fluke

The Remains of the Dayには前回取り上げた "banter" の他に "dignity" も主人公の執事、Stevensがこだわっている様で何度も出てきます。 次ぎの個所もその内の一つです。
Mr. Graham would always take the view that this 'dignity' was something like a woman's beauty and it was thus pointless to attempt to analyse it. I, on the other hand, held the opinion that to draw such a parallel tended to demean the 'dignity' of the likes of Mr. Marshall. Moreover, my main objection to Mr. Graham's analogy was the implication that this 'dignity' was something one possessed or did not by a fluke of nature; and if one did not selfevidently have it, to strive after it would be as futile as an ugly woman trying to make herself beautiful.
"dignity" は昨年読んだ「国家の品格」（The Dignity of the Nation）を思い出させますが、今日取り上げるのは "dignity" ではなく、"fluke" の単語です。　実はこの単語は何十年も前から馴染みがあるのですが、米国の計測器メーカー名として知っていたので固有名詞だと思っていました。文章の中で使われているのを見るのは今回が初めてだと思います。辞書を見ます。
・V2 Vocabulary Building Dictionary: a chance event or coincidence Tips: The word fluke is an informal term for something good that happens by surprise or accident, rather than plan.
Examples:
It was a fluke that I was able to get into his class since so many other students were vying for the last spot. (luck, surprise)
He's been studying extra hard to prove to his parents that the "A" on his last test wasn't just a fluke. (accident, coincidence)
I hope our victory wasn't just a fluke. (accident, luck)
・Vocabulary.com: A fluke is an unexpected stroke of good luck. It was a fluke to find that fifty dollar bill on the ground, and it made you smile for the rest of the day.
The word fluke was first used in 1857 in reference to a lucky shot at billiards. If something good happens to you by chance when you're not expecting it, that's a fluke. The word fluke can also be used in a negative or insulting way. For example, if your favorite sports team loses an important game, you could complain that it was just a fluke that the other team won - meaning they didn't deserve to win and somehow got lucky.
ビリヤードのまぐれのショットが "fluke" の由来なのですね。