police beat

Miyuki MiyabeのCrossfireを読んでいます。
The investigation team had quickly interpreted the three cases, or at least the Tayama factory and the Sakurai Liquors cases, as fallout from escalating friction within Asaba's gang. While they didn't go so far as to announce their interpretation at a press conference, they did leak it to individual reporters on the police beat. The mass media took it up under headlines that competed for sensationalist effect: "Violent teens," "Sharp rise in vicious crimes by juveniles," and "Call to revise the Juvenile Protection Act"--all followed by articles that were portraits of cold-blooded criminal teens with no respect for human life.
"police beat" の意味を調べます。まず "beat" を辞書で見ます。
・Macmillan Dictionary: an area that a police officer has responsibility for and must walk around regularly: walk/pound/patrol the beat: The two officers used to walk the beat together.
・Oxford English Dictionary: An area allocated to a police officer to patrol.: a patrolman who strived to make his beat a safe one
Googleで調べるとOxford Dictionary of Journalismに次の説明がありました。
beat: Primarily a US term for the subject matter or geographical area that a reporter might be assigned to cover, as in 'the crime beat' or 'the Washington beat'.
更に、ThoughtCo.のWebサイトに Covering the Cops (https://www.thoughtco.com/covering-the-cops-2073873)と題された記事があり、"police beat" について次の説明がありました。
The police beat can be one of the most challenging and rewarding in journalism. Police reporters get to cover some of the biggest breaking news stories out there, ones that land at the top of the front page, website or newscast.
But it isn't easy. Covering the crime beat is demanding and often stressful, and as a reporter, it takes time, patience and skill to get the cops to trust you enough to give you information.
"reporters on the police beat" は警察担当の記者と解して良さそうです。

pyrokinesis

Miyuki MiyabeのCrossfireを読んでいます。
Abruptly, Makihara said, “Pyorokinesis.” It sounded like some kind of incantation. Chikako gave him a puzzled look.

“Pardon?”

“The ability to start fires using willpower,” Makihara said, his light-colored eyes fixed on Chikako, “That is the theory I gave the investigation team for the Arakawa incident. I told them they should deepen their knowledge of pyrokinesis in order to proceed with their investigation.” He laughed again in a mischievous way. “That must make me sound pretty eccentric to you, doesn’t it?”

"pyorokinesis" は難しそうな単語ですが、意味は文中に説明があるので分かりますが、辞書の説明も参考のために見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: the supposed ability to start fires by thought alone
・Wiktionary: (parapsychology, science fiction) The ability to set objects or people on fire or to supernaturally project fire from one's own being through the concentration of psychic power.
この言葉はWikipediaによるとStephen Kingの造語だそうです。
The word 'pyrokinesis' was coined by horror novelist Stephen King in his 1980 novel Firestarter to describe the ability to create and control fire with the mind

brown-eared bulbul

Miyuki MiyabeのCrossfireを読んでいます。
Chikako noticed what looked like a bird's nest on the upper part of the window frame. It, too, was gray with age. When the factory had been in use, the noise and commotion whould have kept birds away. Little birds like sparrows, swallows, or brown-eared bulbuls must have arrived to build nests after it had shut down. But even the birds had deserved the factory.
"brown-eared bulbul" も鳥の一種の様ですが何の鳥でしょうか？
・Wikipedia: The brown-eared bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) is a medium-sized bulbul native to eastern Asia. It is extremely common within the northern parts of its range and can be found from southern Sakhalin to the northern Philippines.
英和辞書で見ると "brown-eared bulbul" はヒヨドリとありました。

beats me

Miyuki Miyabeの「火車」All She Was Worthを読み終わりました。
先日 "I'm beat" を取り上げましたが次の個所にも "beat" が出てきました。
He kept imagining Kyoko catching sight of the short personal ad--"Kyoko, let's talk it over. Come back, please"--and appearing out of nowhere, running into Jun's open arms.
"Beats me," he groaned.
"Beats me"　は一年前（8/21/2017）にも取り上げた表現ですね。

