Never Mind

Reader's Digest 3月号の記事 'Laughter the Best Medicine' から引用します。
A driver is struggling to find a parking space. After 45 frustrating minutes, he begins to pray.
"Lord," he says, "I can't take this any longer. If you open a spce up for me, I swear I'll give up gambling and go to church every Sunday."
Suddenly, the clouds part and the sun shines on an empty parking spot. Without hesitation, the man says, "Never mind, I found one!"

trace amounts

Reader's Digest 3月号の記事 '50 Health Facts Your Doctor Wants You to Know' から引用します。
Vaccines can cause autism.
Myth! Some people have raised concerns that substance used in trace amounts in certain vaccines--including formaldehyde, aluminum salts, and thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative--could cause autism. But none of these substances has been shown to cause harm in the small doses used in vaccines.
"trace amounts" が分からないので辞書を引きます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: A very small quantity, especially one too small to be accurately measured.: his body contained traces of amphetamines
・Collins Dictionary: A trace of something is a very small amount of it.: Wash them in cold water to remove all traces of sand.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: a very slight amount: Traces of drugs were found in his blood
思い出しました。4年前（4/6/2015）に "trace mineral" で取り上げた "trace" と同じですね。

adulterate

Reader's Digest 3月号の記事 'I am the Food on Your Plate' から引用します。

Given that trend, it's not surprising that I also am perhaps your supermarket's most frequently adulterated food, laced with cheap sugar syrup or corn syrup to stretch the supply. In 2010, the largest food fraud in American history was busted when authorities discovered $80 millon in smuggled, tainted Chinese honey. That is among the reasons I hope you buy beekeepers.

"adulterated" で昔聖書を読んで覚えた単語 "adultery" を連想しましたが、食べ物なので可笑しい。辞書を見ます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: Render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.: the meat was ground fine and adulterated with potato flour

・Collins Dictionary: If something such as food or drink is adulterated, someone has made its quality worse by adding water or cheaper products to it.: There is a regulation against adulterated cosmetics.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: to make food or drink weaker or to lower its quality, by adding something else: There were complaints that the beer had been adulterated with water.

十年前に（4/23/2009）取り上げた "laced with" と似ていますね。

Never Mind

Reader's Digest 3月号の記事 'Laughter the Best Medicine' から引用します。
A driver is struggling to find a parking space. After 45 frustrating minutes, he begins to pray.
"Lord," he says, "I can't take this any longer. If you open a spce up for me, I swear I'll give up gambling and go to church every Sunday."
Suddenly, the clouds part and the sun shines on an empty parking spot. Without hesitation, the man says, "Never mind, I found one!"

better collateral required

Reader's Digest 3月号の記事 'Life in These United States' から引用します。
My 35-year-old son and I had just finished our meal when I realized I'd left my wallet in my truck. As I headed out the door, I told the waitress what had happened. "But don't worry," I said with a grin. "I'm leaving my son for collateral."
She looked at him. He winked at her. She turned back to me. "What else you got?"

salve

Reader's Digest 3月号の記事 'I am the Food on Your Plate' から引用します。
Though some combination of low water content, high pH, and the natural presence of hydrogen peroxide within me, I am highly antimicrobial and therefore impervious to spoiling. My antimicrobial nature also makes me an excellent salve for chronic wounds, keeping infection out while holding in the moisture that skin needs to heal.
"salve" 皮膚の傷に効くものですが何でしょう？　辞書を見ます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: An ointment used to promote healing of the skin or as protection.: Quickly I washed the wound clean and applied the salve before once more bandaging his leg.

