off-putting

Sayaka Murataの小説 "Convenience Store Woman" を読んでいます。
She’s a housewife, one year older than me at age thirty-seven, and rather stern, but she’s an efficient worker. She’s a rather flashy dresser and changes out of her high heels into sneakers by her locker. “Early again today, Miss Furukura? Oh, that’s one of those new buns, isn’t it? What’s it like?” she asked, her eyes settling on the mango-chocolate bun in my hand. “The cream tastes weird, and it smells a bit strong, which is quite off-putting. It’s not very nice, actually.” “Really? Oh dear, the manager ordered a hundred of them.

この表現 "off-putting" は過去に３度も取り上げていますが、いまだに直ぐに意味が出てきません。　考えてみると "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today" は多分中学生の頃に習って覚えています。　もしかすると "off-putting" も高校の頃に習っているかも知れません。

・Oxford English Dictionary: not pleasant, in a way that prevents you from liking somebody/something: I find his manner very off-putting.
・Collins Dictionary: If you describe a quality or feature of something as off-putting, you mean that it makes you dislike that thing or not want to get involved with it.: However, many customers found the smell of this product distinctly off-putting.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: slightly unpleasant or worrying so that you do not want to get involved in any way: What I found off-putting was the amount of work that you were expected to do.
・Vocabulary.com: If something's off-putting, it annoys or disgusts you. A waiter's bad breath might be off-putting, and the high prices on the menu might be equally off-putting.
Off-putting things can seem unappealing, irritating, or downright horrifying. An off-putting movie trailer won't tempt you to see the film and an off-putting list of rules might keep you from signing up for a gym membership. In the sixteenth century, off-putting had a completely different meaning — basically "putting off," or "procrastinating." It wasn't until the late 1800s that it came to mean "creating an unfavorable impression."

I find this expression quite off-putting because I can't remember it. But I try to remenber it today not putting off until tomorrow.
良いお年をお迎え下さい。

uncalled for

Sayaka Murataの小説 "Convenience Store Woman" を読んでいます。
I didn’t make any friends at school, but I wasn’t particularly picked on or bullied, and I managed to get myself through elementary and secondary without saying anything uncalled for.

"uncalled for" は植木等の「お呼びでない」（若い人は知らないでしょうね。）を連想します。　つまり "without saying anything uncalled for" は余計な事は言わなかったと解釈しますが、辞書で確認します。

・Cambridge English Dictionary: If a criticism, insult, remark, or action is uncalled-for, it is unfair, rude, or unkind and therefore considered to be unnecessary: There's no reason to make personal comments - that was completely uncalled-for.
・Vocabulary.com: not required or requested: “uncalled-for suggestions”

ice lolly stick

Sayaka Murataの小説 "Convenience Store Woman" を読んでいます。

We buried the bird in a hole dug on the other side of a fence with a sign that said keep out and placed the flower corpses on top of it. Someone brought an ice lolly stick from the trash can to use as a grave marker.

"ice lolly stick" は初めて見ますが、 "lollipop/lolly pop" からアイスキャンディー、棒付きのアイスクリームを指していると容易に推測できます。　そもそも "lolly" にどんな意味があるのか辞書を見ます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: (British English) a lollipop (= a hard round or flat sweet made of boiled sugar on a small stick)/an ice lolly (= a piece of ice with a sweet taste, served on a stick)
・Collins Dictionary: A lolly is the same as a lollipop.[mainly British]
・Cambridge English Dictionary: UK an ice lolly UK or a lollipop; Australian English a wrapped sweet for sucking or chewing (= crushing with the teeth)

"lolly" はイギリス英語のようですね。米国では "popsicle" ですかね？

dither over

Sayaka Murataの小説 "Convenience Store Woman" を読み始めました。

As he does so, I notice him glance at the hot-food cabinet. I could ask him whether he’d like anything else, but when a customer appears to be dithering over whether or not to buy something, I make a point of taking a step back and waiting.

"dithering over" は文脈からすると「迷っている」様子ですが、辞書で確認します。

・Oxford English Dictionary: to hesitate about what to do because you are unable to decide: She was dithering over what to wear.
・Collins Dictionary: When someone dithers, they hesitate because they are unable to make a quick decision about something.: We're still dithering over whether to marry.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to be unable to make a decision about doing something: Stop dithering and choose which one you want!
・Vocabulary.com: When you dither, you're flustered because you can't make up your mind about something. You might dither about what to do if your two best friends invite you to parties on the same night.
The verb dither implies not only that you're having a hard time deciding about something, but that you're upset or agitated about it. You might say to your friend, "Don't just pace around and dither about what to wear! We're going to be late!" In the 17th century, dither meant "quake or tremble," and by the early 1800s it came to mean both "vacillate" and "be anxious."

work one's butt off

Reader's　Digest 11月号の記事 "Life Advice from 1,000 Strangers" からの引用です。

She told Nuri her story. "I worked my butt off my whole life," she said. "I had this dream that I would live my life once I retired. I'd do art, redo a little house and raise horses. But then I got sick and that dream ended."

butt off" は "butt" があるので、口語/俗語的な表現でしょうね。　辞書を見ます。 "butt" の項には説明がありませんでしたが、"work one's butt off" の慣用句として掲載している辞書がありました。

・Farlex Dictionary of Idioms: To work really hard (on or at something).: I know you thought it was just a silly New Year's resolution, but I've been working my butt off at the gym!
・Wiktionary: To work, or cause to work, excessively or to the point of exhaustion

"butt" を同じ意味の "arse" 又は "ass" に言い換えた表現も掲載されています。

・A Dictionary of English Slang & Colloquialisms: To work hard. Also as work one's ass off and work one's butt off. E.g."She worked her butt off for 3 years and still failed her exams."

spiel

Reader's　Digest 11月号の記事 "Life Advice from 1,000 Strangers" からの引用です。

He'd zigzag to make sure he visited every state he'd missed along the way to the thing he'd done in decades, he introduced himself and gave the spiel he'd repeat during the weeks to come: "I'm driving around the country to talk to 1,000 strangers.

