每日一词学英语(149-24/09/09): puddle

月球表面每吨土壤含水量达一升。不过，说起“月球上的水”，并不是说湖、海或水洼。Carle Pieters, of Brown University, who led the Chandrayaan-1 observation team, said: “When we say ‘water on the moon’, we are not talking about lakes, oceans or even puddles. 月球上的水特指月球表层几毫米内与岩石分子和粉尘相互作用的水分子和羟基。(From The Times, September 24, 2009: Moon 'has a litre of water for every tonne of soil')

puddle: (noun) a small amount of water or other liquid, especially rain, that has collected in one place on the ground. 水洼；小水坑；（尤指）雨水坑。

每日一词学英语(148-23/09/09): hung

英国自由民主党党魁Nick Clegg高调宣布将成为下届首相。Although he said Labour was “lost”, Mr Clegg did not directly rule out putting Gordon Brown back in Downing Street in the event of a hung Parliament. (From Times Online, September 23, 2009: We have replaced Labour claims Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg) 他认为，工党虽然已经败了，不过布朗还不是就没有了重返唐宁街的可能。

hung: (adj.) [only before noun] (of a parliament or council) (BrE) in which no political party has more elected members than all the other parties added together.
任何政党都不占多数席位的。

hung parliament: 【英】没有多数党的议会。

每日一词学英语(147-22/09/09): lymph

Dendritic cells normally latch on to bacteria and viruses before migrating to the lymph nodes, where they present the alien material to the immune system’s “killer” T-cells that seek and destroy such invaders. (From Economist, September 22, 2009: Identifying the enemy within)

lymph发音是[limf]，中文根据拉丁文lympha译成“淋巴”，意思是：(noun) [U] a clear liquid containing white blood cells that helps to clean the tissues of the body and helps to prevent infections from spreading。

lymph node是“淋巴结”。

每日一词学英语(146-21/09/09): bear the brunt of

英国政府削减开支，教育机构首当其冲。“Federations between schools may be a good idea but must not be required as a way to make cuts,” she added - calling for the Government’s academies programme to bear the brunt of cuts. (From Times Online, September 20, 2009: Unions alarmed by Ed Balls schools cuts)

bear, take, etc. the brunt of sth: to receive the main force of sth unpleasant. 首当其冲。
*Schools will bear the brunt of cuts in government spending.

每日一词学英语(145-20/09/09): E coli

E coli即Escherichia coli，又写作E. coli，(noun) [U] a type of bacteria that lives inside humans and some animals, some forms of which can cause food poisoning，大肠杆菌。

Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said E coli 0157 was prevalent in cows, sheep and goats, with research showing about one in 10 cows carried the bug and 40% of herds. (From The Sunday Times, September 20, 2009: Parents warned of high E coli risk on farms)

每日一词学英语(144-19/09/09): quango

In weird parallel, another quango set up to safeguard the public is also in the headlines—but this time the story is about overkill, not complacency. (From The Economist, September 17, 2009: A toxic mix)

quango: (noun) (pl. -os) (often disapproving) (in Britain) an organization dealing with public matters, started by the government, but working independently and with its own legal powers.
*The government appoints hundreds of people to voluntary bodies, quangos and committees of all kinds.

Etymology: The initial letters (the first two letters for the first word) of "quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization". 准自制非政府机构。

每日一词学英语(143-18/09/09): with flying colors

第一次面试顺利通过，接下来会有第二次面试。You passed the first interview with flying colors and you just got a call to schedule a second interview. (From About: Second Interview Tips)

with flying colors: very well; with a very high mark/grade. 出色地，成功地。
*She passed the exam with flying colours.

这个词组的起源是：In the past, a ship returned to port after a victory in battle decorated with flags (= colors).

每日一词学英语(142-17/09/09): paediatric

The Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine (APEM), which represents A&E specialists, called on the Government to make it illegal for children under 16 to cycle without wearing head protection. (From Times Online, September 17, 2009: A&E doctors demand that child cyclists be forced to wear helmets)

第30课（28 May 2009）提过词根“pedia-”，是“儿童”的意思。pediatric是形容词，儿科的，paediatric是其英式拼法。

上面那句话中“A&E”是Accident & Emergency的缩写。代表事故和急救专家的英国儿科急救医学协会呼吁政府制定法律，要求16岁以下孩子骑车必须戴头盔。这样可以大幅降低儿童头部伤害事故。

中国何时能效仿？

每日一词学英语(141-16/09/09): Achilles’ heel

希腊英雄Achilles小的时候，他妈妈把他浸没到Styx河里以求保护他不受伤害。他的脚后跟被他妈妈的手托着，因此没挨上河水。后来，Achilles被一箭射伤脚后跟而亡。

Achilles’ heel (alternative spelling of Achilles heel)是单数形式，复数是在heel后加s。noun [sing.] a weak point or fault in sb’s character, which can be attacked by other people。
*The desire for publicity became her Achilles heel.
*The enemy had an Achilles heel somewhere, if only he could find it.
*About 8 per cent of Caucasian men but fewer than 0.5 per cent of females are colour blind. The reason for this lies in a genetic Achilles’ heel particular to males. (From Times Online, September 16, 2009: X marks the spot: why men don't see red – or green) 白种男人有8%是色盲，而白种女人只有0.5%是色盲。这是因为人类尤其是男人在基因上的致命弱点。

每日一词学英语(140-15/09/09): sommelier

The soaring popularity of the sommelier course is part of a much wider explosion of interest among the Japanese in “treasures of the soil”. (From The Times, September 14, 2009: Japan’s recession brings growing interest in fruit and vegetables)

今天这个词源于法语，意思是：斟酒侍者，A wine steward. The person at an expensive restaurant who keeps the wine cellar and advises guests on a choice of wines (Wiktionary)。
*The sommelier recommended the perfect wine, opened the bottle with panáche, and served it perfectly. 斟酒侍者给推荐了美酒，花哨地开了瓶子，漂亮地倒上酒。

每日一词学英语(139-14/09/09): saloon

英国的媒体坚持使用英式英语的拼写和用词，比如saloon或saloon car（美式英语是sedan）: a car with four doors and a boot/trunk (= space at the back for carrying things) which is separated from the part where the driver and passengers sit，小轿车；（三厢式）四门轿车。
*a five-seater family saloo

Second-hand car prices are soaring, with the average saloon worth £600 more than last year. (From Mirror, 13/09/2009: Price of used cars up 30%) 二手车价格飙升，四门轿车平均价格比去年上涨了600镑。

注意“沙龙”是“salon”，比今天这个词少个“o”。不过，“saloon”也有“沙龙”的意思。

每日一词学英语(138-13/09/09): profiteer

英国的房贷机构（银行、信用社等）可够黑的，存款利率这么低，房贷利率却一个劲儿地往上涨。专家警告说，如果房贷机构继续这么牟取暴利，等英国央行开始上调利率了，固定期的房贷利率得涨到10%以上。Experts warned that fixed-rate mortgages could soar to 10% when the Bank of England starts to raise rates again, if lenders continue to profiteer. (From The Sunday Times, September 13, 2009: Lenders ignore Bank rate freeze)

profiteer在这儿是动词，to make excessive profits on goods in short supply，牟取暴利：供应短缺时牟取暴利。由profit+eer而来，也可做名词：投机商。

每日一词学英语(137-12/09/09): bullion

bullion: (noun) [U] gold or silver in large amounts or in the form of bars。大量的金（或银）；金（或银）条。
*gold bullion

周二金价每盎司突破1,000美元，是否会上探史上最高的1,030.8美元大关？Gold smashed through the $1,000 an ounce mark on Tuesday, prompting goldbugs to come out of the woodwork and start exclaiming that bullion will soon test the all-time high of $1,030.8. (From Times Online, September 9, 2009: Why it may not be time to invest in gold)

