prexy

Oct.27のThe Japan Times Onlineのキャプションです。
Peruvian prexies seek deeper ties with Japan peers
"prexies"（単数形は恐らく "prexy"）が分からないので記事を読みます。
Presidents of major national universities of Peru called Wednesday for more academic ties with Japan, including student exchanges and research cooperation.
と言うことは "prexies" は "presidents"（記事の場合は大学の学長）と同じ意味のはずです。　辞書で確認します。
・Random House Unabridged Dictionary: a president, esp. of a college or university. Also,prex.
・Vocabulary.com: the head administrative officer of a college or university
"prex" とも言える、と言うより 　"prex" が "prexy" になったようです。スラングですが、新聞記事にも使われるので覚えたい。

august

Darlington Hallでいよいよ大事な会議が始まりました。
But I recall Lord Darlington opening the discussions by formally welcoming the guests, before going on to outline the strong moral case for a relaxing of various aspects of the Versailles treaty, emphasizing the great suffering he had himself witnessed in Germany. Of course, I had heard these same sentiments expressed by his lordship on many occasions before, but such was the depth of conviction with which he spoke in this august setting that I could not help but be moved afresh.
大文字で始まる "August" しか知らないので "august" で引っ掛かりました。辞書を見ます。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: marked by majestic dignity or grandeur: her august lineage: We visited their august mansion and expansive grounds.
・V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary: majestic, imposing, dignified, honorable, venerable, noble, regal, impressive: The large and august courtroom made everyone act more seriously and respectfully.
Tips: August often indicates something or someone of high social rank or importance. For a memory trick, think of august people with high social rank or importance attending a daytime party in the month of August. How would they dress? Most likely in suits since they are "high society," so they will look sweaty and uncomfortable, which is ironic and funny.
"august" は私に縁のない単語の様ですが、小説を読むには覚えていた方が良いでしょう。

placed my person

次ぎの文はThe Remains of the Dayからの引用です。
There was a light frost covering the ground and much of the foliage, but it was a mild day for that time of the year. I crossed the grass quickly, placed my person behind the bush, and before long heard Mr. Cardinal's footsteps approaching.
"person" ときたら「人」しか頭に浮かばないのですが、"my person" を私の人と考えたら可笑しいので辞書を見ます。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: the body of a human being; also: the body and clothing unlawful search of the person
・Vocabulary.com: a human body (usually including the clothing): “a weapon was hidden on his person”
・Macmillan Dictionary: very formal your body, or the clothes that you are wearing: His person had been searched illegally.: on/about someone’s person: She always carried a small pair of scissors on her person.

hit pay dirt

English Journal 10月号にディスカバリーチャンネルで放映されたドキュメンタリーの紹介があり、その中に覚えたい表現がありました。
Narrator: After hours of searching, Chief Schwager <B>hits pay dirt</B>. Greg May's car has turned up abondand in a parking lot in Aurora, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, some 14.5 miles from Bellevue.
この
"<B>hits pay dirt</B>" がその表現ですが、は注があり、幸運な発見をする、有望な手掛かりを見つける　★pay dirtは「有望な鉱脈、掘り出し物」の意、となっていました。
これだけでは芸がないので、一応英英辞書での説明も調べます。
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:
1. Fig. to discover something of value. (Alludes to discovering valuable ore.) Sally tried a number of different jobs until she <B>hit pay dirt</B>. I tried to borrow money from a lot of different people. They all said no. Then when I went to the bank, I <B>hit pay dirt</B>.
2. Fig. to get great riches. After years of poverty, the writer <B>hit pay dirt</B> with his third novel. Jane's doing well. She really <B>hit pay dirt</B> with her new business.
・Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms: <B>hit pay dirt</B> also <B>strike pay dirt</B>: to succeed He <B>hit pay dirt</B> with his next movie, which grossed $270 million worldwide. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of <B>pay dirt</B> (dirt that contains valuable metals)
"<B>strike pay dirt</B>" とも言えるのですね。いずれにしても鉱脈を探り当てる努力が必要なようです。

silver surfers

今朝は日本の卓球チームとテニスの錦織が活躍しているニュースがありました。私の方は先週の日曜日の団体戦は3位、翌日のラージボールは会社を休んだにも関わらず全く成果なし。文化の日の個人戦は銀メダルを貰えました。そこで今日のジョークはシルバーがテーマです。
We "silver surfers" sometimes have trouble with our computers. One such time, I called Eric, the 11-year-old computer whiz who lived next door at the time. He came over, clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem in no time at all.
As he was leaving, I called after him, "So, what was wrong?" I asked.
"It was an ID-ten-t error," he said.
I didn't want to look stupid, but I enquired, "An ID-ten-t error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again."
Eric grinned. "Haven't you ever heard of an ID-ten-t error before?"
"No," I replied.
"Write it down," he said, "I think you'll be able to figure it out."
So I wrote it down: ID10T."

