league

Shotaro Ikemaniの小説 "Ninja Justice" を読んでいます。

"Where the hell is that bastard going to stay?"
"It's getting late so I expect he's planning to stay at Tanabe."
"Is it far?"
"Only another league or so."

"league" は日本語でも、特にスポーツ界で、何々リーグの形で使われますが、上記引用文でも意味は明らかに距離の単位です。時代物なので原文はおそらく「里」だと推測できます。英語でも "league" は距離の単位なのでしょうか？

・Oxford English Dictionary: (old use) a unit for measuring distance, equal to about 3 miles or 4 000 metres
・Collins Dictionary: an obsolete unit of distance of varying length. It is commonly equal to 3 miles
・Vocabulary.com: The two meanings of league are quite different — either it’s a group or federation joined for a common purpose (say, your bowling league or the League of Nations) or it’s a rough measurement of about three miles, usually at sea.
One would hope that two such different meanings of the same word would have some deep connection far back in word history, but it does not seem to be the case here. The word meaning "an agreement of groups" appears to be related to the French word ligue, also found in ligature ("thing that ties"), while the league of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (an excellent adventure book if you’re in the mood) is from Middle English. We call words like these homographs — since spelling is all they seem to share!

やはり古い時代に使われていた距離の単位で、日本の里が示す約4kmでしたね。
"homonym"　は知っていましたが、最後に引用した辞書の最後出てきた "homograph" は知らなかったのでついでに覚えましょう。

plied him with drink

Shotaro Ikemaniの小説 "Ninja Justice" を読んでいます。

Hikojiro gambled for a while and then left the mansion at about nine o'clock. He had met the mansion's chief footman, Tomezo, only the previous evening. Hikojiro had plied him with drink and the two of them got on very well, but Hikojiro decided not to try to pump him for information straight away for fear of arousing Tomezo's suspicions.

"plied him with drink" の意味を調べます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: to keep giving somebody large amounts of something, especially food and/or drink: She plied us with tea and cake.
・Merriam-Webster: to offer or give (something) to (someone) repeatedly or constantly: Waiters plied guests with wine and hors d'oeuvres.
・Farlex Dictionary of Idioms: To give one something (especially in large quantities) in order to coax them into providing some benefit in return.: We plied Tom with alcohol to get him to reveal the dark secrets of his business.

最後に引用した辞書にあるように、下心があって饗応する場合に使えますね。

fend for myself

Shotaro Ikemaniの小説英語版が図書館に一冊あったので読み始めました。池波正太郎原作の時代物（必殺仕掛人？）を以前テレビで見た覚えがあります。英語版のタイトルは "Ninja Justice" となっていました。

"But you are sure that the mistress of the Manshichi was really your sister?"
"Yes, without a doubt," Baian said coldly. "The day my father died, my mother cried her eyes out over his body, but the next morning she ran off with another man, leaving me to fend for myself. She took my sister with her, though."

"fend for myself" の意味を調べます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: to take care of yourself without help from anyone else: The children were left to fend for themselves.
・Merriam-Webster: to do things without help : to do basic activities by oneself: He's been fending for himself since his wife died.
・Farlex Dictionary of Idioms: To look after or take care of oneself without assistance from anyone else.: I won't be home from work until about 9 o'clock, so you and your sister will have to fend for yourselves for dinner.

自力で生きていく意味ですね。

get a read on

Mieko Kawakamiの小説 "All the Lovers in the Night" を読んでいます。

"I've never eaten one of these before," Mitsutsuka whispered, biting into one of the olives that had come with the bread.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"I can't really get a read on the flavor," Mitsutsuka said, moving his mouse. "Though I guess flavor is something we make up in our head, so maybe I just don't know where to put it yet."

