crow's nest

Reader's Digest 5月号 Laugh:)It's still the best medicineの記事です。
A ship is sailing the seas when the call comes from the crow's nest, "Enemy ship on the horizon!"
The captain hollers to his men, "Prepare for battle!" He says to his deckhand, "Bring me my red shirt!" The deckhand asks why.
"So that if I get injured my men won't see my blood and will keep on fighting," replies the hardy captain.
The men stand their ground and finally win out. They tend the wounded and carry on sailing.
Sometime later, another cry comes from the crow's nest: "TEN enemy ships on the horizon!" "Prepare for battle!" the captain hollers to his men, then says to his deckhand, "Bring me my brown pants!"
余り面白いジョークではありませんが、"crow's nest" の表現が面白いと思ったので取り上げます。
"crow's nest" は文脈からして、船のマストの上にある見張台の事だと思いますが、辞書で確認します。
・Vocabulary.com: platform for a lookout at or near the top of a mast: Nansen was sitting in the crow's nest that evening.
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a partly enclosed platform high on a ship's mast for use as a lookout; also : a similar lookout (as for traffic control)

mung bean

Reader's Digest 5月号の記事によると FIVE FOODS THAT COULD SAVE THE WORLDがあり、SCUBA RICE、BITTER MELON、MUNG BEANS、DISEASE-RESISTANT BANANAS、DROUGHT HARDY MAIZEがその5種類の植物です。SCUBA RICEは洪水にも強い米で、BITTER MELONは糖尿病を防ぐゴーヤの一種、DISEASE-RESISTANT BANANASはbanana xanthomonas wiltと言うバナナの病気に耐性のあるバナナ、DROUGHT HARDY MAIZEは文字通り干ばつに強いトウモロコシです。そして、一つ飛ばした "MUNG BEANS" は今日覚えたい豆です。　記事には "MUNG BEANS" の特徴として次の事が書かれています。
Iron deficiency - causing everything from anaemia to retarded growth - is a major concern, and mung beans are very rich in this mineral. However, until recently, Asian farmers were reluctant to cultivate them, as they take up to 110 days to grow and give low yields.
...
Now, extensive crossbreeding has created mung bean plants with a 55-day maturation process, good yields and hardier pods that grow on the top of the plant for easy picking.
自覚症状は全くないのですが、健康診断で貧血気味の数値が出たことがあるのでこの豆が気になったのです。
Wikipediaには詳しい説明がありますが引用すると長くなるので省略しますが、"mung bean" は小豆の一種の様です。

low GI

Reader's Digest 5月号に掲載のSimple soupと題された記事の一部を抜粋します。
Once the pumpkin is squishy and cooked, I add a tin of chickpeas and enough water to turn the mixture into a soup consistency. Adding the chickpeas transforms this from a straight vegetable soup into something with both protein and low-GI carbohydrates, which will fill you up.
"low-GI" の炭水化物と言う事ですが、"GI" は何の略でしょう？　"I" は "Index" の略だと推測できますが "G" の見当が付きません。　辞書で分かるか調べます。
・Macmillan Dictionary: a system for measuring how quickly different foods allow the sugar they contain to spread into the blood. Foods that do this slowly are thought to be better for your health.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: a system for listing foods according to how quickly they increase the level of sugar in your blood
食べたものが血糖値を上げる速度を指数化したものの様です。この手の用語は辞書より百科辞典の方が詳しいのでWikipediaを見てみます。　詳しい説明がありましたが、頭の個所だけ引用します。
Wikipedia: The glycemic index, glycaemic index, or GIis a measure of the effects of carbohydrates in food on blood sugar levels. It estimates how much each gram of available carbohydrate (total carbohydrate minus fiber) in a food raises a person's blood glucose level following consumption of the food, relative to consumption of glucose. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100, by definition, and other foods have a lower glycemic index
更に詳しい事はWikipediaを見て頂くとして、意外なのは多くの果物が."low-GI" で、white bread, most white riceは "high-GI" になっている事です。

lock of hair

Seeing her friend Sally wearing a new locket, Meg asked if there was a memento of some sort inside.
"Yes," said Sally, "it's a lock of my husband's hair."
"But Larry's still alive," Meg said.
"I know, but his hair is gone," replied Sally.