每日一词学英语(136-11/09/09): tantalisingly

这个词是英式独有的拼写，注意那个s。英、美式一般的写法是，tantalizingly。
动词tantalize的意思是make a person or an animal want sth that they cannot have or do，挑逗，将某种令人渴望的事物摆在（另一个人或动物）面前同时却又把它放在够不着的地方以达到刺激目的。
tantalizing：非常着急的。
tantalizingly：...得令人着急，...到令人着急的程度。

英国对抗猪流感的战斗一直在进行着。Prof Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer说，I think that we are tantalisingly close to being able to win the battle against this pandemic virus. (From Telegraph, 10 September 2009: Swine flu: Britain 'tantalisingly close to winning fight') 这场战斗即将取得胜利，不过还没完全取胜，正到了最后令人抓狂的阶段。要防止10月第二波病毒，采取即时、有效预防措施。

*The tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee wafted towards them.
*a tantalizing glimpse of the future
*The branch was tantalizingly out of reach. 怎么够也够不着那根树枝，真让人着急。

每日一词学英语(135-10/09/09): running

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted today to hold interest rates at 0.5 per cent for the sixth month running. (From Times Online, September 10, 2009: Bank of England keeps rates on hold at 0.5%) 英国央行连续第六个月维持0.5%的历史最低利率不变。继续刺激经济，通胀时代尚未到来。

running: used after a number and a noun such as ‘year’ ‘day’ or ‘time’, to say that sth has happened in the same way several times, without a change。
*She’s won the championship three years running.
*It was the third day running that the train had been late.
*No party has won an election four times running.

注意，“数词+running”不用介词，“序词+running”前面加介词for。

每日一词学英语(134): diminutive

去年英格兰和威尔士起名叫Jack的男婴最多，其次是Oliver，Thomas第三。女婴最受欢迎的三个名字依次是：Olivia，Ruby，Emily。

Jack是John的昵称，父母觉得Jack听上去可靠，所以这个名字有持久的吸引力，能连续13年夺冠。Experts say that the enduring appeal of the name Jack, originally a diminutive of John, is because it sounds trustworthy. (From Times Online, September 9, 2009: Jack and Olivia most popular baby names)

diminutive: a short informal form of a word, especially a name.
*‘Nick’ is a common diminutive of ‘Nicholas’.

旁白：本博最新全球排名566.1302万(September 9, 2009)。

每日一词学英语(133): speak volumes

给孩子起名字是件颇费思量的事，古今中外莫不如此。It speaks volumes, not only about your tastes but about your hopes for your child’s future. (From The Times, September 8, 2009: Baby names: Is he a Hugo or a Jack?)
起名字很有意义，不仅要对父母的胃口，还关乎他们对孩子前程所给予的期望。

speak volumes：很有意义。
本词解释取自金山词霸。

每日一词学英语(132): plough into

Man killed as bus ploughs into William Hill shop (From Telegraph, 7 September 2009)
一则新闻标题，公共汽车冲进博彩商店，致一人死亡。

plough into sb/sth: (especially of a vehicle or its driver) to crash violently into sth especially because you are driving too fast or not paying enough attention.
*A truck ploughed into the back of the bus.

每日一词学英语(131): arguably

最近一段时间英国的媒体关于The Beatles的报导渐渐多起来了，The Times有Beatles专栏，BBC也放了不少专题片(比如昨晚在BBC2)，大概是为了纪念这个乐队解散40周年？

John Lennon did many brilliant things in his life, but arguably one of his most inspired acts was his deliberate destruction of the Beatles in 1969 — just 40 years ago this month. (From The Sunday Times, September 6, 2009: Exclusive: John Lennon, the lost interviews) 列侬一生有许多辉煌，按理说，1969年9月解散Beatles是其中一个神来之笔。

arguably: (adv.) used, often before a comparative or superlative adjective, when you are stating an opinion which you believe you could give reasons to support. （常用于形容词比较级或最高级前）可论证地，按理。
*He is arguably the best actor of his generation.

每日一词学英语(130): hold out

Twitter歌剧上演。I wasn't holding out much hope for Twitterdammerung: the Twitter Opera. (From Telegraph, 5 September, 2009: First Twitter opera given premier) 作者并没抱多大希望。

hold out sth: to offer a chance, hope or possibility of sth.
*Doctors hold out little hope of her recovering.

hold out有多种意思，今天讲的是它与hope搭配，表示“给予(希望)”。

旁白：本博Alexa全球排名首次突破600万，最新排名566.3368万(September 5, 2009)。

每日一词学英语(129): hands-on

要想当医生，不光要有理论知识，还得有实践经验。Professor Tony Weetman, chair of the Medical Schools Council, said that he welcomed the greater emphasis on hands-on experience for undergraduate students. 实际经验对医学院的学生很重要。 (From The Times, September 2, 2009: ‘Tomorrow’s doctors’ must learn hands-on skills, under new GMC rules) 标题中的GMC指General Medical Council。

hands-on: (adj.) [usually before noun] doing sth rather than just talking about it. 动手的，实际操作的。
*hands-on computer training
*to gain hands-on experience of industry
*a hands-on style of management

对比一下，hands-off: (adj.) [usually before noun] dealing with people or a situation by not becoming involved and by allowing people to do what they want to. 不插手的，不干涉的。
*a hands-off approach to staff management

每日一词学英语(128): glaring

经济合作与发展组织(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD)说，G7的多数国家2009年的经济表现都会比6月预测的好，只有英国例外。The organisation, which exists to promote economic growth and development, said that several of the economies in the G7 group of developed nations would perform better during the whole of 2009 than it predicted in June — with Britain a glaring exception. (From Times Online, September 3, 2009: Britain to lag world in emerging from recession)

与其它6国形成鲜明对比，所以用glaring: (adj.) [usually before noun] (of sth bad) very easily seen. 同义词：blatant。
*a glaring error / omission / inconsistency / injustice
*the most glaring example of this problem

经合组织6月时预测英国经济今年萎缩4.3%，现在这个数字增长为4.7%，这在G7这些发达国家里绝无仅有。

每日一词学英语(127): on top of

许多国家在面包中加入叶酸，以增进人们(尤其是孕妇)对叶酸的摄入量。On top of this, pregnant women may be consuming a similar amount of folic acid from supplement pills. 除了从食物中，孕妇们往往还从补药中获取叶酸。(From Economist, August 27, 2009: On the pill)

on top of sth: in addition to sth.
*He gets commission on top of his salary.
*On top of everything else, my car’s been stolen.

每日一词学英语(126): own up

鸠山将于18号正式当选日本首相，他在经济和军事方面的对美政策不是亲美，而是偏向反美，虽然他没有完全承认这一点。Rather than benign blandness, he took a sceptical view of Japan’s economic and military relations with the United States, which hinted at — without ever fully owning up to — something close to anti-Americanism. (From The Times, September 2, 2009: World agenda: Yukio Hatoyama can't afford to distance Japan from the US)

own up (to sth / to doing sth): to admit that you are responsible for sth bad or wrong。坦白，爽快承认。同义词：confess。
*I’m still waiting for someone to own up to the breakages.
*Why don’t you just own up and hope she forgives you?

