in thrall to

小説Ringを読んでいます。次に引用するのは、雑誌記者のAsakawaがタクシーに乗ったところ、運転手のKimuraが経験した事件が発生した場所に車が近づいて行く個所です。
They were approaching it now, the intersection Kimura had been unable to put out of his mind for the past month. Unlike Asakawa, who was haunted by his failure, Kimura was able to look back at the accident fairly objectively. After all, he hadn't been responsible for the accident, so he hadn't had to do any soul-searching because of it. It was entirely the other guy's fault, and no amount of caution on Kimura's part could have warded it off. He'd completely overcome the terror he had felt. A month... was that a long time? Asakawa was still in thrall to the terror he'd known two years ago.
"thrall"の単語が分からないので "in thrall to" が分かりません。"thrall"を辞書で見ます。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a state of servitude or submission: in thrall to his emotions
・Macmillan Dictionary: in thrall to: completely controlled or influenced by someone or something: He accused the government of being in thrall to big business.
・Vocabulary.com: When you're in thrall to someone, you are under their control in some way. If you're being held as a hostage, you're in thrall to your captor.
You can be in thrall to anything that holds you captive or controls your thoughts or actions, like an addiction, a disease, or a cult leader. The Old English word that thrall comes from literally means "slave" or "servant." Another word with the same root as thrall is enthrall, which is sort of a friendlier version of the same idea. If you're enthralled by someone, you're captivated or fascinated, rather than "held in bondage."
なるほど、"thrall"は元々奴隷/虜で、 "enthrall" だと良いニュアンスが出てくるのですね。

pull an all nighter

先日ＴＶで、あるドキュメンタリーを見ていたら（何の話か全く覚えていない）、話の紹介役は作家で、その作品は英訳もされていて海外でも人気があると画面の下にテロップがでていました。その時にメモした作品 "Ring" が地元の図書館にあったので借りて読むことにしました。いつも読むような本の倍もある大型の本で、持ち歩きに不便で（私の場合家で本を読む事はなく、もっぱら会社の行き帰りに読みます）、しかも裏表紙にホラー、ミステリー小説とあったので、ホラー映画は好きではないので読まずに返したくなりましたが、今までのところ借りて読まなかった本はないので、我慢して読むことにしました。読み始めると日本が舞台の小説なので分かり易く、今のところ気分が悪くなるような表現はないのでなんとか最後まで読みたい。
最初に採り上げる表現は次の二個所に出てきました。
She had a test tommorrow, but she was getting nowhere. Tomoko Oishi wasn't going to be ready for it even if she pulled an all-nighter.
...
Asakawa was physically fatigued from having pulled an all-nighter.
上に出てきた "pulled an all-nighter" の意味は徹夜をしたと文脈から分かりますが、動詞に "pull" が使われるのは意外に感じました。
・Wiktionary: (idiomatic, informal) Work diligently throughout the night.
・Dave's ESL Cafe: study or work all night without getting any sleep.
A: "You look really tired."
B: "I am. I pulled an all-nighter to get ready for the meeting this morning."

transformative

図書館から洋書を借りて読んでいますが、予約の関係で間が空いた時に読む本として "CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL" を丸善で買ってきました。今日はその中のCarpe Diemと題された逸話に出てきた単語を採り上げます。 Carpe Diemは今日を楽しめ（enjoy the pleasures of the moment, without concern for the future - Collins Dictionary）との意味ですが、ここで採り上げる単語は次ぎのように使われています。
One who stands as a shining example of courageous expression is John Keating, the transformative teacher portrayed by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. "transformative" の "transform" は変形する、変るの意味ですが、teacherの形容詞としての "transformative" はどんな意味になるのでしょうか？　辞書を見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: of or relating to the process of changing a person or thing into something better or more attractive: Thus death is regarded as a significant transformative event in the life of both family and tribal community.
・GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English: Having power, or a tendency, to transform.
先生が変るのはおかしいので、生徒を多分良い方向に変えられる力のある先生なのでしょう。

