spirit

July 7のThe Japan Times Onlineに次ぎのようなキャプションがありました。
Man who forcibly tried to spirit kids from wife gets suspended term
"spirit" で直ぐに思い浮かべるのはお酒と精神、精霊ですが、上の "spirit" は動詞です。　新聞記事の場合は本文を読むとキャプションの意味はほとんどの場合分かる様になっているので、記事を読みます。
A Mexican man was found guilty and given a suspended jail term Tuesday for forcibly taking his daughter from his separated Japanese wife last November by breaking into her home in Niigata and injuring her mother, who had tried to stop him.
この冒頭の文で、キャプションの "spirit kids from wife" と同じ意味は "taking his daughter from his separated Japanese wife" である事が分かります。　辞書で "spirit" の動詞の用法を確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: convey rapidly and secretly: stolen cows were spirited away some distance to prevent detection
・American Heritage Dictionary: To carry off mysteriously or secretly: The documents had been spirited away.
誘拐とか神隠しの感じですね。　これも由来が気になります。 例によって Etymology Online を見ると、
The verb meaning "carry off or away secretly (as though by supernatural agency)" is first recorded 1660s.
とありました。やはり神隠しですね。

fifth columnist

MURDER at the Tokyo American Clubの第１０章は１９２８年に設立された東京アメリカンクラブの歴史をたどっていて、次ぎの文は１９３０年代後半の頃の状況について書いてある個所です。
Later, suspicions that the club harbored spies, malcontents, revolutionaries, anti-militarists, seditionist, oppressors, fifth columnists, appeasers, constitutional democrats, and folks without a sense of humor about world affairs had gradually diminished the pleasure of the dining and social intercourse.
"fifth columnists" は全く見当がつかない表現なので早速辞書を見ます。
・Dictionary.com:
1. a group of people who act traitorously and subversively out of a secret sympathy with an enemy of their country.
2. (originally) Franco sympathizers in Madrid during the spanish civil war: so called in allusion to a statement in 1936 that the insurgents had four columns marching on Madrid and a fifth column of sympathizers in the city ready to rise and betray it.
・Vocabulary.com: a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader: On the web, the journalists are denounced as "traitors" and "fifth columnists.": "If you are fifth columnists," he said, "I spit on your cigarettes."

decommission

なでしこジャパンの優勝、素晴らしい試合でした。　日本中で "おおさわぎ" になっています。
さて、駄洒落はやめて、私のブログの目的である英単語の話題です。
"decommission" が軍艦の廃船や原子炉の廃棄に使われる事は何年も前に知ったのですが、軍縮の時代でもなさそうなので、実際の文でこの単語を最近のように頻繁に見ることになるとは思ってはいませんでした。July 2のThe Japan Times Onlineのキャプションにも次ぎの様に使われていました。
Suit seeks to shut Hamaoka reactors for good A group of residents and a mayor in Shizuoka Prefecture file a lawsuit seeking the decommissioning of the reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant for safety reasons.
辞書で意味と用法をおさらいします。
・Cambridge Dictionaries Online: to take equipment or weapons out of use: The government has decided to decommission two battleships.; It would cost $300 million to decommission the nuclear installation
・Oxford English Dictionary: withdraw (something, especially weapons or military equipment) from service.; make (a nuclear reactor) inoperative and dismantle it safely.
・Wiktionary:
1. To take out of service or to render unusable.: They decommissioned the ship after the accident.: The Army decommissioned the Sherman tank by filling the turret with cement.
2. To remove or revoke a commission.: After his arrest, the officer was decommissioned from the police force.
3. To remove or revoke a formal designation.: The state highway was decommissioned and reverted to local control.
この様な意味での "decommission" の用例はEtymology Onlineによると、1922, originally with reference to warshipsが最初だそうです。　
Wiktonaryの２番目の説明・例文からすると、最近原子力保安委員会の何とか言う審議官がスポークスマンの任務から最近外されましたが、これも He was decommissioned from the spokesman for Fukushima nuclear accident. と言えますね。 原子炉の廃炉とはかなり次元が異なるので、この単語を使うのは皮肉としか思えません。（実は皮肉を込めたつもりですが。）
福島の原子炉は次ぎの辞書の "decommission" の説明に有る様に、これ以上環境に放射能を撒き散らさないように早く "decommission" して欲しいと願います。
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms: The process of shutting down a nuclear facility such as a nuclear reactor or reprocessing plant so as to provide adequate protection from radiation exposure and to isolate radioactive contamination from the human environment.