每日一词学英语(125): paddy

Imagine a small group of farmers tending a rice paddy some 5,000 years ago in eastern Asia or sowing seeds in a freshly cleared forest in Europe a couple of thousand years before that. (From Economist, August 17, 2009: Nothing new under the sun) 想像一下先民在稻田里耕作或在林间空地播种的情景，那其实已经是影响气候变化的人类活动了，并不是到了工业革命或大规模农业生产时全球气候才开始变化。

paddy又作paddy field，(noun) (pl. -ies) a field in which rice is grown。rice paddy是稻田。

每日一词学英语(124): breathalyser

breathalyser是英式写法，也可以写成美式的breathalyzer，是由breath和analyser混合而成的。(noun) a device used by the police to measure the amount of alcohol in a driver’s breath。酒精测定计。

现在有一种新的酒精测定计，可以用来检测肺癌。A hand-held breathalyser which can detect lung cancer is being developed by scientists, in a breakthrough that could save thousands of lives. (From Telegraph, 30 August 2009: Breathalyser developed for lung cancer)

每日一词学英语(123): pepper with

不从超市里买，而是改吃天然野生食品，有助于减少碳排放。与通常的观念不同，城里的绿地、灌木丛中有不少野生的可食用绿色植物。Contrary to popular opinion, urban 'wildernesses' such as scrubland, parks and hedgerows are peppered with edible greens. (From BBC, 4 January 2009: Foraging for food)

pepper sth with sth: [often passive] to include large numbers of sth in sth.
*He peppered his speech with jokes.

需要注意，只有确认采摘的植物可以食用再去吃，否则可能有害健康。

每日一词学英语(122): barring

日本后天（周日，29号）举行大选，不出意外的话，执政的自民党会下台，这将成为1945年以来日本政坛的最大变动。Barring the unexpected, the party will be voted out of power tomorrow in the country’s biggest political upset since 1945. (From The Times, August 29, 2009: Election result could end 54-year run of Japan’s ruling party, the LDP)

这个词是介词，except for; unless there is/are。
*Barring accidents, we should arrive on time.

每日一词学英语(121): edgy

英国这家银行有本难念的经，去年不得已被部分国有化，现在又想结束对政府的依赖，进退两难。投资者不能不焦虑不安。Lloyds investors probably have most cause to be edgy. (From The Times, August 27, 2009: A £35bn dilemma for the Government)

edgy: (adj.) (informal) nervous, especially about what might happen.
*She’s been very edgy lately.
*After the recent unrest there is an edgy calm in the capital.
*I’m feeling a bit edgy about the exam tomorrow.

和on edge的异同：两个词意思一样，不过edgy也可以形容时间或事件，
*It was an edgy match with both players making mistakes.
on edge也可以形容人的神经（nerves）。
*His nerves had been on edge (= he had been nervous or bad-tempered) all day.

每日一词学英语(120): nimby

We have to counteract the nimbys who say they want change, but not in their backyard. (From Telegraph, 26 August 2009: John Prescott attacks wind turbine 'nimbys')

今天这个词源于“not in my back yard”的第一个字母。(noun) (pl. -s or -ies) (humorous, disapproving) a person who claims to be in favour of a new development or project, but objects if it is too near their home and will disturb them in some way
*The nimbies were out in force against proposals for a high-speed rail link.

其实上面那句话中对这个词已经做了解释：nimbys are those who say they want change, but not in their backyard。

英国前副首相John Prescott强烈批评这些风力涡轮机的nimbys。这些人比较自私，是该批评。

每日一词学英语(119): contraption

四百年前的今天，意大利科学家伽利略向威尼斯参议院展示了他发明的望远镜。伽利略并非第一个发明望远镜的人，但他让望远镜出名，并开创了现代天文学。

Four hundred years ago on Tuesday, an Italian professor of physics and mathematics called Galileo Galilei demonstrated a simple contraption to the Venetian Senate that would set in motion one of the most profound revolutions in human thought — a revolution that continues today. (From The New York Times, August 25, 2009: 400 Years of Modern Astronomy)

contraption: (noun) a machine or piece of equipment that looks strange.
*She showed us a strange contraption that looked like a satellite dish.
Etymology (from Wiktionary): originally a Western English dialectical word. Origin unclear. Perhaps from contrive + trap.

每日一词学英语(118): weather

最新一项研究的数据表明，英国的经济衰退已经结束。(From Times Online, August 24, 2009: UK recession is 'over' as confidence grows)

主持这项研究的负责人Michael Izza说，定量宽松、央行降息及政府削减增值税等政策帮助企业平安度过金融风暴。Policies such as quantitative easing and interest rate cuts by the Bank of England and the drop in VAT had helped businesses to weather the financial storm, he said.

weather: (verb, VN) to come safely through a difficult period or experience
×The company just managed to weather the recession.
×She refuses to resign, intending to weather the storm (= wait until the situation improves again).

注：“VN”的意思是及物动词。本博客词汇释义如无说明，一般都取自《Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary》网络版。

每日一词学英语(117): spurn

英国人过去一直用烘干机烘干衣服，现在渐渐开始改为在室外凉衣服，超市里的晾衣绳和卡子因此热销。For the first time in 50 years, Brits are spurning tumble dryers in favour of old-fashioned line-drying: washing lines and wooden clothes pegs are flying off supermarket shelves. (From BBC, 30 April 2008: Drying clothes outside)

无疑，这是保护环境的好方法。看看以下事实：
Tumble dryers are the most energy intensive household applainces - nearly two thirds more than washing machines - and create 310kg of CO2 a year each on average. Drying clothes on a washing line creates no emissions and saves about £70 a year in fuel bills. Plus, drying your clothes in the fresh air doesn't risk shrinking them and shortening their lifespan. 滚筒烘干机是最耗能的家电，比洗衣机多消耗将近三分之二能量，平均每年产生310公斤二氧化碳。室外晾衣碳排放为零，每年节约大约70英镑电费，而且不会让衣服缩水，有助于延长衣服的使用寿命。

看来，英国的好天气虽然不多，烘干机无法完全退出市场，但在可能的条件下，还是多在室外凉衣服比较好。

spurn: verb [及物动词] to reject or refuse sb/sth, especially in a proud way
同义词：shun
*Eve spurned Mark’s invitation.
*a spurned lover
*The president spurned the tight security surrounding him and adopted a more intimate style of campaigning.

每日一词学英语(116): understudy

Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw made a dramatic journey to her unexpected debut at the Glyndebourne Festival when the show's star fell off the stage. 威尔士女高音歌手Natalya Romaniw意外地在英国著名的一年一度的Glyndebourne歌剧节上初次亮相，因为原定角色不小心摔伤。(From BBC, 22 August 2009: Dramatic dash to debut by soprano)

When she arrived on Friday night, she had only minutes to spare to replace the understudy to Martinez. 她周五晚上到的时候，只有几分钟的时间来替换Martinez的替角。Martinez就是原定角色，即上文的“the show's star”。“the understudy to Martinez”是原定角色的替角，Natalya Romaniw是来替换这个替角进行演出的，有点绕。

understudy: (noun) (pl. -ies) ~ (to sb) an actor who learns the part of another actor in a play so that they can play that part if necessary
*She worked as an understudy to Elaine Page.
同义词：standby
under+study，表示处在学习、待命状态，即正角的替角。

每日一词学英语(115): hols

在报纸上看到一个标题：Do thin people have better hols? 什么是“hols”？点击进入正文就明白了。(From The Times, August 22, 2009: Do 'skinnies' have better holidays?)

Hols: (noun) [pl.] (old-fashioned, BrE, informal) holidays
*the school / summer hols
*He's away on his hols at the moment.