recrudescence

今日はNov.5のJapan Times Onlineの記事に使われていた単語 "recrudescence" を覚えたいと思います。
New maritime challenges
The recrudescence of territorial and maritime disputes, largely tied to the competition over natural resources, will increasingly have a bearing on maritime peace and security.
"recrudescence" には " "re" がついているので、意味は再発、再燃ではないかと想像がつきますが、辞書で確認します。
・Collins Dictionary: (literary) (of a disease, trouble, etc) the act of breaking out or appearing again after a period of dormancy; recurrence: The recrudescence of terrorist violence in the North-East is highly disturbing.
Word Origin: C19: from Latin recr-d-scere to become raw again, from re- + cr-d-scere to grow worse, from cr-dus bloody, raw; see crude
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a new outbreak after a period of abatement or inactivity: renewal: a recrudescence of the symptoms: a recrudescence of guerrilla warfare: increased severity of a disease after a remission; also: recurrence of a disease after a brief intermission
丁寧な説明のあるVocabulary.comも読んでみます。
When something that's bad comes back to haunt you, call is a recrudescence. It's not a word you'll hear often, but it's useful. As a bonus, it lets you say "crud" while sounding really smart.
Don't confuse recrudescence with resurgence, which is neutral and could be used just as easily to describe a new growth of pimples as to describe the return of warm weather in the spring. is bad. Use it to talk about those pimples, the return of the symptoms of a disease, or an underground crime ring.
なるほど、"resurgence" は中性だが、"recrudescence" は良くないことの再発にしか使わないのですね。

jump the gun

Oct.27のJapan Times Onlineにあった記事タイトルと見出しです。
Strolling old Fukagawa, where gardens and true glitterati mingle
I may be jumping the gun a bit on fall colors, but early October's glorious weather has got me craving some autumnal arboreality.
慣用句の参考書か何かに "jump the gun" の表現が出ていた記憶がありますが、実際の文で使われているのを見るのは初めてです。この際にしっかりと覚えて置きたいと思います。辞書の説明を引用します。
・Collins Dictionary:
1.(of a runner, etc) to set off before the starting signal is given
2.(informal) to act prematurely: But it means that she's not prepared to jump the gun in any way.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to do something too soon, especially without thinking carefully about it: They've only just met - isn't it jumping the gun to be talking about marriage already?
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: Fig. to start before the starting signal. (Originally used in sports contests that are started by firing a gun.) We all had to start the race again because Jane jumped the gun. When we took the test, Tom jumped the gun and started early.
フライングと言うのは和製英語ですかね？

Count me out

While visiting my neighbour earlier this year, I overheard her chatting to a census official on her front doorstep.
As he handed her the form, she asked what it was all about.
"We're trying to find out how many people there are in the country," said the official.
"Well, there's no point asking me," replied my neighbour, handing back the form. "I haven't the faintest idea."

Skypo

Reader's Digestに出ていた面白い言葉です。
Just dialled the wrong person on Skype.
Guess I made a Skypo. Skypeは仕事で一度だけ使ったことがありますが、個人的には全く使っていません。遠隔地に孫が住んでいるような状況になれば使うこともあるかと思いますが。　子供がまだ結婚もしていないようではそんな状況は直ぐにはきそうもありません。
So, I don't make a Skypo but I make typos often.

hail

毎日Eメールで届くJapan Times Online（主な記事のタイトルとサブキャプションのみの配信）のOct.26号を読んでいると、知っている単語ですが、知らなかった用法・意味で使われている単語がありました。
Entrepreneur touts power to the people as cure for Czech ills
Tomio Okamura -- whose mother is Czech and whose father hails from Niigata Prefecture -- ranks as the third-most-popular politician in the country with an approval rating of 46 percent. That level of popularity is hardly surprising, though, given his near-omnipresence in Czech life.
この "hails from Niigata Prefecture" は新潟出身の意味である事は文脈から容易に分かります。興味の湧く記事なのでWebで全文を読むことにしました。
It is all a far cry from Okamura’s somewhat difficult childhood, which alternated between Japan and what was then Czechoslovakia. Growing up, he encountered discrimination in both countries because of his mixed ethnicity. With his post-college career options in Tokyo -- where he was disparagingly called a gaijin (foreigner) -- consequently limited, he was forced to work as a garbage collector and sell popcorn at a cinema. Okamura says that period has influenced his politics.
全文を読みたい次ぎのＵＲＬに記事とTomio Okamura氏の写真が出ています。
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/10/25/general/entrepreneur-touts-power-to-the-people-as-cure-for-czech-ills/
さて、"hail" の意味を辞書で確認します。
・Collins Dictionary: intr foll by from to be a native (of); originate (in) ⇒ she hails from India
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to come from or to have been born in a particular place: Joe originally hails from Toronto.
・Vocabulary.com: Hail is when chunks of ice fall from the sky. Also, to hail someone is to greet them or say good things about them. Or it can be a way to tell people of your homeland, as in: "I hail from the Moon."