ham-fisted

LINKEDを読み終え、次に読み始めたのはMURDER at the Tokyo American Club by Robert J. Collinsです。
題名が示すように、東京アメリカンクラブで殺人事件が発生しました。　パーティで集まっていたゲストは全員足止めとなり、刑事による事情聴取が始まる事になります。　次に引用する文はChapter 5の冒頭の部分です。
Agatha Christie, Michael Innes, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, Freeman Willis Crofts and others in the classic British detective genre would somehow contrive to assemble all suspects in the same room, or set of rooms, and "take statement."
A ham-fisted, canine-loyal, happily-married-to-someone-named-Bess-who-was-always-good-for-a-late-night-plate-of-eggs-and-tea assistant would take copious notes with the stub of a pencil that he'd lick between sentences.
事情聴取のメモを取るアシスタントを形容する最初の言葉 "ham-fisted" は初めて見る単語です。　大根役者を "ham" と呼ぶのを知っていますが、それと関係があるなら余り褒めた形容ではないと想像しますが実際はどんな意味でしょうか？
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: awkward or clumsy: ham-handed: a ham-fisted performance
・Cambridge Dictionaries Online: doing things in an awkward or unskilled way when using the hands or dealing with people: The report criticizes the ham-fisted way in which complaints were dealt with.
大根役者と同様に器用な人ではない事が分かりました。　となると語源に共通点がある様なので "ham" の由来を調べて見ます。
"overacting performer," 1882 Amer.Eng., apparently a shortening of hamfatter (1880) "actor of low grade," said to be from an old minstrel show song, "The Ham-fat Man" (1863). The song itself, a black-face number, has nothing to do with acting, so the connection must be with the quality of acting in minstrel shows, where the song was popular. The notion of "amateurish" led to the sense of "amateur radio operator"
意外ですね。アマチュア無線（師）のハムと大根役者 ham actor、ham-fisted/ham-handed の由来が全て同じとは。　長年ハムだった（今も？）Aさんも、今はスカイプを使っていると聞きました。　インターネットや携帯電話の普及で、アマチュア無線のハムは、今や絶滅危惧種と言えるでしょうね。
アマチュア無線師をハムと呼ぶ事についてはWikipedia の下記のEtymology of ham radioの項に更に詳しい記述があります。
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_ham_radio

perfect working order

Q: "Is there anything worn under the kilt?"
A: "No, it's all in perfect working order."

Note: kilt = a type of traditional Scottish clothing, similar to a skirt, worn by men.

without missing a beat

次ぎのジョークにあった表現が気になりました。
A man called to make reservations on a small charter plane.
The clerk said, "The plane is very full with baggage and passengers."
Then she asked, "How much do you weigh, Sir?"
Not thinking clearly, he responded, "With or without clothes?"
"Well," said the clerk without missing a beat, "how do you intend to travel?"
"without missing a beat" は不整脈ではないとの意味もあるでしょうが、ここではもちろんそんな意味ではないはず。　
"missing a beat" で辞書を見ると、
・American Heritage Dictionary: Hesitate momentarily, out of embarrassment or confusion. This expression is most often used in a negative context, as in He sidestepped the reporter's probe into his personal life without missing a beat, or Not missing a beat, she outlined all the reasons for her decision. This expression alludes to the regular beat of musical time.
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: to deviate from regular smooth performance: the company changed ownership without missing a beat.
次ぎの辞書は "without missing a beat" の項で説明していました。
・Cambridge Idioms Dictionary: if you do or say something without missing a beat, you continue confidently with what you are saying or doing: She was asked what single achievement she was most proud of. 'My son,' she replied, without missing a beat.
音楽でテンポが一定で狂わない感じなのですね。

chemotaxis

Linked by Albert-Laszlo Barabasiからの最後の引用になります。　
This modular hypothesis has deep roots in modern cell biology. For example, chemotaxis, the bacteria's ability to sense food and swim toward it, has been successfully reduced to a relatively autonomous functional module of a few key molecular components.
"chemotaxis" とは "the bacteria's ability to sense food and swim toward it" の説明があり、"chemo" は "chemo therapy" の "chemo" と同じで、"taxis" も "taxi" と語源は同じ様な気がします。　従って、バクテリアが化学的成分を感知して、その物質の方に向かう、あるいはその反対方向に逃げる行為と理解できます。　辞書で "chemotaxis" を確認します。
・Wiktionary: (biology) (biochemistry) the movement of a cell or an organism in response to a chemical stimulant
この手の言葉はWikipediaの方が詳しいはずなので見てみると、私には詳し過ぎる程の説明がありました。　冒頭の個所だけ引用します。
Chemotaxis is the phenomenon in which somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment. This is important for bacteria to find food (for example, glucose) by swimming towards the highest concentration of food molecules, or to flee from poisons (for example, phenol). In multicellular organisms, chemotaxis is critical to early development (e.g. movement of sperm towards the egg during fertilization) and subsequent phases of development (e.g. migration of neurons or lymphocytes) as well as in normal function. In addition, it has been recognized that mechanisms that allow chemotaxis in animals can be subverted during cancer metastasis.
焼き鳥屋や鰻屋の匂いにつられて入ってしまうのも "chemotaxis" の仕業と言えるでしょう。