"get a read on" の意味はなんとなく分かりますが、"get a read on" の用例も、名詞としての "read" は本に対しての "good read" しかなかったのでChatGPTに説明を乞いました。

ChatGPTの回答
The expression "get a read on" is not exclusive to British English; it's used in both British and American English. In this context, "get a read on" means to form an impression or understanding of something, usually referring to a person's feelings, thoughts, or the overall situation. It's a colloquial and informal way of expressing the attempt to comprehend or assess something, often based on subtle cues or observations.
説明は更に続きます。
In the excerpt from "All the Lovers in the Night," when Mitsutsuka says, "I can't really get a read on the flavor," he is expressing difficulty in figuring out or discerning the taste of the olive. He is struggling to form a clear impression of the flavor, and his statement about flavor being something "we make up in our head" suggests a philosophical or introspective perspective on the subjective nature of taste perception. In essence, Mitsutsuka is acknowledging the challenge of understanding or defining the taste of the olive.

ChatGPTは物知りのネイティブが知人になったようで便利だ。

vanilla topics

Mieko Kawakamiの小説 "All the Lovers in the Night" を読んでいます。

Finding Mitsutsuka at the station, after two months without seeing his face, I bowed and had to turn away, unabla to look right at him. Here it is, I said, pointing at the map that I had printed out at home. Without making eye contact, we looked over the route, then explored a handful of vanilla topics as we walked side by side down the street where night had fallen.

"vanilla" は直ぐにアイスクリーム、ソフトクリームを連想させるのですが、"vanilla topics" は何の話題を指しているのでしょうか？

・Collins Dictionary: If you describe a person or thing as vanilla, you mean that they are ordinary, with no special or extra features.: ...just plain vanilla couples like me and Tony.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: used to describe a basic product or service with no special features: I just want a vanilla bank account with low charges.
・Vocabulary.com: Vanilla is the flavor for food — such as ice cream — that contains extract from the vanilla plant. This word also describes things that are boring or plain.
If something is called vanilla — such as coffee or a milkshake — it's usually flavored with vanilla extract or the seeds from a vanilla pod. Vanilla is the most common flavor of ice cream. This word has another, slightly insulting, meaning: a vanilla movie is plain and kind of boring. A vanilla song is on the blah side. Maybe it's because vanilla food tends to be white and plain that we use this word for other things that are bland.

余り甘いものは好きではありませんが、バニラアイスクリームは好物です。

feel off

Mieko Kawakamiの小説 "All the Lovers in the Night" を読んでいます。

"With someone from our class?" I asked.
"Remember that guy Yoshii? I never really talked to him before, but seeing him there, after all that time, he was so easy to talk to. It was crazy. Like meeting a new person, but not. Reunions are stange that way."
"Does your husband know?"
"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. I bet it's the same for him. He knows that facing the facts won't change anything, so we might as well keep going. But something definitely feels off. On some level, it doesn't feel real. I mean, I'm still seeing Yoshii. It's fun.

上の引用文中の "feels off" の意味が辞書を引いても分かりません。　そこでChatGPTに意味を訊ねました。

ChatGPTの回答
In the context of the sentences you provided, "feels off" is used to express a sense of uneasiness or discomfort. When the speaker says, "But something definitely feels off," they are indicating that there is a peculiar or unsettling aspect to the situation. In this case, the speaker is describing a reunion with a person from their past (Yoshii), and despite the enjoyment and fun they experience, there is an underlying feeling of discomfort or strangeness.
The use of "feels off" suggests that, despite the surface-level enjoyment and the casual attitude expressed by the speaker and her husband, there is a recognition that the situation may not be entirely normal or straightforward. It conveys a subtle sense of disquiet or unease about the ongoing relationship with Yoshii and the impact it might have on the speaker's marriage.

なるほど、意味は分かりましたが、 "feels off" が慣用句なのかどうかを追加質問しました。

While "feel off" may not be a fixed idiom, the phrase is a colloquial expression commonly used in informal language to convey a sense of something being not quite right, uneasy, or out of place. It might not be as formalized as some idioms, but it's widely understood in everyday conversation, especially in English-speaking communities.
The use of "feel off" is not exclusive to American English; it is used by English speakers in various regions. People might say that a situation "feels off" when they sense that something is amiss or unsettling, even if they can't pinpoint exactly what it is.
It's worth noting that language is dynamic, and expressions like these can vary in popularity and usage across different regions and communities. In the context you provided, the use of "feels off" effectively communicates the speaker's sense of discomfort or unease in the situation.

"feel off" を使いこなせれば母国人なみですね。

watering hole

The Japan TimesのDec.23の記事から引用します。
Christmastime in Shinjuku Golden Gai
One of Tokyo's most storied watering holes gets a little quiet during the holidays now that it relies quite a bit on tourists.

