各国のツリーハウスを撮った写真集 "My Cool Treehouse" についての記事（Reader's Digest ９月号）からの抜粋です。
Jane Field-Lewis takes us from London to the African wilderness, from the lavender fields of Italy to California in search of romantic, quirky, luxuruious and sometimes futuristic examples of treetop dwellings. Mostly created from recycled materials and demonstrating resourcefulness and imagination in spades, these mini havens will sweep you off your feet.
慣用句らしき "sweep you off your feet" の意味が分からないので辞書を見ます。
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: Fig. to overwhelm someone (figuratively). Mary is madly in love with Bill. He swept her off her feet. The news was so exciting that it knocked me off my feet.
・Dictionary.com: to impress or overwhelm by ability, enthusiasm, or charm: The gaiety of the occasion swept them off their feet.
After interviewing a candidate for an open position, I got an email stating, "It was a pressure meeting you."
(from Reader's Digest)
昨日ジョッギングの途中荒川の河口付近の土手から久しぶりに富士山が見えました、もっとも5時を過ぎていたので富士山といっても影ですが、くっきりと綺麗な形でした。
さて、スウェーデンの漁師町を満喫する夏の旅行を題材にしたReader's Digest ９月号の記事 Sweeden's Perfect Seasonからの抜粋です。
Sliding across the rain-slicked deck, careening into each other, Marcus and I managed to toss back all the traps. Martin, meanwhile, stood firm and smiling at the wheel, secure in his element.
"Jan alskar sommraren!" he shouted to us, flashing a grin as a monster wave crashed over the hull.
"element" は要素、成分の意味だけではなく、これまでにも "the elements" (5/7/2016)と "trace element/mineral" (4/6/2015)を取り上げましたが、上に出てきた "in his element" はまた違う意味を持っているようです。辞書を見ます。
・Wiktionary: In a situation which is entirely suitable, familiar, or enjoyable.: You can tell he's completely in his element when he's talking about his favorite hobby.
・The American Heritage Idioms Dictionary: In an environment naturally suited to or associated with one; doing what one enjoys. For example, He's in his element when he's doing woodworking. This term alludes to one's natural abode, as does the antonym, out of one's element (used by Daniel Defoe in Robinson Crusoe, 1719: “When they came to make boards ... they were quite out of their element”).
Reader's Digest ９月号のこの記事タイトル "CLOSE SHAVE" が気になりました。記事の内容は次の可愛らしい子供の話です。
On a crowded bus recently, the voice of a six-year-old travelling with his mother rang out loud and clear: "Is our cat a daddy cat or a mummy cat?"
"A daddy cat," the mother replied.
"How do we know he's a daddy cat?" the boy asked.
An expectant hush fell over the bus as we listened attentively to see how the mother would handle this one.
She was ready for the challenge.
"He's got whiskers, hasn't he?" she said.
雌猫にも髯はあることにこの男の子が気が付くのはいつかな？
ところで、タイトルに使われた "CLOSE SHAVE" の意味を辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: A narrow escape from danger or disaster.: This close shave appeared to make the sheriff far more cautious in his approach.
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a narrow escape: the passengers in the jeep had a close shave when a mine exploded just a few yards away
猫の口ひげにしゃれたタイトルでした。
Reader's Digest ９月号の記事 "COLA CRISIS" からの抜粋です。
The problem is mirrored throughout Central America, where 80 per cent of youth aged six to 19 have dental caries, according to FDI World Dental Federation, based in Geneva.
"a decayed tooth" とか "a tooth cavity" は知っていますが、"dental caries" も虫歯を指していると思われます。 辞書で確認します。"caries" の単数形は "cary" あるいは "carie" と思いましたが、違っていました。"caries" は不可算名詞で辞書には "caries" でしか掲載されていません。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Decay and crumbling of a tooth or bone.: Dental caries or sugar-bacterial tooth decay is largely preventable.
・Vocabulary.com: soft decayed area in a tooth; progressive decay can lead to the death of a tooth
How many of the phone numbers of your nearest and dearest can you remember? How about birthdays or postal addresses? If you suspect it is fewer than you have ever been able to before, there is a very good chance you are right. It's also possible you are exhibiting a phenomenon known as 'digital amnesia' - a phrase coined by cyber-security group Kaspersky Lab to describe forgetting information that you trust a digital device to store and remember for you.
もう二十年以上前になりますか、パソコンを使うようになって気が付いたのは書けない漢字がどんどん増えてくることでした。最近では電話番号はもちろん、自分のスケジュールでさえＰＣを見ないと怪しくなっています。
"deskilling" はスキルがなくなることだと思いますが、原形の "deskill" を辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Reduce the level of skill required to carry out (a job): advances in technology had deskilled numerous working-class jobs
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to reduce the amount of skill that someone needs to do a particular job: New technology has been used to deskill many jobs.
もの忘れが多くなると "dementia" を疑われる年になったきましたが、これからは "Digital Amnesia" のせいにすることにしよう。
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