报纸标题用这个词大概是为了节省空间吧？发手机短信、网上聊天可以好好用用了。

每日一词学英语(114): pylon

在英格兰和威尔士地区，牛津是第一个采用风力涡轮机发电的城市。Compared to ugly electricity pylons, wind turbines are a huge improvement for Oxford's environment. (From BBC, 19 August 2009: Wind turbine milestone for Oxford) 与傻大黑粗的高压铁塔相比，风力涡轮机可以大大改善牛津的环境状况。

Pylon: (noun) a tall metal structure that is used for carrying electricity wires high above the ground. (高压线的)桥[铁]塔

每日一词学英语(113): seafaring

一块银质怀表在海底沉睡130年后被一名潜水员发现，并被交到了表主人的近亲手里。这名亲属很高兴多年后这块表回归家族，而且惊奇地发现祖上曾有过多彩的航海经历。“.... It has come as a complete surprise to me that my ancestors had such a colourful, seafaring past.” (From The Times, August 19, 2009: Silver pocket watch found off Welsh coast returned after 130 years)

Adj. [only before noun] connected with work or travel on the sea/ocean
*a seafaring nation （金山译为：以航海为业的民族）
这个词也可以作名词，意思是：航海事业，水手工作。
“-faring”对应的是“fare”: (intransitive) to go, travel，“seafaring”自然是“在海上工作、旅行”。

每日一词学英语(112): rub hands in glee

在德国举行的世锦赛上，Usain Bolt以9.58秒的好成绩打破自己保持的男子百米跑世界纪录。据信，他出好成绩的势头远未结束，这可以让2012年伦敦奥组委兴奋不已，充满期待。

And the organisers of the London Olympics can rub their hands in gleeful expectation of 2012. (From Times Online, August 18, 2009: When Usain Bolt is finished, all sprinters in history will be humbled)

上面这句话中出现的实际上今天这个词组的变通用法。查Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary，在glee词条下找到例句：He rubbed his hands in glee as he thought of all the money he would make。该词典对glee的解释为：noun [U] a feeling of happiness, usually because sth good has happened to you, or sth bad has happened to sb else，同义词：delight。

98课（piggy bank，August 4, 2009）的例句中也用到这个词组，这里就不重复了。

可见今天这个词组是固定搭配用法，值得学习。

每日一词学英语(111): declassify

最近的解密文件表明，公众受有关外星人的影视剧影响，对不明飞行物的目击事件持续增加。Sightings of unidentified flying objects increase when public interest is aroused by films and television programmes about aliens, newly declassified files indicate. (From The Times, August 17, 2009: UFO sightings increase 'after television shows about aliens')

To classify有一个意思是：to declare something a secret, especially a government secret。
*They decided to classify that information.
它的反义词是to declassify: to state officially that secret government information is no longer secret。
*declassified information / documents

每日一词学英语(110): incongruous

为应对经济危机，27岁的英国人Nick Weston在树上搭建了一座屋子，并要在那里过半年的罗宾逊（Robinson Crusoe）式的生活。搭建屋子所用材料很多都是自给自足，开销很少。他的女友想尽一己之力，给屋子安了窗帘，有点不协调，但颜色很红。The slightly incongruous but pretty red curtains were added by his girlfriend, Clare: “She wanted to do her bit.” (From The Sunday Times, August 16, 2009: If you go down to the woods today...)

Adj. strange, and not suitable in a particular situation
同义词：inappropriate
*Such traditional methods seem incongruous in our technical age.
*The two of them made an incongruous couple.

每日一词学英语(109): vox pop

在本年度的英国选秀节目《Britain’s Got Talent》上，10岁小女孩Holly因无法承受巨大压力而中断演唱，最后评委网开一面，给了她二度表演的机会。为此，英国打算出台新规，限制儿童在公众媒体上的曝光率，以免他们过早承受不必要的压力。只有新闻镜头里和接受采访的儿童可以不受此限。It is understood that only children in news footage and vox pops would be exempt under the proposed regulations. (From The Times, August 15, 2009: New laws could mean children disappear from TV, say broadcasters)

Vox pops是vox pop（vox populi的简写）的复数形式，noun [C, U] (BrE, informal) the opinion of members of the public, especially when it is broadcast or published，民众之声，公众舆论。
*The reporter got some vox pops in the city square to see what people thought of the country's new flag.

每日一词学英语(108): accolade

今天Google用图标纪念汉斯·克里斯蒂安·奥斯特（Hans Christian Ørsted）232岁生日。So who was Ørsted, and what did he do to deserve the Internet's ultimate accolade? (From National Geographic News, August 14, 2009: Hans Christian Orsted: Who He Was, and Why You Owe Him)

他是谁？有何功勋得获因特网最高殊荣？他是丹麦物理学家、化学家，电流磁效应的发现者。

Noun (formal) praise or an award for an achievement that people admire。

每日一词学英语(107): haul

国际奥委会决定在2012年伦敦奥运会上将女子拳击列为正式比赛项目，英国希望借此在奥运会上多得几枚奖牌。British Olympic Association chief Andy Hunt hopes the inclusion of women's boxing in the 2012 Games will help Team GB's medal haul in London. (From Teletext: Olympics: Women boxers win 2012 fight)

Haul作名词在这里的意思是：(especially in sport) a large number of points, goals, etc.
*His haul of 40 goals in a season is a record.
Medal haul指的是a large number of medals。

每日一词学英语(106): gibbous

每年八月，英仙座流星雨都会如期而至。昨晚，作为2009国际天文年的活动之一，英国的业余天文学家把观测活动搬到网上，并从当红明星Miley Cyrus那里抢得Twitter网头把交椅。(From Times Online, August 12, 2009: Perseid 'tweeteors' knock Disney star Miley Cyrus off top slot)

因为有月亮争辉，英国昨晚的观测效果并不是很好，不过，英格兰南部的观测者在后半夜还是一饱眼福了。Conditions over the UK last night were far from perfect — and a "gibbous" moon is providing competition — but skywatchers in southern England enjoyed quite a show if they stayed up late enough.

Adj. (technical) (of the moon) with the bright part bigger than a semicircle and smaller than a circle 形容大于半圆但不足满月的月亮（凸月）。

每日一词学英语(105): pillage

伴随着中国不断扩大的对外投资建设，在海外的中国移民人数也不断增加。相应地，中国移民和当地居民之间的冲突事件也在增加。今年5月在非洲的巴布亚新几内亚就发生了针对中国人的暴力事件，至少一人死亡，全国几个城镇的中国企业遭到洗劫。At least one person was killed and Chinese-owned businesses were pillaged in several cities (including the capital, Port Moresby) and towns throughout the country. (From the Economist, August 11, 2009: Overseas and under siege)

(verb) to steal things from a place or region, especially in a war, using violence. 同义词：plunder。
*(不及物动词)The rebels went looting and pillaging.
*(及物动词)The town had been pillaged and burned.
*(及物动词)Works of art were pillaged from churches and museums.

每日一词学英语(104): vandal

Hazel Blears, the former Communities Secretary, has said that her car was attacked by vandals rather than political opponents carrying out a vendetta. (From Times Online, August 10, 2009: Blears blames vandals for attack on car in constituency)

前Communities Secretary说，她的车被砸，凶手不是有仇的政治对手，而是vandals，即people who deliberately destroy or damage public property，破坏他人财产者。这个词对应的动词是vandalize: [usually passive] to damage sth, especially public property, deliberately and for no good reason。

每日一词学英语(103): in tatters

The reputation of the Home Office was left in tatters as a national newspaper enlisted the help of a security researcher to make a clone of a genuine card and change the information on it. (From ITProPortal, 08 August, 2009: White Hat Hacker Cracks UK ID Card In 12 Minutes)

英国一家全国性报纸招了一名安全专家，复制了一张乱真的身份证并更改了其中的信息，Home Office因此名声扫地。

tatters以复数形式来用，意思是撕破了的布条或衣服。in tatters在这里是：ruined or badly damaged。同义词：in shreds
*Her reputation was in tatters.
*The government’s education policy lies in tatters.

