放送大学

原書を英語で読むのを始めて20年近くになりますが、普段は漫然と読んでいるだけです。たまたま、放送大学の大学生（既に卒業しているが博士課程にいる、あるいは特定の科目のみ講習を受けている）の方達と会う機会があり、自分も英語の勉強を放送大学でやり直す方法があると気が付き、4月から英語科目の一つ、"グローバル時代の英語"を受講する事にしました。
ところが入学手続きをしてから分かったのですが、我が家のTVはJCOM（ケーブルTV）で見ているのですが、JCOMでは放送大学の放映は見れないと知りました。そう言えば過去は番組表に放送大学もあったはずだが、最近は見かけない。調べるとJCOMは何故か放送大学の放映を止めたとありました。なんてこった。さらに、授業はTVで受講するものと思っていたのですが、"グローバル時代の英語" はラジオでの放送！　ラジオだとタイマーも録音機能もないので、逃さず聴くのは無理！　これは大変と履修案内をよく読むと、インターネットでも受講できる事が分かり安心。

plug

多和田葉子氏の小説 "Scattered All Over the World" を読み始めました。この著者の小説を読むのはこれで3冊目です。早速気になる表現がありました。

On that stage, blinded by spotlights, I’m a fake star. Ridiculous. Better to turn on the TV. I can lie on the sofa and watch the performers without feeling like they’re watching me. I flipped through comedies that weren’t the least bit funny, popular songs with an extremely limited vocabulary, ads plugging some kitchen utensil you’d use once or twice and then forget about. Then I came to one of those foodie shows, a tour of Danish restaurants.

この "plugging" は意味をすっかり忘れていましたが2/15/2010に取り上げていました。前回語源については調べなかったのでOnline Etymology Dictionaryを見ると次の記述がありました。
n. Meaning "advertisement" is recorded by 1902, American English, perhaps from verb sense "work energetically at" (c. 1865).
V. Sense of "popularize by repetition" is from 1906. Slang sense "put a bullet into" is recorded from 1870.

canker sore

Reader's　Digest ２月号の記事 "LIFE in these United States" からの引用です。

While we drove to the park my young nephew said, "I have a big canker sore in my mouth."
My concerned 3-year old son asked, "Is that a type of dinosaur?"

米国の子供も恐竜が好きなんですね。口の中に痛みがあると言っているので "canker sore" は口内炎かなと思いますが、辞書で "canker" を確認します。

・Oxford English Dictionary: (also canker sore (both North American English), British English mouth ulcer) a small painful area in the mouth
・Collins Dictionary: an ulcerlike sore, esp. in the mouth: thought to be an immune reaction see also cold sore: also canker sore
詳しい説明がVocabulary.comにありました。
・Vocabulary.com: A canker is a kind of sore. Some people are prone to getting cankers on their mouths. Canker can also refer to anything that is terrible and difficult to get rid of. Your parents might complain that the abandoned, run-down house two blocks away is a canker on your neighborhood.
In medicine, cankers are ulcers that are difficult to treat (the word is closely related to cancer). In agriculture, canker refers to a fungal disease that attacks the bark of trees. If one kid in your class misbehaves, and everyone suddenly follows his lead, that kid could be described (by your teachers) as a canker.

上記説明の最後に掛かれている「組織内部の障害・人」を日本語では通常「がん」と言いますが、英語では "canker" とも言うのは語源が元々 "cancer" と同じなのだからですね。

rewilding

Reader's　Digest ２月号の記事 "What a Great Idea" からの引用です。
Rewilding Big Cities
As any city dweller will tell you, a little green space goes a long way. Having a park around the corner promotes physical activity and improves air quality. Plus, a tree is a lot nicer to look at than a highway.

この後にスペインのマドリッド市がハイウェイを地下道にして、地上を緑の公園にした話が書かれています。タイトルの "Rewilding" の意味が分からないので辞書を見ます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: the practice of helping large areas of land to return to their natural state
・Collins Dictionary: the practice of returning areas of land to a wild state, including the reintroduction of animal species that are no longer naturally found there: Indeed, the evidence suggests that there will be more benefits from rewilding.
Wikitionary: The act of restoring a natural area to its former wild state, especially by repopulating it with animals that have been extirpated.: The beaver was hunted to extinction in Britain more than three centuries ago, but is today the rewilding movement’s pin-up.