"silver seats" は和製英語で英米人には通じないと何かで読んだ事がありますが、上の例（リーダーズダイジェストに掲載）の様に、quotation mark で囲んで意味が推測できる文脈で使えば "silver seats" も通じそうです。私も白髪が増えてきましたが、"ID10T" エラーはまだ経験したくありません。

negotiate

The Remains of the Dayの主人公のStevensの父親も執事でしたが、父の晩年の頃をSetevensが回想しているところです。
The lawn climbs a slope several yards in front of the summerhouse, and in those days, as today, four flagstones embeded into the grass served as steps by which to negotiate this climb. It was in the vicinity of these steps that my father fell, scattering the load on his tray - teapot, cups, saucers, sandwiches, cakes - across the area of grass at the top of steps.
"negotiate" が出てくると、馬鹿の一つ覚えて直ぐに交渉が出てきますが、上の場面は交渉する状況ではありません。　"negotiate" の交渉以外の意味を調べます。
・Macmillan Dictionary: to successfully travel on a road or path that is difficult to travel on or travel through: Only 4-wheel-drive vehicles can negotiate the rough roads around the ranch.
・Wiktionary: To succeed in coping with, or getting over something.: We negotiated the mountain track with difficulty.: Although the car was quite rickety, he could negotiate the curves very well.
"negotiate" するのは商談や政治、外交だけではないのですね。険しい道を行くのも "negotiate" の対象なのですね。

fluke

The Remains of the Dayには前回取り上げた "banter" の他に "dignity" も主人公の執事、Stevensがこだわっている様で何度も出てきます。 次ぎの個所もその内の一つです。
Mr. Graham would always take the view that this 'dignity' was something like a woman's beauty and it was thus pointless to attempt to analyse it. I, on the other hand, held the opinion that to draw such a parallel tended to demean the 'dignity' of the likes of Mr. Marshall. Moreover, my main objection to Mr. Graham's analogy was the implication that this 'dignity' was something one possessed or did not by a fluke of nature; and if one did not selfevidently have it, to strive after it would be as futile as an ugly woman trying to make herself beautiful.
"dignity" は昨年読んだ「国家の品格」（The Dignity of the Nation）を思い出させますが、今日取り上げるのは "dignity" ではなく、"fluke" の単語です。　実はこの単語は何十年も前から馴染みがあるのですが、米国の計測器メーカー名として知っていたので固有名詞だと思っていました。文章の中で使われているのを見るのは今回が初めてだと思います。辞書を見ます。
・V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary: a chance event or coincidence Tips: The word fluke is an informal term for something good that happens by surprise or accident, rather than plan.
Examples:
It was a fluke that I was able to get into his class since so many other students were vying for the last spot. (luck, surprise)
He's been studying extra hard to prove to his parents that the "A" on his last test wasn't just a fluke. (accident, coincidence)
I hope our victory wasn't just a fluke. (accident, luck)
・Vocabulary.com: A fluke is an unexpected stroke of good luck. It was a fluke to find that fifty dollar bill on the ground, and it made you smile for the rest of the day.
The word fluke was first used in 1857 in reference to a lucky shot at billiards. If something good happens to you by chance when you're not expecting it, that's a fluke. The word fluke can also be used in a negative or insulting way. For example, if your favorite sports team loses an important game, you could complain that it was just a fluke that the other team won - meaning they didn't deserve to win and somehow got lucky.
ビリヤードのまぐれのショットが "fluke" の由来なのですね。