每日一词学英语(102): bungle

英国气象部门四月时预报今年夏天是“BBQ summer”，实际上却阴雨连绵。尽管预报失误，气象部门的员工还是得到了人均650英镑的“预报准确”奖金，媒体讽刺说这是“下雨”奖金。（From The Sunday Times, August 9, 2009: It’s raining bonuses at the Met Office）

More than 1,700 staff are getting a “forecast accuracy” bonus of about £650 each — after a series of bungled predictions. bungled prediction和forecast accuracy意思相反。

bungle: to do sth badly or without skill; to fail at sth. 同义词：botch
*They bungled the job.
*a bungled robbery / raid / attempt

每日一词列表（1-100）

从excel文件拷过来的，不太齐整的地方请见谅。

al fresco (63) 63 June 30, 2009
alopecia (75) 75 July 12, 2009
aplomb (47) 47 June 14, 2009
arcane (82) 82 July 19, 2009
assay (90) 90 July 27, 2009
a volley of (34) 34 June 1, 2009
balk (88) 88 July 25, 2009
battering (39) 39 June 6, 2009
bristle (85) 85 July 22, 2009
bumper-to-bumper (73) 73 July 10, 2009
bums on seats (95) 95 August 1, 2009
caesarean section (19) 19 May 17, 2009
can't half (46) 46 June 13, 2009
Cassandra (13) 13 May 11, 2009
catapult (32) 32 May 30, 2009
clubbing (55) 55 June 22, 2009
cocktail (17) 17 May 15, 2009
complication (48) 48 June 15, 2009
damper (92) 92 July 29, 2009
descale (72) 72 July 9, 2009
dispense with (93) 93 July 30, 2009
ditch (9) 9 May 7, 2009
doe-eyed (74) 74 July 11, 2009
draconian (56) 56 June 23, 2009
drum up (18) 18 May 16, 2009
equestrian (7) 7 May 5, 2009
ethos (51) 51 June 18, 2009
expletive (76) 76 July 13, 2009
fag-end (49) 49 June 16, 2009
foray (71) 71 July 8, 2009
graft (54) 54 June 21, 2009
grotesque (45) 45 June 12, 2009
hear the cogs turning (5) 5 May 3, 2009
hone (26) 26 May 24, 2009
hubristic (57) 57 June 24, 2009
imponderable (81) 81 July 18, 2009
incumbent (89) 89 July 26, 2009
in place (1) 1 April 30, 2009
jacquard (70) 70 July 7, 2009
junket (53) 53 June 20, 2009
lead the charge (2) 2 April 30, 2009
lick (25) 25 May 23, 2009
like-for-like (42) 42 June 9, 2009
loophole (27) 27 May 25, 2009
make a hash of (84) 84 July 21, 2009
nemesis (79) 79 July 16, 2009
no-brainer (62) 62 June 29, 2009
once bitten, twice shy (15) 15 May 13, 2009
ornithology (30) 30 May 28, 2009
out of the blue (22) 22 May 20, 2009
outstrip (100) 100 August 6, 2009
pent-up (99) 99 August 5, 2009
penultimate (10) 10 May 8, 2009
phalanx (37) 37 June 4, 2009
phase out (20) 20 May 18, 2009
phlebotomist (14) 14 May 12, 2009
piggy bank (98) 98 August 4, 2009
premises (4) 4 May 2, 2009
prenup (68) 68 July 5, 2009
proceeds (52) 52 June 19, 2009
promiscuous (61) 61 June 28, 2009
prosthetic (33) 33 May 31, 2009
pundit (50) 50 June 17, 2009
put a shine on (3) 3 May 1, 2009
put the kibosh on (65) 65 July 2, 2009
rain check (31) 31 May 29, 2009
resounding (97) 97 August 3, 2009
RIP (59) 59 June 26, 2009
rout (41) 41 June 8, 2009
row (28) 28 May 26, 2009
sanguine (11) 11 May 9, 2009
scupper (23) 23 May 21, 2009
shambles (96) 96 August 2, 2009
sideline (35) 35 June 2, 2009
sidestep (83) 83 July 20, 2009
slick (38) 38 June 5, 2009
spate (44) 44 June 11, 2009
spelling bee (60) 60 June 27, 2009
squeamish (77) 77 July 14, 2009
staging post (80) 80 July 17, 2009
stall (40) 40 June 7, 2009
succumb (24) 24 May 22, 2009
sweltering (64) 64 July 1, 2009
swine (6) 6 May 4, 2009
take with a pinch of salt (16) 16 May 14, 2009
to boot (66) 66 July 3, 2009
toe the line (29) 29 May 27, 2009
toothless (94) 94 July 31, 2009
triplicate (69) 69 July 6, 2009
unfazed (86) 86 July 23, 2009
upshot (87) 87 July 24, 2009
veritable (58) 58 June 25, 2009
vet (36) 36 June 3, 2009
vicissitude (67) 67 July 4, 2009
watchdog (12) 12 May 10, 2009
Web 2.0 (43) 43 June 10, 2009
what’s the catch (8) 8 May 6, 2009
whittle down (91) 91 July 28, 2009
Zeitgeist (21) 21 May 19, 2009
Zimmer frame (78) 78 July 15, 2009

每日一词学英语(101): ribbing

英国卫生部门对公众提出预防猪流感的口号：Catch it, Bin it, Kill it，即：打喷嚏或咳嗽要用手或纸巾接住，用过的纸巾要及时仍进垃圾桶，勤用洗手液洗手。30岁的David McCusker在宣传广告中教给大家正确做法。

He said that he has received endless ribbing from unsympathetic friends. 最近他被朋友取笑。为什么呢？

“I was supposed to ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’, but instead I’ve been shivering, shaking and spreading it,” he said. 原来，两周前他因患上猪流感而被隔离。(From The Times, August 7, 2009: Swine flu advert actor David McCusker catches... swine flu)

动词rib: (old-fashioned, informal) to laugh at sb and make jokes about them, but in a friendly way. 同义词：tease（有时是恶意取笑）
*He used to rib her mercilessly about her accent.

ribbing是名词，同样是old-fashioned, informal，不过今天的报纸上还在用。看来，不能因为词典上的说法而轻易把一些词打入冷宫。

每日一词学英语(100): outstrip

“供不应求”用英文怎么说？Google一下，有几种答案，感觉没有我今天无意碰到的好。

At present they produce 40 barrels a week — the equivalent of 11,520 pints — and have the capacity to produce 20 more. Previous winners such as the Coniston Brewing Company in Cumbria had to get a larger brewery to help to make their Bluebird Bitter, because demand outstripped supply. (From The Times, August 5, 2009: Champion Beer of Britain Ruby Mild will go down a treat with the ladies)

查一下词典，也找到类似例句：
1. to become larger, more important, etc. than sb/sth
*Demand is outstripping supply.
2. to be faster, better or more successful than sb you are competing against。同义词：surpass
*Their latest computer outstrips all its rivals.
3. to run faster than sb in a race so that you pass them
*She soon outstripped the slower runners.

“overtake”和“outstrip”为同义词时，意思是：to become greater in number, amount or importance than sth else
*Nuclear energy may overtake oil as the main fuel.
*We mustn’t let ourselves be overtaken by our competitors.
*Quinine has been overtaken by newer drugs.

