight, I'm taking Katie to dinner at '21'. As long as she doen't mind your cooling your heels there, then I think I can get by without you."
"Thanks. Frank. I'd like to be here to discuss the results with Suchard when he's through."
慣用句らしい表現の "cooling your heels" を調べます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Be kept waiting.: ‘Well, drivers will have to cool their heels in traffic.’
・Wiktionary: To wait, especially impatiently or restlessly.: I cooled my heels in the cloisters till nine, then went in to the music-meeting.
"cooling your heels" より "kick one's heels" の方が同じ意味でよく使われるようだ。
・Collins Dictionary: If you are kicking your heels, you are having to wait around with nothing to do, so that you get bored or impatient.: The authorities wouldn't grant us permission to fly all the way down to San Francisco, so I had to kick my heels at Tunis Airport.
なるほど、ワクチンが普及してコロナ旋風が治まるまで "We have to cool our heels." ですね。
ところで、"dinner at '21'" で、昔ニュージャージの会社に勤めていた頃、会社の近くに "Catch 22" というシーフードレストランがあったことを思い出しました。この名前から有名な小説 "Catch-22" を連想させるのはもちろんですが、シーフードレストランのメニューでよく見かける ""Today's Catch" も連想させますね。そして何故 "22" なのかというと、ルート22沿いに店があったからです。とても印象的な店名でした。
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