English Collection

日頃目に付いた覚えたい英単語、慣用句などの表現についてのメモです。

give a wide berth

2011年08月11日 | 英語学習
MURDER at the Tokyo Lawn Tennis Clubのメインキャラクター、Kawamura警部が電話で署に連絡している時の会話の後にあった表現です。
"A burglary? What's that got to do with us?"
Pedestrians were now giving Kawamura a wide berth on the sidewalk.
"give someone a wide berth" は多分慣用句でしょう。
・American Heritage Dictionary: Avoid, as in After Jane told on them, they gave her a wide berth . This expression alludes to giving a vessel enough room to swing at anchor so as to avoid a collision.
・Wiktionary: (idiomatic, by extension) A considerable or comfortable distance from a person or object, especially for safety or deliberate avoidance.: Our cat always gives the vacuum cleaner a wide berth.: He's so obnoxious that everyone gives him a wide berth.
「君子危うきに近寄らず」を思い起こさせますね。
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