每日一词学英语(99): pent-up

本周一（8月3号）英国的两家银行HSBC和Barclays公布了上半年财务状况，两家均有很好收益。

Along with most lenders at the moment, Britain’s healthy pair have been boosted by their investment banks. Barclays’ division saw profits double compared with last year, and HSBC’s unit did even better. Pent-up demand from companies to raise funds, as well as wider trading spreads and low interest rates, explain the windfall. (From Economist, August 3, 2009: Happier days) “healthy pair”就是指上述两家银行，windfall是：an amount of money that sb/sth wins or receives unexpectedly，横财。

pent-up: adj. (of feelings, energy, etc.) that cannot be expressed or released，被压抑的，无法表现的
*pent-up frustration / energy

pent是pen的过去分词，pen sb/sth up: to shut an animal or a person in a small space。

每日一词学英语(98): piggy bank

那个憨态可掬的储钱罐叫“扑满”，就是今天这个词，a container in the shape of a pig, with a narrow opening in the top for putting coins in, used by children to save money。

So who is fattening up their piggy banks on the back of swine flu, and who else might be rubbing their hands with glee (and antibacterial handwash, of course)? (From The Times, August 4, 2009: Who is making a profit from swine flu?)这句话的意思是，谁借猪流感发财，挣得盆满钵满，谁洗手越洗越高兴（越洗钱越多，当然高兴）？

每日一词学英语(97): resounding

Birth control was one of the resounding policy successes of the last quarter of the last century. (From Times Online, August 3, 2009: China’s future will be hobbled by old age)

这个词经常和success、victory搭配，同义词是emphatic，意思是：very great。
*a resounding victory / win / defeat
*The evening was a resounding success.
*The question was answered with a resounding yes.

每日一词学英语(96): shambles

日本即将于8月30号举行大选，民主党、自民党鹿死谁手，不到最后一刻还不好说，不过两党竞争早就明里暗里展开了。(From The Economist, July 30, 2009: The opposition peers ahead)

The cartoon’s sponsor, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), may be a shambles, empty of ideas and brought low by in-fighting, but its ruthless political instincts have not deserted it after half a century of nearly unbroken rule. 自民党可能是个烂摊子，可政治斗争还是比较有经验的。

这个词是单数形式，noun [sing.] (informal) a situation in which there is a lot of confusion. 同义词：mess
*The press conference was a complete shambles.
*What a shambles!
*The government is in a shambles over Europe.
*He’s made an absolute shambles of his career.

每日一词学英语(95): bums on seats

英航今年首次在第二季度出现亏损，乘客人数下降，尤其是经济舱和头等舱。(From Mirror, 1 August 2009: British Airways loses £148 million)

Boss Willie Walsh said BA also cut fares by around 9% on average in a bid to get bums on seats. 英航通过降低票价来吸引乘客，提高上座率。

bums on seats (BrE, informal): used to refer to the number of people who attend a show, talk, etc., especially when emphasizing the need or desire to attract a large number
*They’re not bothered about attracting the right audience—they just want bums on seats.

每日一词学英语(94): toothless

这个词的字面意思是：having no teeth。
*a toothless old man
*She gave us a toothless grin
没牙了没法咬人，或者垂垂老矣，所以有另一个意思：having no power or authority
*The treaty was toothless in combatting the climate change.
*The Government’s white paper on financial regulation earlier this month was toothless and failed to address the key weaknesses in the Tripartite system, according to MPs on the Treasury Select Committee. (From Times Online, July 31, 2009: Bank reform 'toothless and muddled' say MPs)

每日一词学英语(93): dispense with

1898年的今天，第一个汽车广告问世。The Winton Motor Carriage Company places a magazine advertisement cajoling readers to “dispense with a horse.” It’s the earliest known automobile ad. 汽车公司在杂志上做广告，劝读者“弃马从车”。（July 30, 1898: Car Ads Get Rolling）

dispense with sb/sth: to stop using sb/sth because you no longer need them or it 免除，省却，无需。同义词：do away with
*Debit cards dispense with the need for cash altogether.
*The new invention has dispensed with much labour.
*I think we can dispense with the formalities (= speak openly and naturally to each other).
*I wish he would dispense with the pleasantries and get to the point.

dispense有分发、配药、实行、免除等意思，及物动词；也有特许，豁免的意思，不及物动词。

每日一词学英语(92): damper

今年夏天英国雨水比较多，这不，外面又在下雨。The UK's "barbecue summer" is starting to look like a bit of a washout. 看样子BBQ是要泡汤了。（From Guardian, 29 July 2009: Rain puts dampers on 'barbecue summer'）

put a damper on sth (BrE also put a dampener on sth) (informal) to make sth less enjoyable, successful, etc.
*Rain put a bit of a damper on the event.
*Recession in the early nineties put a damper on growth.
*John told us he had lost his job, which put a damper on the celebrations.

damper的本意是“挡风板”（a piece of metal that can be moved to allow more or less air into a fire so that the fire burns more or less strongly）或“制音器”（a device in a piano that is used to reduce the level of the sound produced），这里的意思是“抑制因素”（one that deadens, restrains, or depresses），一般用作put a damper on或put dampers on，也可以用作cast a damper on或throw a damper on。

从环保的角度看，BBQ少了倒是好事，不过要牺牲一些人的口福了。

每日一词学英语(91): whittle down

英国一个地方招女巫，有3124人应聘，300人进入面试，在三个评委面前展现自己。（From Times Online, July 28, 2009: Witches gather in search of £50,000 job at Wookey Hole）

After performing their routines in front of three judges the candidates were whittled down to a final 15. 最后选出15人进入下一轮选拔。

Whittle sth down: to reduce the size or number of sth
*I finally managed to whittle down the names on the list to only five.

这是又一种“减少”的表达法，意为“削减”，从“切；削”而来。

Whittle A (from B) B (into A): to form a piece of wood, etc. into a particular shape by cutting small pieces from it
*He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood.
*He whittled the piece of wood into a simple toy.

每日一词学英语(90): assay

H1N1流感病毒会损害胎儿的大脑发育，因此孕妇一定要注意不要感染病毒。(From The Sunday Times, July 26, 2009: Fears that swine flu can attack unborn)

科学家给部分怀孕的母鼠注入病毒，然后做对比实验。通过DNA化验，查明病鼠大脑中基因是否活跃。
The researchers also used DNA assays to find out which genes were over or underactive in the brains of mice that had been infected.

[金山词霸]: Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a substance, especially of an ore or drug, to determine its components.
化验，分析：物质的定性或定量分析，尤指矿石或药物，检验内含成份

每日一词学英语(89): incumbent

法国总统萨科奇今天患病住院。上Wikipedia查他的资料，看到“President of the French Republic”下边写着：Incumbent，表示“现任”，日语是“現職（げんしょく）”。

这个词既可作名词又可作形容词：
Noun: a person who has an official position
*the present incumbent of the White House
Adj.: [only before noun] having an official position
*the incumbent president

每日一词学英语(88): balk

这个用在北美的词在英国有另一种写法：baulk。本意是马停下来不肯前进，用于人时表示因困难或危险等因素而拒绝执行某事，常和at搭配使用。

~ (at sth) to be unwilling to do sth or become involved in sth because it is difficult, dangerous, etc.
*Many parents may balk at the idea of paying $100 for a pair of shoes.
*He balked for a moment. ‘I can’t afford it,’ he finally admitted.

Eventually burgeoning debt will limit the room for fiscal manoeuvre, and politicians may balk at renewed stimulus long before then. (From The Economist, July 23, 2009: A long way to go)

每日一词学英语(87): upshot

以色列光照充足，所以太阳能技术大有可为。开发低成本、高效率的光电转换装置是科研人员的目标。（From The Economist, July 23, 2009: It's a knockout）

According to Amnon Leikovich, the firm’s boss, the upshot is a device that could already, if put into production, deliver electricity at only twice the cost of the stuff that comes out of a conventional power station.

noun [sing.] the final result of a series of events。 同义词：outcome 结果
*The upshot of it all was that he left college and got a job.

