the coast is clear

ＲＤ１０月号の記事、Where Has My Baby Gone?、赤ん坊を置いた車から一寸離れた隙に車を赤ん坊ごと盗まれた夫婦の話です。
Although Rudi and Katja are very happy that everything turned out well, they no longer feel safe at home since the thief has not been apprehended.
"He probably lives somewhere close by," says Katija. "It's very likely that car waiting for the coast to be clear."
最後に出てきた "the coast to be clear" は慣用句の様です。
辞書では "the coast is clear" で載っています。
・Cambridge Advanced Learner's English Dictionary: it is safe to do something or go somewhere because no one is watching or listening who would prevent you or catch you; You can come out now, the coast is clear.
・Wordnik:.the danger is over; no enemy in sight; I can wait there until I'm sure the coast is clear before I put my key into the thick silver lock and slip into the yard..
・Babyron.com: Is the coast clear? The coast is clear. There is no likelihood of interference. None of the coast-guards are about.
どうやら海からの密入国者が使った言葉から使われるようになった事が分かります。
便利な表現なので使えそうだ。（いつどこで？）

bolt upright

"The Piano" のSc 103INT STEWART'S HUT ADA'S BEDROOOM NIGHT の場面からです。
It is night. ADA is tossing in the small bed beside FLORA, her hair wound across her face, she makes low moaning sounds as she pushes her face and body up against the sleeping FLORA. Her movement and moans increase until she wakes suddenly sitting bolt upright.
最後部の表現　"sitting bolt upright" ですが、"sitting upright" でも意味は分かるので　"bolt" は "upright" を形容しているのだと思いますが、　"bolt upright" を辞書で調べます。
・Cambridge Advanced Learner's English Dictionary: vertical and very straight; Suddenly she sat bolt upright as if something had startled her.
・Dictionary.com: bolt upright, stiffly upright; rigidly straight: The explosive sound caused him to sit bolt upright in his chair.
・Cambridge Idioms Dictionary: in a position where you are sitting up with your back very straight He woke to see her sitting bolt upright beside him and wondered what was the matter.
上記辞書での例文のように "bolt upright" は "sit bolt upright" で使われる事が多いようですが、Wordnikに "stand" と共に使われている次ぎのような例文がありました。
Their head-dress consisted of many-coloured feathers projecting from the hair, which they had matted and caused to stand bolt upright from the head.
何故 　"bolt" が "upright" を形容しているのかと言うのは次ぎの辞書に説明がありました。
・Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898): Straight as an arrow. A bolt is an arrow with a round knob at the end, used for shooting at rooks, etc. (Note: "rook": a large black European bird that is a type of crow and lives in big noisy groups)
納得です。

A little faster. Run!

昨日は朝から夕方まで卓球の試合があり、ダブルスの試合で初優勝できました。今朝も朝早くから浦安市のハーフマラソンに参加して来たのですが、やはりレース直前の２週間は旅行で全く走らなかったので記録は自己最悪に次ぐ遅さでした。いつもはレースが終わってもほとんど疲れを感じないのですが、家まで自転車で３０分の途中にある川と運河の坂は足が疲れてしまって歩いて自転車を押さないといけない程でした。　昼食の後直ぐにいつもの卓球の練習に出かけ２時間程練習したら、やっと疲労感はなくなりました。　これで今日の夜の練習もいつも通りできます。
さて、日曜日恒例のジョーク紹介ですが、今日はちょっと元気のでるジョークです。
A school teacher asked a student, "John, will you please conjugate the verb 'to go' for the class?".
The kid began, "I go... um... you go... ehmm... he goes...".
"How about a little faster?", asks the teacher.
And the kid, "Sure! I run, you run, she runs..."

tried-and-true

今日の表現もRD１０月号のCYBER THIEVES! の記事からです。
The new scammers practice many cons, some new and some just variations on tried-and-true rip-offs.
この "tried-and-true" も文脈から「実証済みの」の意味だと容易に推測できますが、辞書で確認します。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: proved good, desirable, or feasible : shown or known to be worthy; a tried-and-true sales technique
・Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary: chiefly US : known to be good or effective : known to be reliable; tried-and-true recipes; a tried-and-true remedy for colds
? McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: trustworthy; dependable. (Hyphenated before nominals.) The method I use to cure the hiccups is tried and true. Finally, her old tried-and-true methods failed because she hadn't fine-tuned them to the times.
実証済みの方法でも条件がちょっと異なると上手くいかない事は確かにありますね。

the jig is up

昨日イタリア旅行から帰って来ました。なんだかんだ色々としなければいけない事が溜まっているので暫くは旅行の整理どころではないようです。　しかしわたしのブログのテーマ、英語の勉強の話題は旅行前の貯金が二週間分あり、当分の間はそれを小出しにするだけなので今日から再開します。
さて、ＲＤ１０月号のCYBER THIEVES! と題された記事で電話の相手が詐欺師と分かった瞬間の描写文です。
So he asked for the name of their boss.
Silence.
At that point, the jig was up.
文脈からすると "the jig was up" は「お陀仏だ」、「万事休す」の様な意味の様ですが、辞書の説明を見ます。
・Dictionary.com: Slang. it is hopeless; no chance remains: When the burglar heard the police siren, he knew the jig was up.
・Wiktionary: (US, idiomatic, dated) An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defence", or if spoken to a person who's just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, it means "You've been discovered."
・Urban Dictionary: Refers to a ruse or trick that has been discovered. The game is over, the time of reckoning is here.; OMG -The jig is up - My girlfriend, Sally, has found out about my tryst with Jody last week and she's on her way over here now!!!