A History of Western Societyに覚えたい表現がありました。
Wartime needs led to many other major technical breakthrough. Germany had little oil and was almost completely cut off from foreign supplies. But Germany's scientists and engineers found ways to turn coal into gasoline so that the German war machine did not sputter to a halt.
"sputter" を辞書で調べます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: [no object] make a series of soft explosive or spitting sounds: the engine sputtered and stopped
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: to make explosive popping sounds: The motor sputtered and died.
・Cambridge Dictionaries Online: to make several quick explosive sounds: The car sputtered once or twice and then stopped.
日本語なら、「プスンプスンと音を立ててエンジンが止まった」などと、"onomatopoeia"（Ref. "rickety/wobbly" http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2008/03/3 "nyuk nyuk" http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2008/12/18 ）で表現するところですね。
Wartime needs led to many other major technical breakthrough. Germany had little oil and was almost completely cut off from foreign supplies. But Germany's scientists and engineers found ways to turn coal into gasoline so that the German war machine did not sputter to a halt.
"sputter" を辞書で調べます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: [no object] make a series of soft explosive or spitting sounds: the engine sputtered and stopped
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: to make explosive popping sounds: The motor sputtered and died.
・Cambridge Dictionaries Online: to make several quick explosive sounds: The car sputtered once or twice and then stopped.
日本語なら、「プスンプスンと音を立ててエンジンが止まった」などと、"onomatopoeia"（Ref. "rickety/wobbly" http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2008/03/3 "nyuk nyuk" http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2008/12/18 ）で表現するところですね。
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