每日一词学英语(86): unfazed

7月22日在亚洲发生了本世纪最大的日全食。中国是重要的观测点，可惜上海天气不好，没能一睹全食盛况。日食似乎是不祥之兆，不过上海股市倒是未受影响。Shanghai’s stockmarket was unfazed. Share prices saw their biggest gains in seven weeks. （From The Economist, July 23 2009: The solar eclipse in China）

adj. (informal) not worried or surprised by sth unexpected that happens
*She was totally unfazed by the news.

这个词的主干是“faze”，同义词：disconcert。
verb [often passive] (informal) to make you feel confused or shocked, so that you do not know what to do 打扰；使担忧
*She wasn’t fazed by his comments.
*He looked as if nothing could faze him.

每日一词学英语(85): bristle

Hillary Clinton's statement at the ASEAN meeting of foreign ministers in Thailand swiftly provoked an anxious reaction from Israel. Israel’s minister for intelligence and atomic energy, Dan Meridor, bristled at the implication that Iran’s nuclear status might be regarded as a strategic reality. (From Times Online, July 22, 2009: Clinton says US would arm its allies against a nuclear Iran)

美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿关于伊朗核武器的言论让美国盟友以色列很生气。

~ (with sth) (at sth) to suddenly become very annoyed or offended at what sb says or does
*His lies made her bristle with rage.
*The employees bristled at the prospect of working through the holidays.

这个词也有“刚毛(noun)”、“耸起毛发(verb)”的意思，中文里有“怒发冲冠”，与这个词表达方式类似。

每日一词学英语(84): make a hash of

英国15岁跳水少年终于修成正果，夺得10米跳台世界冠军。（From Times Online, July 21, 2009: Tom Daley wins stunning diving gold at World Championships）

他是战胜强劲对手后夺冠的。去年北京奥运他曾被寄予厚望，结果未获奖牌，这次世锦赛凭借对手失误夺冠。Daley, who had a disappointing Olympics last year despite the high hopes of him winning a medal, came into the last round in third place but both Qiu Bo, the pre-event favourite, and Matthew Mitcham of Australia, the Olympic champion, made a hash of their final dives to hand him the gold medal. 两名强手最后一跳没发挥好，结果将金牌拱手送给Tom Daley。

make a hash of sth: (informal) to do sth badly
*I made a real hash of the interview.

每日一词学英语(83): sidestep

今天是人类首次登月（Neil Armstrong，79岁）40周年纪念日，人类最后一次登月（Eugene Cernan，75岁）距现在已经37年了。包括Cernan在内的很多登月宇航员都建议美国政府考虑开展新一轮空间探索行动，把目标对准火星或更远的星球。（From Times Online, July 20, 2009: Apollo astronauts lament America's lost ambition）

Sidestepping the debate as to whether Nasa should instead be looking to Mars and beyond, the man who took that "small step for man" 40 years ago, instead reflected on the history of the space race. Armstrong回避了关于空间探索的争论，转而思考空间竞赛的历史。

“sidestep”释义：
1. to avoid answering a question or dealing with a problem 回避问题
*Did you notice how she neatly sidestepped the question?
*He sidestepped the issue by saying it was not his responsibility.
2. to avoid sth, for example being hit, by stepping to one side 躲避打击
*He cleverly sidestepped the tackle.

第35课（June 2, 2009）学过“sideline”，你还记得是什么意思吗？

每日一词学英语(82): arcane

Thousands of hours of vintage film footage lie fallow in vaults across the UK, legally prohibited from being shown to the public because of arcane copyright rules. 英国有数千小时的老电影胶片在地下室闲置，因为不可思议的版权规定而无法向公众放映。（From Times Online, July 16, 2009: The reel treats you’re not allowed to see）

Adj. (formal) secret and mysterious and therefore difficult to understand 神秘的;不可思议的;晦涩难解的
*the arcane rules of cricket

每日一词学英语(81): imponderable

英国的猪流感愈演愈烈，未来几个月可能会死6.5万人。（From Guardian, 16 July 2009, Swine flu: Stark figures hide imponderables）

There are too many imponderables: whether or not the nature of the virus changes, the level of accumulated resistance in the population, whether seasonal changes lead to an upsurge in levels of illness from the virus, and whether school closures over the summer holidays reduce the level of acceleration in the disease. 太多事情不可估量：病毒是否变质？大众对猪流感的抵抗水平，季节改变的影响，学校放暑假能否减少疾病传播？

Noun [usually pl.] (formal) something that is difficult to measure or estimate. 无法估量的事物。
*We can’t predict the outcome. There are too many imponderables.

每日一词学英语(80): staging post

英国是受这次猪流感影响最大的欧洲国家，为什么呢？（From The Independent, 17 July 2009: Why is the UK a swine flu hotspot?）按理说，英国四面环海，应该比较安全才是。

Our close links with the US, with large numbers of visitors coming and going, made Britain an ideal staging post for the virus to break out from north America. 英国与美国联系紧密，有大量游客往来，病毒也随之而来。

A staging post on a long journey is a place where people who are making that journey usually stop, for example to rest or to get new supplies. (飞机等的)中途停留站

每日一词学英语(79): nemesis

第13课（May 11, 2009）我们学过“Cassandra” ，源于希腊神话中的女预言家。今天这个词也来自希腊神话，Nemesis是冷酷无情的复仇女神。

Yoshida’s rule came to an end in 1954 when he was unseated as prime minister by his nemesis, Ichiro Hatoyama. 1954年日本首相吉田茂被强硬对手鸠山一郎赶下台。“nemesis”是“主要敌人（an archenemy），强硬对手（an opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome）”。

吉田茂（Shigeru Yoshida）是日本现任首相麻生太郎的外祖父。据预测，麻生领导的自民党去日无多，在8月30日即将举行的大选中会败给在野的民主党，结束54年日本政坛的统治生涯。鸠山一郎（Ichiro Hatoyama）是自民党首位党魁，他的孙子鸠山由纪夫为现任民主党党魁。（From The Economist, July 16, 2009: End of the line for the LDP）

每日一词学英语(78): Zimmer frame

西班牙一名妇女66岁时生了一对双胞胎儿子，上周六（69岁）不幸患癌去世（From Times Online, July 15, 2009: Oldest mother, Maria Carmen del Bousada, dies at 69, leaving baby orphans）。

The reaction in Spain to the birth was generally hostile. On cartoon in the Spanish daily El Mundo showed a mother pushing a Zimmer frame while her child asks for dinner.

Zimmer frame是walker或walking frame在British English中的说法，即助行器，主要用于帮助老人和行动不便的人，这里指婴儿的学步器。

每日一词学英语(77): squeamish

鸟类保护工作中一项重要内容是对鸟类进行监测，先给鸟类佩戴标识环，然后跟踪其死亡的时间和地点。自上世纪五十年代开展标识环活动以来，标识环的返还率由最初的4%下降至最新（2006年）纪录的1%(From The Times, July 13, 2009: Bird conservation hit by decline in public help to record the rings)。

The drastic fall has been put down to people not spending as much time in the countryside or on remote beaches, an increasing reluctance to post letters, and simply being more squeamish than they were 50 years ago. “People are terrified of touching something that’s dead. And now bird flu has made it even worse,” said Mark Grantham, a research ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). 这一明显下降是因为人们不像50年前那样涉足乡村或荒滩，并且不愿意把标识环寄回来，而且更加大惊小怪，不愿意碰死动物，尤其是现在又有禽流感。“ornithology”我们在第30课（May 28, 2009）学过。

Wiktionary解释：easily bothered or upset; tending to be nauseous or nervous
*He might have made a good doctor, had he not been so squeamish about the sight of blood.

每日一词学英语(76): expletive

英国Keele大学的研究人员发现，诅咒有助于减少痛苦（From BBC, 13 July 2009: Swearing 'helps to reduce pain'）。

64名志愿者分为两组把手泡在冰水里。On average, the students could tolerate the pain for nearly two minutes when swearing compared with only one minute and 15 seconds when they refrained from using expletives.

