frosted glass

今年一番の寒さとかＴＶで言ってましたが、東京では雪、氷、霜を見ることは年にほんの数回です。畑にも霜柱は滅多にできません。　霜で昨年読んだ "Tuesdays with Morrie" にこんな表現があったのを思い出しました。
A neat shower room stood behind a pane of frosted glass
. 日本語では曇りガラスと言うところを "frosted glass" もちろん本物の霜が付いたガラスにも使えると思いますが、一応辞書の説明を見てみます。
・Collins Dictionary: glass with a frosted appearance obtained by acid etching or sandblasting, used to create glass patterns or to make a window unable to be seen through although light still transmits through it
・Macmillan Dictionary: glass that has a rough surface so that you cannot see clearly through it

off-chance

小説Ringに出てくる登場人物も増えてきたので次ぎの個所にでてくる人を簡単に紹介します。Yoshinoは主人公のAsakawaと同じ新聞社に所属する同僚（先輩？）で、Asakawaの謎解きのサポートをしています。 "she" と言うのは厄介なビデオを作ったと思われるSadakoで、IkumaはどうやらSadakoの父のようです。
There was nothing in Yoshino's report to suggest that she had squared off against her father. Rather, he got the impression that she was close to her parents. Asakawa suspected it would be impossible to discover the identity of this man. Nearly thirty years had undoubtedly changed his looks considerably. Still, just on the off-chance, maybe he should ask Yoshino to dig up a photo of Ikuma.
"off-chance" は可能性が低いとの意味だと思いますが、初めて見る表現なので辞書で確認します。
・Collins Dictionary: a small and unlikely possibility ⇒ In a public place there was an off-chance they might get caught.
・Wiktionary: (idiomatic) A condition of not being likely or probable.: He submitted a job application on the off chance that nobody better would.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: hoping that something may be possible, although it is not likely: I applied for the job on the off chance, but I didn't seriously expect to get it.
最後に引用した辞書のニュアンスがRingで使われている "off-chance" に近いようですね。
私が宝くじを買うのもこの "off-chance" に賭けているのです。

stringer

Ringの主人公Asakawaは、自身や妻子も見てしまった「見た者は７日後に死ぬ」ビデオの恐怖から逃れようと、その謎を調べに大島に向かいました。
Islanders holding placards for car-rental comapnies or banners for inns were there to greet the tourists. Asakawa lifted his head and looked for the person who was suposed to meet them. Before getting on the boat at the harbor in Atami, Asakawa had contacted his office and asked for the phone number of the Oshima office, ultimately enlisting the help of a correspondent named Hayatsu. None of the national news organizations had full-fledged bureaus on Oshima, instead they hired locals as stringers.
最後に出てきた単語 "stringers" は、以前ブログにも載せて覚えた単語 "second-stringer" を連想させます。 （以前 "second-stringer" （an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced）について書いた個所は分かりませんが 、 "second-stringer" に関連する言葉 "jayvee" についての場所・月日は分かっているのでリンクを貼って置きます 。）
この小説Ringに出てきた上記の "stringer" は、直前の文で使われた "correspondent" とここではほぼ同じ意味だと思いますが、辞書で確認します。
・Collins Dictionary: a journalist retained by a newspaper or news service on a part-time basis to cover a particular town or area: Dinmore, an FT stringer , sent an e-mail to the paper's foreign desk on Sunday saying he had been told to go.
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a journalist who is not on the regular staff of a newspaper but who writes stories for that newspaper.

bone up

旅行したお陰で今年は正月を感じないまま年が明けていました。１月１日生まれなので、歳はもちろん一つ増えました。 仕事も始まったし、英語の読書も再開しました。もっともブログに書く材料はしばらくは昨年読んだ本からです。
さて、先々月Reader's Digestに出てきた "no bones about it" を採り上げましたが、小説Ringで使われいた表現にも "bone" が出てきます。
　 Faced with the scene, Asakawa suddenly wanted nothing more than to rush home. He'd spent some time on the fourth floor in the natural sciences section, boning up airwaves, and now he was just staring out the window, looking at nothing in particular.
"boning up" はどう見ても骨とは関係がなさそうです。
・Macmillan Dictionary: to study hard or learn about something in order to prepare for a test, meeting, etc.: He's boning up for his final exams.: bone up on: She boned up on the company before the interview.
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary:
1. to try to master necessary information quickly: cram: bone up for the exam
2. to renew one's skill or refresh one's memory: boned up on the speech just before giving it
なるほど、しかし、何故 "bone up" にこの様な意味があるのか気になりますね。
"The Phrase Finder" によると、由来には次ぎの二つの説があるそうです。
There are two chief theories as to the origin of this phrase. One is that it derives from the practise of using bones to polish leather. So, to 'bone up' on a subject was to polish or refine one's knowledge. The second theory relates to the Victorian bookseller Henry George Bohn (1796-1884). He produced a large catalogue of books, including many study texts.
全文を引用すると長くなるので省略しますが、興味のある方は "The Phrase Finder" に上記の続きの説明があります。
私としては "bone up" はコツコツと勉強するとして覚えようかと思っています。（意味がちょっと変りますが） それとも他に何か覚えられるもっと良いコツはありますか？