なるほど原形は "rewild" と気が付けば意味は分かったはす。でも不思議な事に辞書も原形の "rewild" は取り上げていない辞書も多かった。名詞形の "rewilding" が先に使われたのでしょうね。

canalith

Reader's　Digest ２月号の記事 "May We Borrow Your Brain?" は二年前に私がかかった病気について書いていました。

With peripheral vertigo, the most common cause is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. It develops when canaliths (tiny crystal-like calcium particles) that naturally occur inside the ear become loose and move deeper into the inner-ear canals. As they roll around, they can disrupt the transmission of information to the brain about balance. That's why the sensation that the room is spinning can strike when someone leans back to look up into a high kitchen cupboard, bends over to tie a shoe--or, as Smith discovered, fold over in a yoga pose.

私が突然めまいを感じたのは朝ベットから起きた時で、しばらくするとめまいは消えますが、横になった後に起き上がる時にめまいが発生します。この手の症状は耳石が原因の場合が多いという事実は以前TVの番組で知っていましたが、自分がその病気になるとは思ってもいませんでした。そんなわけで上の記事を読んでいて "canalith" は知らない単語でしたが、耳石を指していることは分かりました。
辞書で調べると "canalith" を載せているのは次の辞書しか見つかりませんでした。
・Wikitionary: An otolith that has migrated to a semicircular canal. Synonym: canalolith
この説明によると、内耳にあった "otolith" がはがれて三半規管に入ったのが "canalith" と呼ばれている様です。
"otolith" を辞書で見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: any of the granules of calcium carbonate in the inner ear of vertebrates. Movement of otoliths, caused by a change in position of the animal, stimulates sensory hair cells, which convey the information to the brain
"otolith" は内耳にあるとされていますね。

three-peat

The Japan Times, March 23, 2024の記事タイトル・サブタイトルを引用します。

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto first woman in 56 years to claim three-peat
Japan's Kaori Sakamoto reacts after the women’s short program during the World Figure Skating Championships at Bell Center in Montreal on Friday.

坂本花織が世界大会3連覇したのは知っているので　"three-peat" の意味は分かりますが、何故 "peat" なのか疑問に思い辞書を見ました。
・Oxford English Dictionary: (used especially in newspapers): to win a competition for the third time, especially in sport
Word Origin: 1980s: from three + a shortened form of repeat.
・Merriam-Webster: a third consecutive championship: Baseball’s most recent three-peat is Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.
・Wiktionary: (US, slang) To win something three times consecutively.

"threepeat" とも綴られ、four-peat / fourpeatもあるようだ。 "peat" は "repeat" から来ていると知り納得です。

Japanese knotweed

BBCのWebサイトを見ていたら興味深い記事がありました。以下はその冒頭箇所からの引用です。

The beer I'm sipping has a sharp, tart flavour, similar to rhubarb. But fruit isn't the main ingredient. The cold brew is made from the UK's most damaging plant: Japanese knotweed.

Introduced in the UK as a highly prized ornamental plant in the mid-19th Century, Japanese knotweed is widely considered one of the world's most intractable invasive species. With its creeping roots, the weed can smother gardens and parks and is the scourge of homeowners.

But at Silo, the zero-waste restaurant in east London where I'm dining, Japanese knotweed is a firm favourite. Head chef Doug McMaster has been cooking with the weed for years. "It's an amazing ingredient," he says. "It's incredibly versatile; it can be grilled, it can be cooked, it can be turned into beer, fermented and pickled.

日本の植物で "invasive plant" として有名なのは葛で、英語でも "Kuzu" として良く知られていますが、上記の "Japanese knotweed" とはどんな植物でしょうか？

・Wiktionary: A large, herbaceous perennial plant, Fallopia japonica, native to Asia; it is a highly invasive colonizer outside of its native territory.: We got into this because we were looking at invasive species at the roadside, such as Japanese knotweed. A lot of rail embankments have been solidified by knotweed because the roots are so strong.

Wikipediaには "Japanese knotweed" をredirectした "Reynoutria japonica" の項に詳しい説明があり、 "Japanese knotweed" の和名について次の記述があります。

It grows widely throughout Japan and is foraged as a wild edible vegetable (sansai), though not in sufficient quantities to be included in statistics. They are called by such regional names as tonkiba (Yamagata), itazuiko (Nagano, Mie), itazura (Gifu, Toyama, Nara, Wakayama, Kagawa), gonpachi (Shizuoka, Nara, Mie, Wakayama), sashi (Akita, Yamagata), jajappo (Shimane, Tottori, Okayama), sukanpo (many areas).