No bones about it

Reader's Digest 11月号のSmart Animalsコーナーに、散歩で骨を見つけるのが好きな愛犬の話がありました。その記事からの抜粋です。
Suddenly I noticed that instead of sniffing and running all over the place as usual, she was walking at heel. In spite of my telling her she could go, she kept walking behind me. Ten minutes later, she was still at heel so I stopped and took a good look at her. That's when I found she had a bone in her mouth. She had decided that I wouldn't see it if she walked alongside me where I could just see the top of her head. "walking at heel" の表現は知りませんでしたが、"walking behind me" が後に出ているので、同じ意味だと分かります。骨を拾って口にくわえていると飼い主から取り上げられることがこれまでの経験で分かっているので、骨を見つけた後は飼い主の後ろを歩くようにした賢い犬の話でした。
ところでこの記事のタイトルは "No bones about it" となっていましたが、これはどんな意味でしょうか？　辞書を見ます。
"make no bones about something" と言う慣用句がある事が分かりました。その意味は：
・Cambridge English Dictionary: not to try to hide your feelings: He made no bones about his dissatisfaction with the service.
・Cambridge Idioms Dictionary: to say clearly what you think or feel although you may embarrass or offend someone He made no bones about his dissatisfaction with the service in the hotel.: She makes no bones about wanting John to leave.
・UsingEnglish.com: If somebody make no bones about a scandal in their past, they are open and honest about it and show no shame or embarrassment.
・McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs: to make no mistake (about it); no need to doubt it; absolutely. This is the greatest cake I've ever eaten. Make no bones about it.: Make no bones about it, Mary is a great singer.
RDの記事に出てきたSmart Dogがしようとした事とは反対の意味ですが、"bone" の話だったので、一種の洒落でしょう。
この表現の由来は諸説あり、引用すると長くなるので省略しますが、興味のある方はWorld Wide Wordsの下記ＵＲＬにも詳しい説明があります。
"http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bon1.htm"

elliptical

今日の単語も昨日とりあげたReader's Digestの同じ記事にあったものです。
Old Rule: Do cardio exercises to lose weight
Cardio exercise has been the gold standard for shedding weight since the concept was introduced to the average person by doctor Kenneth Cooper in his 1968 book, Aerobics, which coined the term and publicised the importance of cardiovascular fitness for controlling weight and promoting health. We've been jogging, running, biking and elliptical training ever since.
"elliptical training" とは何でしょうか？　辞書を見ます。"elliptical" をどの辞書を見ても上の文に合う意味は見つかりません。そこで "elliptical training" で辞書を再度検索し直したら次ぎの説明が見付かりました。
　・Dictionary.com: An elliptical trainer: an exercise machine like a stationary bike without a seat, so that exercising is done in an upright position, and having pedals that the user moves in an elliptical pattern, believed to minimize strain on the knee joints.
そうすると、 "elliptical training" は "elliptical trainer" で行うトレーニングの事ですね。
"elliptical trainer" 器具の写真を見つけたのでそれを見て頂ければ一目瞭然です。
さて、では体重を減らすのに効果の大きいのは次ぎの運動だそうです。
Science now shows that quality trumps quantity: short bursts of intense physical activity called intervals are the best workout for weight loss.
これは年寄りには無理ですね。