vamp up

Reader's Digest 5月号音楽の紹介ページから。
What would you say are the must-hear tunes of the 50s, 60s and 70s, or say, the Noughties?
According to 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die, these include Little Richard's rock'n' rollin' "Tutti Frutti", Elvis Presley's vamped up blues "Hound Dog", Chic's 70s disco anthem "Le Freak", punk rock granddaddies the Sex Pistols's "Anarchy in the UK", Britney Spears's dance-pop crossover "Toxic", and Gnarls Barkley's spaghetti western-inspired "Crazy".
"vamped up blues" とは何でしょう？　４年前にウクレレをちょっと習ったのですが、その時に "vamp" と称した、２～４小節のコード進行の練習をさせられた事を思い出しました。　
その時は単にウクレレ用語だと思っていたのですが、その "vamp" をまず辞書で見ます。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a short introductory musical passage often repeated several times (as in vaudeville) before a solo or between verses
・Vocabulary.com: a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts: Mr. Klein played a busy vamp with his left hand, leaving his right free to embellish on the theme.)
・Wiktionary: (music) A repeated and often improvised accompaniment, usually consisting of one or two measures, often a single chord or simple chord progression, repeated as necessary, e.g., to accommodate dialogue or to anticipate the entrance of a soloist.
・The Folk File: to play a chord progression over and over, perhaps as an intro or a simple accompaniment, or a timewaster until the other musicians are ready to jump in and play along.
なるほど。　では、動詞の方の "vamped up" を見てみましょう。
・Cambridge Dictionaries Online: to make something seem newer and more exciting by adding something to it: It's basically the same musical but they've vamped it up with some new songs.
・Infoplease: Jazz.to improvise an accompaniment, tune, etc.
・Wiktionary: (music) To perform a vamp; to perform a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, e.g. under dialogue or awaiting the readiness of a soloist.
私達がウクレレ教室で習った "vamp" はまさに上のThe Folk Fileの説明にある単純なコード進行で、"Elvis Presley's vamped up blues" はジャズで言う "improvised" された音楽で、レベルが全く違うようです。

terra incognita

Linked by Albert-Laszlo BarabasiはInternetの世界の話です。　話がくどく、冗長度が高いので少し飽きて来たのですが、半分は過ぎたので後三日程で読み終えそうなので辛抱しながら読んでいます。
Researchers studying these huge samples have made some fascinating discoveries. They have found that the Web is fragmented into continents and communities, limiting and determining our behavior in the online uiverse. Paradoxically, they have also told us that there is terra incognita out there, whole continents of the Web never visited or seen by robots. More important, we learned that the structure of the World Wide Web has an impact on everything from surfing to democracy.
上の引用文に出て来る "terra incognita" ですが、 "incognita" は、昨年取り上げた "incognito" （avoiding being recognized, by changing your name or appearance　－　Ref. http://blog.alc.co.jp/blog/3302827/archive/2010/05/24 ） と共通点がありそうですし、"in" は "incognito" の "in" と同様に否定の語幹で、"terra" は土地の意味だと思うので "terra incognita" は未知の土地の意味ではないかと推測できます。
Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary で "incognita" を見ると、
"incognito" --used only of a woman
となっているので、"incognito" と同じ意味の女性形である事が分かります。　そして、 "terra incognita" の説明は、
unknown territory : an unexplored country or field of knowledge
となっていました。　複数の辞書を見るのが習慣になっているので他の辞書も見ます。
・Wiktionary:
1. Land that has never been explored or mapped; uncharted territory.
2. By extension, ideas or concepts that have not yet been tried or explored.
・Cambridge Dictionaries Online: a place, subject or situation that you are not familiar with: Dealing with children is terra incognita to me.
引用した記事の場合、「未知の領域」と訳した方が適当でしょうね。 最後に引用した辞書の例文で、 "children" の個所は、私の場合 "women" に置き換えると憶えやすい。

old flame

Reader's Digest 5月号の映画紹介にPIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDESがありました。次ぎの文はその記事の最初の個所です。
What: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) meets an old flame, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), and finds himself on an unexpected journey to find the Fountain of Youth. When she forces him on board the ship of the formidable pritate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Sparrow can't figure out whom he should be more afraid of: the legendary pirate or the woman from his past.
"flame" と言うと炎しか思い浮かびませんが、ここでは女性、Angelicaを指しているので、しかもoldとなっているので昔の恋人の様ですがどうでしょう？　辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: old flame: informal a former lover.
・Macmillan Dictionary: someone who you had a romantic relationship with in the past: I located an old flame on the Internet.
・Cambridge Advanced Learner's English Dictionary: old flame: a person that you loved or had a sexual relationship with in the past
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: sweetheart
多くの辞書で "old flame" の例ばかりが載っているので、現在の恋人を "flame" と言うことはほとんどないようです。　火遊びだったという後悔の念があるのでしょうか?