banter

"banter" と言う単語は、元同時通訳の村松増美さんが以前日本英語交流連盟のEnglish Clubを主宰していて、７～８年程前にそのClubで村松増美さんから教えてもらったので良く覚えています。先日ラグビーのワールドカップ準決勝のニュージーランドとオーストラリア戦を録画で見ていた時に、村松さんがニュージーランドとオーストラリアは "bantering" できる間柄だと言っていたのを思い出しました。　The Remains of the Dayにこの "bantering" / "banter" が何度も出てきます。　次に引用するのは最初に "bantering" が出てきた個所です。　
Embarrassing as those moments were for me, I would not wish to imply that I in any way blame Mr. Farraday, who is in no sense an unkind person; he was, I am sure, merely enjoying the sort of bantering which in the United State, no doubt, is a sign of a good, friendly understanding between employer and employee, indulged in as a kind of affectionate sport.
執事のStevensは米国人の新しい主人が "bantering" のつもりで言っているのを分かってきたのだが、それに対して、適切な反応ができず戸惑っています。 "banter" の意味は村松さんから何度か聞いているので辞書を引いた事はありませんが、英英辞書でどの様な説明になっているか見てみます。
・V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary: (n.) playful, lighthearted, and usually witty, teasing; (v.) to tease or joke playfully and wittily
Tips: Banter refers to a playful form of teasing that is usually clever rather than cruel and that is usually mutual. If you are bantering back and forth, you are making teasing comments that you are almost "batting" back and forth. Banter has also come to be used to denote light, non-serious conversation.
Examples:
My old high school friends and I like to banter back and forth; it's our way of bonding.
He was known for his quick wit and clever banter.
・Vocabulary.com:
Good friends usually banter back and forth easily, like they're trying to keep a step ahead of each other in witty responses. This type of banter is their special language of friendship.
Banter is both a noun and a verb about talking. It comes from unknown origins, but even as a word, it seems to be playful and teasing. You can engage in banter with friends, siblings, parents, and even good-natured strangers. Banter usually ends with everyone feeling better for the talk and verbal play. Joking, joshing, and teasing are all related to banter
"banter" ができる、またその相手がいる事は楽しいですね。

entertain

Kazuo IshiguroのThe Remains of the Dayから取り上げる最初の単語です。The Remains of the Dayも前に読んだイシグロ氏のPale View of Hillsと同様に、現在と過去を行き来する一人称で書かれている小説です。Pale View of Hillsと異なり、舞台は英国だけで、主人公の執事も英国人なので、使われている英語の表現が違う感じがします。　執事のStevensは新しいDarlington Hallの主人、Mr. Faradayに使えますが、使用人が減った事で苦労している様です。
The fact is, over the past few months, I have been responsible for a series of small errors in the carrying out of my duties. I should say that these errors have all been without exception quite trivial in themselves. Nevertheless, I think you will understand that to one not accustomed to committing such errors, this development was rather disturbing, and I did not in fact begin to entertain all sorts of alarmist theories as to their cause.
この引用文にある "entertain" は、私が知っている意味の楽しませる、接待するなどとは大分違う意味の様です。　辞書を見ます。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a: to keep, hold, or maintain in the mind; I entertain grave doubts about her sincerity. b: to receive and take into consideration: refused to entertain our plea
・Vocabulary.com: Entertaining an idea means to have it mind or under consideration. For example, you never thought of studying abroad, but after a professor said it was one of the most meaningful experiences of his life, you started to entertain the idea of living in a foreign country.
1. take into consideration, have in view: “He entertained the notion of moving to South America”
2. maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings): “entertain interesting notions”
なるほど、この "entertain" の意味はしっかりと覚えたい。

ineffably/ineffable

昨日は会社を休んだので何だかんだと忙しく、久しぶりにブログを休みましたが、今日からまたブログも頑張ります。　Kazuo IshiguroのThe Remains of the Dayを読み始めました。今日取り上げる単語はその小説からではなく、本文の前に書かれていた、色々な人によるこの小説に対する褒め言葉にあったものです。
"An ineffably sad and beautiful piece of work - a tragedy in the form of a comedy of manners." - Chicago Tribune
"ineffably" を辞書で調べます。　ほとんどの辞書は "ineffable" のみを項目にしているので "ineffable" の説明を引用します。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a: incapable of being expressed in words : indescribable (ineffable joy) b: unspeakable (ineffable disgust) Example: an ineffable beauty descends upon the canyon as the sun begins to set
・Oxford English Dictionary: too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words: the ineffable mysteries of the soul
相当な褒め言葉ですね。　The Remains of the Dayの中身に期待しましょう。