私はどれも全く知りませんが、スカンポは唱歌に「土手のスカンポ」とあったことだけ覚えています。スカンポを日本語のWikipediaで調べると、イタドリとスイバの別名とあり、二つの別の植物を指しています。イタドリとスイバのそれぞれの項を見ると、イタドリの学名は Fallopia japonicaで、スイバの学名はRumex acetosa L.と書かれていて、イタドリは世界の侵略的外来種ワースト100 (IUCN, 2000) 選定種の1つでもあるとの記述もあるので、BBCの記事の "Japanese knotweed" はイタドリを指していると思われます。

the be-all and end-all

The Japan Times March 21, 2024の記事からの引用です。
Local governments engage elderly to ease adoption of cashless payments
Some older people and others who find digital devices difficult to operate continue to view cash as the be-all and end-all for making purchases.

"the be-all and end-all" の表現を見るのは初めてなので辞書を見ます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: the most important part; all that matters: Her career is the be-all and end-all of her existence.
・Collins Dictionary: If something is the be-all and end-all to you, it is the only important thing in your life, or the only important feature of a particular activity.: For some people, competing is the be-all and end-all of their running.
・Cambridge English Dictionary: the most important thing:　We all agreed that winning was not the be-all and end-all.

あまり自覚はしていませんが、私も後期高齢者なので "elderly" の範疇に入っているのは間違いないでしょう。しかし、少なくとも現金のみが "the be-all and end-all" とは思ってはいません。クレジットカードには大変お世話になっています。いずれにせよ、スマートフォンを "the be-all and end-all" には絶対にできません。PCファンです。

Prajna mask

Yasutaka Tsutsuiの短編 "The Stuff that Nightmares are Made of" を読みました。

"Yeah, it's fine. You can come in now."
Slowly and cautiously, Masako stepped into Bunichi's room. And as soon as she did, out jumped Bunichi from behind the door with a mask on his face! It was a "Prajna" mask from one of the stories Bunichi liked, with hollow eyes, a gaping bright-red mouth and a expression so fierce it could only belong to a creature from another world.

日本の話なのに "Prajna" と言う外国語？　私には英単語ではなくスペイン語か何かのように思えます。辞書を見ます。

・Collins Dictionary: wisdom or understanding considered as the goal of Buddhist contemplation: It was through his human existence that he showed his supreme wisdom of compassion, ethical responsibility, and prajna-wisdom.
・Merriam-Webster:transcendental wisdom or supreme knowledge in Buddhism gained through intuitive insight

"Prajna" はサンスクリット由来なのですね。英英辞書ではこの程度の説明しかないのでGoogle検索すると、般若面の宣伝がいっぱい出てきました。その中から英語での宣伝を二点引用します。

Introducing our Prajna Mask, a Japanese Demon Oni inspired prop that's perfect for enhancing your cosplay costume. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, this mask is designed to capture the essence of the feared Oni demons in Japanese folklore. Elevate your cosplay game with this authentically crafted Prajna Mask!

Introducing the Prajna Mask - Japanese Demon Oni Prajna Mask Cosplay Costume Prop, a must-have for all cosplay enthusiasts! This intricately designed mask will transport you straight into the world of Japanese folklore and mythology. Unleash your inner demon with this powerful and awe-inspiring accessory that is perfect for Halloween parties, cosplay events, and anime conventions.

なるほどコスプレとかハロウィンで使うのですね。

rash in

Yasutaka TsutsuiのSF小説 "The Girl who Leapt through Time" を読みました。

Kazuko left the house with no destination in mind, but she was dying to tell someone. At first, she thought about visiting Goro. But then, Goro could be easily scared and was sometimes rash in his behaviour. Perhaps it would be better to visit Kazuo instead? Sure, he came across at times as being a bit spaced out. But underneath it all, Kazuo was really rather smart.

"rash in" の意味を調べます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: a lot of something; a series of unpleasant things that happen over a short period of time: Rising prices are the result of the recent rash of strikes in the steel industry.
・Collins Dictionary: If someone is rash or does rash things, they act without thinking carefully first, and therefore make mistakes or behave foolishly.: Don't do anything rash until the feelings subside.
・Vocabulary.com: A rash is something that spreads like wild fire — red itchy skin or a series of unfortunate events. It can also describe an impulsive, wild decision.
As an adjective, rash has meant "quick, vigorous" since the 1300s by way of Scotland. The meaning shifted to "reckless" a few hundred years later, and can still be used that way — a "rash decision" is a sudden, not well thought out one. Rash, the noun that no one wants on their skin, came a few hundred years after that, but from the French word rache which at some point meant "ringworm." Ringworm still gives us a red, itchy rash. Fun! Rash can also mean a lot of unpleasant things happening in a short amount of time, like robberies or earthquakes.

英英辞書はたいていの場合Oxford English Dictionary、Collins DictionarとCambridge English Dictionarなどの例文が付いている辞書を利用しています。そして、一部の単語について詳しい解説があるVocabulary.comも見ることにしています。