stock still

Miyuki MiyabeのCrossfireを読んでいます。
第4章の冒頭文を引用します。
Junko Aoki stood stock still at the end of a dead-end alleyway and hugged herself as best she could to keep them.
"stock still" の意味を辞書で調べます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Without any movement; completely still.: he stood stock-still
・Collins Dictionary: If someone stands or sits stock-still, they do not move at all.: The lieutenant stopped and stood stock-still.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: without moving; completely still: On seeing us, the deer stood stock-still for a moment, then turned and retreated into the forest.
Etymology Onlineに次の記述がありました。
Stock-stock (late 15c.) is literally "as still as a tree trunk." ...Stock "stick, cane"

coax

Miyuki MiyabeのCrossfireを読んでいます。
Ito gave Chikako the location, traffic access information, and other details. She jotted it all down and hung up. Shoving her arms into her jacket sleeves, she looked at her face in the mirror once more. Rubbing her lips together, she coaxed a little color onto her bottom lip. Satisfied with the effect, she slung her bag over her shoulder and ran out of the house, excitement bringing a flush to her cheeks.
"coax" は「おだてる」とか「(説得）して引き出す」の意味がありますが、引用文の "coax" はその様な意味では通じません。辞書を見ます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Arrange (something) carefully into a particular shape or position.: her lovely hair had been coaxed into ringlets
引用文の "coax" の意味に近いと思われる説明を載せていたのは上記の辞書だけでした。

I'm beat

宮部みゆきの "All She Was Worth"（原作 火車）が面白かったので地元の図書館にある宮部作品の英訳本は全部読みたいと思い、2番目にCrossfireを読む事にしました。話は比較的直ぐに事件現場に行きます。
They didn't look like trouble-making high school students who'd been on a spree and were bringing in one of their friends who'd drunk too much and passed out, or a motorcycle gang who'd come in to lay low and hide a member injured during a police chase. This had more of a grim, ugly look to it.
Junko rigidly observed the proceedings. It seemed that none of the four youths had noticed her at all. One of the two holding flashlights yawened loudly.
"Man, I'm beat."
"What is this place? It stinks."
"beat" を含む慣用句、口語表現は多く、これまでにこのブログでも "beats me"、"my beats"、"If that don't beat all"、"beat the hell out of"、"beat the odds"、"without missing a beat"、"beat all" を取り上げました。
今日はCrossfireに出てきた "I'm beat" です。
　
・Oxford English Dictionary: Completely exhausted.: I'm dead beat.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: extremely tired: I'm beat - I'm going to bed.

talking to a mannequin

Just bumped into a mannequin & said, "Sorry."
Then said, "Oh, I thought you were a person."
Then realized I was still talking to a mannequin.

eyeball

The Answer by Allan & Barbara Peaseを読んでいます。
For every ten prospects I called, five would agree to an appointment and one didn't keep it, so I'd actually get to eyeball four prospects. I'd present to three and would sell to one, making $300 commission. This meant that every time I spoke to someone on the telephone I would earn $30, regardless of whether they agreed to see me, or kept the appointment, or voiced objections or bought from me or not.
"get to eyeball" は文脈からすると「（実際に）会える」と解釈して良さそうですが、辞書で "eyeball" にこの様な用例が出ているか見ます。
ちょっと例は同じではありませんが、 "eyeball" にはマーケティング用語として次の意味があるとの説明がありました。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Marketing Used to refer to the number of people who visit a website, watch a television program or channel, read a publication, etc., especially when regarded as a potential source of revenue.: I think we got a few more eyeballs on the site.
・Collins Dictionary: marketing slang (plural) viewers of a television programme or website, esp seen as potential customers, advertisers, etc: The site's goal was to get more eyeballs for advertisers.

upkeep

The Answer by Allan & Barbara Peaseを読んでいます。
Most people complain about how busy they are, whether it's with work, family, or just the basic upkeep of life. Yet there are others who have exactly the same amount of time who do remarkable things. Most people also think that successful people probably worked harder, got lucky or were in the right place at the right time and therefore made it further than them. But that is not the truth.
"upkeep" の意味を調べます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: The process of keeping something in good condition.: we will be responsible for the upkeep of the access road
・Collins Dictionary: the act or process of keeping something in good repair, esp over a long period; maintenance
・Cambridge English Dictionary: the cost or process of keeping something, such as a building, in good condition: The upkeep of larger old properties is very expensive.