YOU CALL THAT A COMPLIMENT?

Reader's Digest 月号の記事 "YOU CALL THAT A COMPLIMENT?" から引用します。

Back when my daughter was an infant, I was out pushing her in the stroller when a woman stopped us on the street.
"My goodness, what a beautifull baby!" she remarked. "Does she look like her father?"

これはうっかり言いそうですね。

K-9 / rolling in the dough

Reader's Digest 2月号の記事 "HOW THEY CAUGHT THEIR STALKER" から引用します。

BELMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE (population 7,200) is an old mill town surrounded by lakes and forests. A hardware store and a hair salon are about all Main Street has to offer. At the local police department, a donation box is stuffed with change and dollar bills to support Vito, the department's K-9. "We don't have a lot of people who are rolling in the dough," says Raechel Moulton.

まず "rolling in the dough" ですが、"dough" にお金の意味があることから、金回りの良い、つまり裕福な人を連想できます。辞書で確かめるとWiktionaryに "roll in dough" はSynonym of roll in wealth とあり、"To be very rich" の意味だと分かります。又、Merriam-Websterには "rolling in (something)" の項にhaving a large amount of (something)："What did you mean when you said they are rolling in (the) dough?" "They're rich". と説明がありました。
蛇足ですが、10/21/2020に "pulling in the dough" を取り上げていました。

次に略語のような "K-9" を調べます。

・Wiktionary: A trained police dog.
・Wikipedia:
a) the nickname of police dogs and the police dog unit itself
b) Canine or Canis, a genus including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals
なるほど、"canine" から転じたのですね。

Terms of Use policy on the Internet

このジョークもReader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "Laughter the Best Medicine" からの引用です。

Arguing with your spouse is like trying to read a Terms of Use policy on the Internet. In the end, you give up and go, "I agree."

確かにインターネット上の取引で、余りにも長々と細かな規定だと読む気がしないので、深く考えず、同意にクリックしてしまいますね。

fake car

気に入らないニュースは何でも "fake" と決めつける元大統領がいましたが、このfakeジョークは Reader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "Laughter the Best Medicine" からの引用です。

A guy tells his friend, "I bought my wife a diamond ring."
"You told me she wanted a car," the friend replies.
"Yeah," says the first guy, "but where would I find a fake car?"

preemie

Reader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "How to Keep Your HEART YOUNG" からの引用です。

Women who undergo spontaneous preterm delivery (before 37 weeks) may have a greater likelihood of heart disease, according to a Dutch study. Moms of preemies had a 38 percent higher risk of coronary artery disease, a 71 percent higher risk of stroke, and more than double the risk of overall heart disease. Researchers say these women may be prone to inflammation, which is linked to preterm delivery and common among heart disease patients.

"preemies" は前の文に "preterm delivery" とあるので、早産児の事だと思いますが、辞書で確認します。単数形は "preemy" ではなく "preemie でした。

・Oxford English Dictionary: A baby born prematurely.: Another very common problem affecting preemies is immature lungs.

・Collins Dictionary: slang, mainly US and Canadian: a premature infant

・Cambridge English Dictionary: a baby that is born earlier than expected: His children faced difficult odds as micro preemies born 16 weeks premature but persevered in large part to their parents' dedication and sacrifice.

Liver alone--cheese mine! -- sequel

昨日紹介したリーダーズダイジェストの笑い話の落ち "Liver alone--cheese mine!" が分からなかった方の為の説明です。
"Honeymoon Salad" はレタスだけのサラダ（Lettuce alone without dressing）の事ですが、昨日の落ち "Liver alone--cheese mine!" の "Liver alone" は同様に "Leave her alone" を意味しているのが分かるでしょう。すると "cheese mine" は "she's mine" となり、三番目の小さなヨークシャーテリアは見事大喜利に勝ち抜き 'beautiful female poodle' とデートできる事になりました。

Liver alone--cheese mine!

Reader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "Laughter the Best Medicine" からの引用です。
Three male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful female poodle. They all scramble to reach her first but end up arriving in front of her at the same time. Aware of her obvious effect on the suitors, she tells them, "The first one who uses the words liver and cheese together in an imaginative sentence can go out with me."
"I love lever and cheese!" the golden retriever blurts out.
"Oh, how childish," says the poodle.
The Labrador tries next. "Um. I hate liver and cheese?"
"My, my," says the poodle. "I guess it's hopeless."
She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, "How about you, little guy?"
The Yorkie, tiny in stature but big in finesse, gives her a smile and sly wink, turns to the other dogs, and says, "Liver alone--cheese mine!"
最後の落ちが分かりましたか？
分からなかった人の為の説明は明日にでもしますが、私はこのジョークで "Honeymoon Salad" を思い出しました。

fielding questions

Reader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "All in a Day's WORK" からの引用です。

As a high school Latin teacher, I'm used to fielding questions about my subject, which some find arcane and ancient. However, I was surprised when someone asked, "Do you have any native speakers in your class?"
Sadly, that person was the principal.

野球で野手がボールを上手くさばくのに "field" が使われると認識していますが、それから推測すると、このラテン語教師は生徒の質問を上手にこなしているのでしょう。　辞書で確認します。

・Oxford English Dictionary: Deal with (a difficult question, phone call, etc.): She has fielded five calls from salespeople.

・Collins Dictionary: If you say that someone fields a question, you mean that they answer it or deal with it, usually successfully.: He was later shown on television, fielding questions.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: to deal with a question, often by not answering it directly: He fielded some awkward questions very skilfully.
しかし、質問者が校長とはね。

clock pedestrians

Reader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "We Found A Fix" からの引用です。
Go Dutch when You Get Out of the Car
AUTO Don't fling the door open and potentially clock pedestrians on busy streets or ding doors in parking lots. Using the "Dutch Reach," courtesy of the cycling capital of the world, open the door with your right hand, not your left. The pivot to do so draws your eye from the rear mirror to a more accurate posterior view for a full survey of your surroundings and a safe exit.

"clock pedestrians" の "clock" は文脈からするとここでは倒すような意味だと思いますが、辞書にその様な用法が出ているでしょうか？

・Oxford English Dictionary: British informal Hit (someone), especially on the head.: He clocked me but by that time they had already smashed the front of the shop door.’:

・Collins Dictionary: British, Australian and New Zealand slang: to strike, esp on the face or head

・Cambridge English Dictionary: to hit someone, especially on the head or face:　Then the other guy turned round and clocked him one
イギリス英語のようですね。

meteorology, meteor and metrology

Reader's　Digest 2月号の記事 "Life in These United States" からの引用です。

What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate
Decade ago, I told a guy that I was studying meteorology.
Him: Cool. So when's the next one coming?
Me: The next thunderstorm?
Him: No, the next meteor.

ネイティブでも "meteorology" と "meteor" を混同するのですね。 "meteorology" を知ったのは二十年以上前になりますが、通訳案内士の試験を受けるために覚えた単語に気象庁があったからです。現在勤めている会社の顧客に気象庁（Japan Meteorological Agency）も含まれていますが、会社の取り扱い製品の大半が "metrology" に関係しているので、この "metrology" と "meteorology" の綴りが似ているので、最近はタイプする時に綴りを間違えないように注意しています。

metrology: The scientific study of measurement.: One example where improved metrology would be highly beneficial is in the commercial production of high-accuracy pressure-measuring instruments.’(Oxford English Dictionary)