ドイツ語を少しかじったのは５０年前ですが、"spiel" は何かドイツ語の響きがします。　意味を辞書で調べます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: a speech that somebody has used many times that is intended to persuade you to believe something or buy something: The salesman went into a long spiel about the merits of the new design.
・Collins Dictionary: a glib plausible style of talk, associated esp with salespeople: You'll come out with a long spiel of direct commands, and then smile and ask, `What do you think?
・Cambridge English Dictionary: a speech, especially one that is long and spoken quickly and is intended to persuade the person listening about something: They gave us a long spiel about why we needed to install double glazing in our house.
・Vocabulary.com: A spiel is a lengthy, often glib talk that's intended to persuade or make excuses. Infomercials feature salespeople giving a 30-minute spiel about some product.
Used as a noun or verb, spiel originates from the German word spielen, meaning “to play." It's often somewhat rehearsed and should be greeted with skepticism. Upon turning 16, your child might give you a spiel about why they need a car for their birthday. In a political debate, if your stance doesn't sound original, thoughtful, and earnest, it may just come across as a spiel, leading your audience to think, "Oh, brother, there they go again."

これからは "spiel" で政治家の選挙演説を連想することにします。

My Dad's Name

Reader's　Digest 11月号の記事 "Life in these United States" からの引用です。

The first grade teacher asked each of her pupils if they knew their parents' names. My nephew did. "My mom is Paula," he said. "And my dad is Honey."

アメリカ人ならでの話ですね。

frenemy

Reader's　Digest 11月号の記事 "How To Get Along With Anyone " からの引用です。

Though all these personalities are different, none is more so than the Frenemy--that is, someone equal parts friend and enemy--a relationship phenomenon so subtle, personal and complicated that sometimes you have to be in it to know it's there.

何故か大文字で始まっている "frenemy" は初めて見る単語ですが、意味は文中にあり、スペルからも直ぐに推測できます。辞書に出ている単語か確認します。

・Oxford English Dictionary: a person or organization that you are friends with because it is useful or necessary to be their friend, even though you really dislike or disagree with them: The internet giant is seen by many as a frenemy, a company they cannot afford not to work with.
・Wiktionary: (sometimes humorous) Someone who has traits of an enemy and a friend.: Frienemies who when you're down ain't your friend
・Merriam-Webster: a person who is or pretends to be a friend but who is also in some ways an enemy or rival: In Hollywood, everyone has lots of frenemies, usually people who are doing comparatively well at any given moment.

cross my X's and circle my O's

Reader's　Digest 11月号の記事 "All in a Day's Work" からの引用です。

If you like to eavesdrop on your co-workers, these are the sorts of conversations you might encounter:
*Employee on phone with customer: "I just need to cross my X's and circle my O's, then I can get back to you.

この "cross my X's and circle my O's" が何をすることなのか見当が付きません。辞書を見ても慣用句ではなさそうです。
そこで最近使い始めた ChatGPT に意味を訊ねたところ次の返事がありました。

The phrase "cross my X's and circle my O's" in this context is likely being used metaphorically or idiomatically to convey the idea of completing or finishing certain tasks or actions before being able to respond or get back to the customer. It's a playful or creative way of expressing the need to wrap up or finalize something before being available for further interaction. The specific meaning may depend on the broader context of the conversation or the nature of the tasks being referred to.

具体的な動作を示しているわけではなく　"a playful or creative way of expressing the need to wrap up or finalize something" で電話を切る言い訳で言ったようですね。　ChatGPT に更にこの表現の由来があるかも訊いて見ました。

The expression "cross my X's and circle my O's" doesn't appear to be a well-known or widely recognized idiom or phrase with a specific historical or cultural origin. It seems to be a playful and creative way of expressing the idea of completing tasks or actions before being able to respond. The use of X's and O's may be chosen for their simplicity and visual appeal, making the expression more whimsical. It's possible that the specific phrase was coined or popularized within the context of the article you mentioned, or it could be a localized and informal expression used by a particular group of people. Without more context, it's challenging to trace the exact origin of this specific expression.

この説明を読んで、"tic-tac-toe" と "dot the i's and cross the t's" / "dot your i’s and cross your t’s" を連想しましたが、やはり "cross my X's and circle my O's" は単なる口実で、日本語で簡単に言えば「あれやらこれやら/なんだかんだをした」にあたるのでしょう。

man

Kanae Minatoの小説 "Penance" を読んでいます。

And I thought I should do something that would make my brother-in-law happy. I recalled my sister saying that during the next personnel reassignments he might be sent off to some prefectural backwater. The complacent thought struck me how nice it would be if he could man the little police substation in whatever town he ended up in, then I realized how tough this demotion had to be for him.

"man" が動詞として使われていますがどんな意味になるのでしょうか？　辞書を見ます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: man something to work at a place or be in charge of a place or a machine: Soldiers manned barricades around the city.
・Collins Dictionary: If you man something such as a place or machine, you operate it or are in charge of it.: The station is seldom manned in the evening.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: to use or operate equipment or machinery as part of your work, or to work in a particular place: Extra staff are brought in to man the phone lines during busy periods.

若い人ならともかく、田舎の交番勤務は降格でしょうね。