風呂場の掃除は私の仕事ですが、頭を丁寧に洗った後にbath strainer, hair stopperにtrapされる髪の毛が最近増えてきた様な気がします。
Gone with the shampoo.

mince

図書館から借りて読んでいる本が切れた場合のつなぎとして元駐日ギリシャ大使のGeorge Sioris氏が書いたDIPLOMACY Memories & Visitorsを時々読んでいます。　今日覚えたい単語がその中のPROTOCOLについて書いた次ぎの個所にありました。
A Greek variation on this incident is illustrated by the case of Angelos Vlachos, a senior ambassador - in fact the most senior in the hierarchy, serving as secretary-general - who had to submit his resignation a few months before official retirement. The reason was that, according to his memoirs, the then foreign minister had developed a dislike for him, and in order to remove him devised a legalistic pretext, proposing the abrogation of the position of secretary-general! Naturally, a proud and dignified civil servant - with the additional recognition of such a brilliant author as Vlachos - had no other option but to make an equally dignified exit. His bitterniss, though, is evident in his text when he proudly states that "...he did not experience the feeling of being 'kicked out'..." and when he does not mince his words about politics, placing them in a most negative light...
"abrogation" (to abolish by authoritative action) などと言う難しい単語は覚える気になりませんが、最後に出てきた "mince" は挽肉の意味はしっていますが、ここで使われている動詞の意味も知りたいし、覚えたい。　辞書を見ます。
・Collins English Dictionary: to soften or moderate, esp for the sake of convention or politeness ⇒ I didn't mince my words
・Macmillan Dictionary: to be careful about what you say in order to be polite or not offend someone: He’s never been the kind of politician to mince words.
?・Cambridge Idioms Dictionaryでは "not mince (your?) words" の否定形での説明が次ぎの様に記述されています。 to say what you mean clearly and directly, even if you upset people by doing this: The report does not mince words, describing the situation as 'ludicrous'.
この意味での用例は基本的に否定形で後に "words" が続くのですね。
He’s never been the kind of politician to mince words.　でどこかの首長の言動を思い浮かべました。

fashioned a sling

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?から取り上げる最後の表現ですが、この表現で使われている二つの単語はそれぞれ一年以上前に取り上げて覚えていたものです。
MARTHA [laughing, to herself]: ... and how he broke his arm ... how funny it was .. oh, no, it hurt him! ... but, oh, it was funny ... in a field, his very first cow, the first he'd ever seen ... and he went into the field, to the cow, where the cow was grazing, head down, busy ... and he moo'd at it! [Laughs ibid.] He moo'd at it ... and the beast, oh, surprised, swung its head up and moo'd at him, all three years of him, and he ran, startled, and he stumbled ... fell ... and broke his poor arm. [Laughs ibid.] Poor lamb.
GEORGE: Et lucis aeternae beatitudine perfrui.
MARTHA: George cried! Helpless ... George ... cried. I carried the poor lamb. George snuffling beside me, I carried the child, having fashioned a sling ... and across the great field.
"fashioned a sling" の "fashion"(to make something, often using a lot of skill or care)は "http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2011/2/9" で "sling" (bandage to support an injured forearm; consisting of a wide triangular piece of cloth hanging from around the neck)は "http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2009/6/28" で取り上げました。ブログで取り上げても忘れてしまう単語や表現も多いのですが、それでもある程度は覚えているのでブログを始めた5年前よりは読む速度は向上した気がします。最初の頃はリーダーズダイジェストを貸し出し期限の2週間でやっと読み終えましたが、最近は一週間以内に読める様になりました。　
Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?に話を戻します。上の引用文にもありますが最後のACT THREEにはラテン語らしき台詞がやたらに出てきます。 "ibid" 程度の単語だけならまだしもラテン語の文章、台詞では全く手に負えないので無視して読んできましたが、この本も終わるので上に出てきた "Et lucis aeternae beatitudine perfrui" を調べて見ると、教会で歌われるレクイエムの一節で意味は "And enjoy the bliss of everlasting light." だと分かりました。そして他の個所に出てきたラテン語の台詞も同じレクイエムからの文言の様でした。 教養のある西洋人なら、あるいは物好きな人にはこのラテン語の台詞も分かるのでしょうね。