・Collins Dictionary: Salve is an oily substance that is put on sore skin or a wound to help it heal.: A healer carrying a tray of lint and pots of salve hastened past my long-legged stride.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: a liquid or cream used to treat an injured, sore, or dry place on your body

cheesy

東野圭吾の "The Devotion of Suspect X" からの最後の引用です。

Yasuko turned back to look at him. He wet his lips and slapped his hands down on the steering wheel. 'Maybe now is a good time, after all.' Kudo slid one hand into his suit pocket and pulled out a small blue jewellery case. Yasuko knew what it meant at a glance.
'They have scenes like this all the time on those television shows, so it feels kind of cheesy now, but I suppose it's the accepted ritual, so--'
"cheesy" はチーズの臭いから連想される、余り良くない、陳腐な、趣味の悪いとの意味の形容の様ですが、辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic.: cheesy motel rooms

・Collins Dictionary: If you describe something as cheesy, you mean that it is cheap, unpleasant, or insincere.: HALF of single women admit they use cheesy chat-up lines to approach men, a survey shows.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: of bad quality or in bad taste: cheesy hotel music
"The Devotion of Suspect X" を読み終えました。大変良くできた小説だと思いました。

canvass

"The Devotion of Suspect X" を読んでいます。

'As a detective, I see no reason to doubt it,' Kusanagi said after a beat.. 'We've been able to corroborate his account from several different angles. I did some canvassing in a local park near Ishigami's apartment where there is a public phone. That's where he claims to have gone every night to call Yasuko Hanaoka.
"canvassing" が分からないので辞書を引きます。
"canvas" だと名詞のカンバス/画布ですね。動詞の "canvass" がありました。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Question (someone) in order to ascertain their opinion.: they promised to canvass all member clubs for their views

・Collins Dictionary: to go through (places) or among (people) asking for (votes, opinions, orders, etc.)

・Cambridge English Dictionary: to try to discover information or opinions by asking people: The council has been canvassing local opinion/local people to get their thoughts on the proposed housing development.

smoking gun

東野圭吾の "The Devotion of Suspect X" を読んでいます。
“I thought you physicist types didn’t like talking in the abstract.”
“I can be more concrete, if you like. How are we doing on time?”
“I’m still good.”
“Still have time to drop by the lunch shop?”
Ishigami glanced at his friend before returning his gaze to the path ahead. “I don’t buy lunch there every day, you know.”
“Really? I heard you did. Well, almost every day.”
“Is that your smoking gun that links me to this case?”
“Yes and no. If you were simply buying your lunch at the same shop every day, that wouldn’t mean anything, but if you were going to meet a particular woman every day, that’s something no interested observer could overlook.”
"smoking gun" は銃を撃った証拠の煙を意味している事を何かの本で見た覚えはありますが、実際の文章で使われているのを読むのは初めてです。辞書を見ます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: A piece of incontrovertible incriminating evidence.：‘the trial's long-awaited smoking gun failed to surface’

・Collins Dictionary: A smoking gun is a piece of evidence that proves that something is true or that someone is responsible for a crime.: The search for other kinds of evidence tying him to trafficking has not produced a smoking gun.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: information that proves who committed a crime: The tape recordings provided prosecutors with the smoking gun they needed to prove he'd been involved in the conspiracy.

jog your memory

東野圭吾の "The Devotion of Suspect X" を読んでいます。
Maybe you can just tell me about that evening in as much detail as possible? Don’t worry if it has nothing to do with any incident.”
“All right. I suppose,” Ishigami said, scratching the back of his neck.
“I know it was a while ago now, so I brought something I thought might help you remember the day.” Kusanagi handed over a chart of Ishigami’s work schedule for the week of March tenth, showing a list of the classes he’d taught along with the school events schedule. He must have procured the information from the office. “Does anything here jog your memory?” the detective asked, smiling.
"jog your memory" は文脈からすると「記憶を思い起こさせる」意味の様ですが、"jog" のこの様な用法は初めて見ます。辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Cause someone to remember something suddenly.: She then jogged his memory that they had a cat named Jack.

・Collins Dictionary: to remind; stimulate: please jog my memory

・Cambridge English Dictionary: to cause you to remember something: Seeing her again jogged my memory, and I recalled my life as a child on a farm in Minnesota.
週に5日位ジョッギングをしていますが、記憶力は落ちるばかり。この表現の様には行きません。