新宿のゴールデン街と言えばごちゃごちゃとして小さな酒場等が密集した場所として有名で "watering holes" は知らない表現ですが、そのような所にある酒場を示しているのだろうと推測できます。　辞書で確認します。

・Oxford English Dictionary: (informal, humorous) a bar or place where people go to drink: Champers is one of Tony’s favourite watering holes.
・Collins Dictionary: You can refer to a pub or bar where people go to drink and meet their friends as a watering hole.: I was in my favorite watering hole, waiting for the game to start.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: a pub or bar where people go to drink alcohol: The hotel had a street level bar and caf which began a watering hole of the sporting crowd.

大人の水飲み場ですね。

threw a wrench in

"I like the piano."
Predictably, I was unable to think of a single pianist.
"What about you?" Mitsutsuka asked. "Do you like music?"
"I don't really listen to music. I never have."
"I see."
As this had thrown a wrench in our conversation, I squeezed the handle of my cup with enough force to turn my thumbnail white and brought the coffee to my lips, glanced down for a moment, then took another sip.

"thrown a wrench in" の意味は文脈からすると会話に水を差して、会話が続かない状態にしている様です。慣用句の様なので、辞書で確認します。
この表現は次の幾つかの変形がありました。
threw a wrench into the works, put a wrench in (to) something/the works, throw/hurl/toss a monkey wrench into wrenchがspannerに代わっていることもありました。

・Merriam-Webster: to damage or change (something) in a way that ruins it or prevents it from working properly: We were going to renew our lease, but the landlord threw a wrench into the works by increasing the rent.
・Farlex Dictionary of Idioms: To disrupt, foil, or cause problems to a plan, activity, or project.: We had everything in line for the party, but having the caterer cancel on us at the last minute really threw a wrench in the works!
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: to cause problems for someone's plans.: I don't want to throw a monkey wrench in the works, but have you checked your plans with a lawyer?

suck you in

Mieko Kawakamiの小説 "All the Lovers in the Night" を読み始めました。

"...The goal is to read as little as possible...Of course we're proofreading, so we have to engage with every aspect of the story. Plot, continuity, chronology, everything. Anyway, the idea is to keep our emotions out of it...to focus our energy on finding all the errors hiding in the book."
"Honestly, that sounds pretty difficult to me," Mitsutsuka said.
"Novels can be pretty difficult, I guess. They're kind of made to act on your emotions, and sometimes that can suck you in. When I was just getting started I had no clue where or how to read with an eye for mistakes."

"suck you in" の意味を調べます。
・Collins Dictionary: to deceive; cheat; defraud: The confidence man sucked us all in
・Wiktionary: To cause (someone) to become slowly more and more involved in some business or situation that may not be to their advantage.: I really didn't want to be on the committee, but somehow I got sucked in.
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: to deceive someone.: I try to shop carefully so that no one can take me in. I think that someone sucked in both of them.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to cause someone or something to gradually become involved in an unpleasant situation or harmful activity: I really don't to get involved in this argument, but I can feel myself being sucked into it.

いつの間にか（あるいは騙して）引きずり込むという風に解釈できます。

oshibori

Sayaka Murataの小説 "Convenience Store Woman" を読んでいます。
"That would be incredible, if it worked out," I said, like I was talking to myself. I laughed a little. I didn't mean to, but unsure what kind of face I should be making. I started laughing, in an odd way that betrayed the fact that I was used to living my life in a daze, without giving anything much thought. Dark waves rolled through my chest, and I wiped my fingertips over and over with the oshibori on the table.

"Convenience Store Woman" を英語に翻訳したのはSam Bett and David Boydとなっていました。英国英語の単語が散在しているので英国人のようです。　上記引用文に出て来た "oshibori" は日本語のままで、特に補足的な記述はありませんが、小説の全編を通じて何回か出てくるので日本に来たことのない外国人でも用途は容易に推測できるのでしょう。　最近は色々な日本語がそのままで英語の中に入っている場合がありますが、アニメや映画/TVをよく見ている人は日本に来なくても覚えられるのでしょうね。