have at you

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? も終わり近くになってきました。
GEORGE [grabbing her hair, pulling her head back]: Now, you listen to me, Martha; you have had quite an evening ... quite a night for yourself, and you can't just cut it off whenever you've got enough blood in your mouth. We are going on, and I'm going to have at you, and it's going to make your performance tonight look like an Easter pageant. Now I want you to get yourself a little alert. [Slaps her lightly with his free hand.] I want a little life in you, baby. [Again]
MARTHA: [struggling]; Stop it!
また基本的な単語からなる慣用句らしき表現が出て来ました。　"have at you" を辞書で調べます。
"have at" という慣用句が見つかりました。
・Wiktionary: (transitive, idiomatic, archaic) To attack; to engage in combat with.: The Prince of Venosa was in their midst, shouting: "Have at the traitor! Kill! Kill!"
この辞書は "have at you" の項も "have at" とは別にある事も分かりました。
・Wiktionary: (dated) An exclamation indicating that one is about to strike the person addressed, typically with a sword or other hand-held weapon.: Dark and sinister man, have at thee. Barrie JM (1904), Peter Pan.
・American Heritage Dictionary: Attack; also, make an attempt at. For example, Urging the dog on, he said , " Go on, Rover, have at him ," or It's time to have at straightening out these files .
・Oxford English Dictionary: tackle or attack forcefully or aggressively:: somehow we thought we had to have at each other
ちょっと古い表現の様ですね。日本語でも劇やドラマで普通は日常使わない表現を耳にする事があるのでそれと同じですね。

have a ball

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? 最後の舞台ACT THREE, THE EXORCISMに入っています。
MARTHA [sleepy child]: No more games ... please. It's games I don't want. No more games.
GEORGE: Aw, sure you do, Martha ... original game-girl and all, 'course you do.
MARTHA: Ugly games ... ugly, And now this new one?
GEORGE [stroking her hair]: You'll love it, baby.
MARTHA: No George.
GEORGE: You'll have a ball.
最後に出てきた "have a ball" は何でしょう？　こう言う簡単そうに思われる表現の意味が分からないのでネイティブ同士で話しているのが時々さっぱり分からない事があります。　これは慣用句なのでしょう。
?・Cambridge English Dictionary: to enjoy yourself very much: "So how was the party last night?" "Oh, it was brilliant, - we had a ball!"
・Vocabulary.com: enjoy oneself greatly: “We had a ball at the party and didn't come home until 2 AM”
・Wiktionary: (idiomatic) To enjoy thoroughly; to have lots of fun or excitement.: The kids had a ball playing in the fountain.
多くのスポーツでボールが使われるのでこの慣用句はそこから来ているのかなと思いましたが違いました。
This idiom uses the noun ball in the sense of "a gala dance."
とAmerican Heritage Dictionaryに書かれていました。

faculty

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? の舞台はMARTHAとNICKの二人だけになりました。MARTHAがNICKにキスを迫ってきます。
MARTHA: C'mon, baby ... a friendly kiss.
NICK [still unertain]: Well ...
MARTHA: ... you won't get hurt, little boy...,
NICK: ... not so little ...
MARTHA: I'll bet you're not. C'mon....
NICK [weakning]: But what if he should come back in, and ... or ...?
MARTHA [all the while her hand is moving up and down his leg]: George? Don't worry about him. Besides, who could object to a friendly little kiss? It's all in the faculty.
"friendly little kiss" は "It's all in the faculty." だそうですが、"faculty" の意味として "faculty meeting" 位しか思い浮かばないので辞書を見ます。
・Macmillan Dictionary: a natural physical or mental ability that most people have: be in full possession of your faculties (=have all the normal mental and physical abilities): Mrs. Findlay was in full possession of all her faculties.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: ?a natural ability to hear, see, think, move, etc: Even at the age of 100, she still had? all her faculties.: Is he in command/possession of? all his faculties (= ?Can he still hear, speak, see and think clearly)??
そうですか、それは西洋人にとってはIt's all in the faculty. とは説得力がありますね。

Drink up!

これはジョークではなくリーダーズダイジェスト5月号に載っていた読者からの投書です。
When I was about three, Mum went out and left Dad in charge of me. Apparently I was playing with my favourite toy, a tea set. While Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news, I brought him cups of "tea", which were just water.
After several cups and lots of praise, Mum came home. Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was "just the cutest thing!"
Sure enough, I came down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy. Mum watched him drink it up, then said (with a mother's typical wisdom), "Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?"
小さい頃の子供は本当にかわいいですね。孫はいないので代わりに朝日新聞の「あのね」のコーナーを読むのを楽しみにしています。