“using expletives”和“swearing”意思一样。“expletive”是：A profane, vulgar term, notably a curse or obscene oath (Wiktionary)。它另有“语助词；感叹词”之意，如：It is snowing中的“It”；I'll give you a bloody good hiding中的“bloody”。

If they want to use this pain-lessening effect to their advantage they need to do less casual swearing. 专家提醒，如果想让诅咒更好地发挥镇痛效果，平时要少用。

每日一词学英语(75): alopecia

Lulu O’hagan曾经一头金发，后来不知什么原因开始脱发，她把脱发及治疗过程如实记录了下来（From The Times, July 6, 2009: Alopecia: I wish I could be bald and proud）。

My long blonde hair has started dropping out in two patches over each ear. My hairdresser notices it first and immediately says that she thinks it’s alopecia. I make an appointment to see a dermatologist about my eczema and he diagnoses alopecia aereata.

Alopecia or hair loss is the medical description of the loss of hair from the head or body, sometimes to the extent of baldness. When hair loss occurs in only one section, it is known as alopecia areata (AA).

Alopecia是“脱发”，AA是“鬼剃头”。英国每60人中会有1人得AA，致病机理尚不清楚。

每日一词学英语(74): doe-eyed

看过电影《音乐之声》的话，你一定知道“doe”是什么，“Doe, a deer, a female deer……”。
像doe的眼睛一样（形容词），是什么意思？

1. Having wide-open, innocent-appearing eyes. 睁得大大、天真眼睛的。
*doe-eyed children gazing at the shelves of candy.
2. Credulous and unsophisticated; naive. 涉世未深的；天真的。
*"Many doe-eyed investors go bankrupt within a year, sometimes by expanding too fast, sometimes because of pure ignorance" (Scott Baldauf).

每日一词学英语(73): bumper-to-bumper

上周末独立日很多美国人选择更经济的驾车方式出行，探望亲朋好友，公路上长长的车龙一辆接一辆，绵延不绝。With more Americans than ever economising by driving, rather than flying, to visit friends and family for last weekend’s Independence Day celebrations, the long, winding lines of bumper-to-bumper traffic must have made more than a few turn around and miss the food and fireworks.

bumper是“缓冲器；保险杆”，bumper-to-bumper是（汽车）拥塞的，一辆接一辆，Heavily crowded and slow-moving, particularly in reference to automobile traffic on a highway (Wiktionary)。

有人把人类的车龙和蚂蚁的队列作了比较，希望借此找出解决塞车之道（From Economist.com, July 10, 2009: Are we nearly there yet?）。

每日一词学英语(72): descale

Not only is vinegar good for descaling kettles, cleaning windows and pickling onions, but it seems that it could help you to keep the weight off, too. 醋有很多妙用，可以去除烧水壶里的水垢、清洁窗玻璃、腌制洋葱，而且貌似可以减肥。（From The Times, July 6, 2009: Nutrition Q&A: Can vinegar help people to slim?）

Descale有两个意思（Wiktionary）：
1. To remove scale from the surface of a metal, especially from the inner surfaces of boilers etc. 除垢。
2. To remove the scales from a fish etc. 除鳞。

除垢剂是descaling agent，descaler或anti-scaling agent。

Research suggests that acetic acid could be a useful aid in losing weight. 吃醋有利于减肥，看来是有根据的了。

每日一词学英语(71): foray

Google即将推出操作系统，对微软造成威胁（From Economist.com, July 8, 2009: Clash of the titans）。这两个IT巨头的竞争其实早就开始了，彼此涉足对方擅长的领域。

Its forays into Google’s main territory, web search and online advertising, have not brought big gains. Google的主要领域是网络搜索和在线广告，微软的尝试性介入并未给自己带来多大收益。

Wiktionary解释：(plural forays) A brief excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere.

Will there be a clear winner? Probably not in the foreseeable future. The pockets of both firms are simply too deep. And that is a good thing: the epic fight between the two giants promises to speed up innovation. And that is what the IT industry needs to overcome the recession. 两巨头高深莫测，竞争一时难分伯仲，但竞争无疑是好事，不仅可以促进创新，也有助于IT业早日走出衰退。

每日一词学英语(70): jacquard

1752年的今天，法国人Joseph Marie Jacquard发明了世界上第一台能织出复杂图案的自动织布机，这种织布机及其织物以他的名字命名（July 7, 1752: Jacquard’s Loom Will Weave a Durable Web）。

金山词霸提供了两个意思：
1. A fabric with an intricately woven pattern.
提花织物，花布织物：一种有精巧编织图案的织物
2. A special loom or the method employed in the weaving of a figured fabric.
提花机，提花织术：在编织带有图案的织物时使用特殊织布机或织布方法

不要小看这种织布机，它不仅给纺织工业带来革命，也为现代数据计算奠定了基础。

每日一词学英语(69): triplicate

从1965年开始，历时44年，Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary终于编纂完成(From The Times, July 6, 2009: After a 44-year labour of love, world’s biggest thesaurus is born)。

Roget's Thesaurus是著名的同类词汇编，而Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary是Roget's version的两倍，60万个单词、80万个意思，分为23万多类/子类。It contains almost the entire vocabulary of English, from Old English to the present day, giving a unique insight into the development of the language.

1978年，存放惟一一份手稿的大楼着火，虽然手稿没事，但还是把人吓了一跳。
After that the slips were written in triplicate and stored in three different locations. 打那以后手稿卡片都写成一式三份，放在三个不同地方。

Triplicate: Each of a set of three identical objects or copies (Wiktionary)。“一式三份”是中文常用词，如果你原来不知道英语怎么说，这下知道了吧？

每日一词学英语(68): prenup

一名妇女根据婚前协议打赢官司，终于保护了自己的财产不再被前夫吞占(From The Sunday Times, July 5, 2009: For better, for worse. In pre-nup and in wealth)。

“Signing a prenup is a free choice.” Prenup (or pre-nup)指a prenuptial agreement (Wiktionary): (US) a legal document, signed by both parties before marriage, stating the legal claims on each other's estate upon a subsequent divorce，婚前协议。Nuptial是“婚姻的，婚礼的”。

每日一词学英语(67): vicissitude

1776年的今天美国签署了《独立宣言》，127年之后才有人提出应该好好保存这份珍贵文件。独立战争期间，这份文件只是像一份普通地图一样被简单地卷起来，诚然，战争变化无常，这也许可以理解。
During the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence was rolled up and toted around like a Thomas Bros. map, although, given the vicissitudes of war, that’s perhaps understandable.

Vicissitude在Wiktionary中有两个意思：
1. Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange.
2. (often plural) a change, especially in one's life or fortunes.
今天着重介绍的是它第2个解释，一般用复数形式，常用于表示战争无常，另一个例句：
*The vicissitudes of war in Iraq cast a dreary backdrop for Donald Rumsfeld's first visit to Asian military allies since he became US Defense Secretary in 2001. (2003, "US redeployments afoot in Asia", Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 18, Pg. 6.)

旁白：本博Alexa全球排名首次突破700万，最新排名698.3734万(July 4, 2009)。

每日一词学英语(66): to boot

接着昨天，继续讲Larry Walters的故事。话说他飞速窜上天，惊魂未定，忘了饿了，眼镜也丢了。He was way up high, and he was scared and probably not hungry anymore (and had lost his glasses to boot), but now he had another, more immediate problem: He was drifting into the flight path of incoming planes to Los Angeles International Airport. 并且遇到大麻烦：飘进了航班飞行路线。

这里“and had lost his glasses to boot”和靴子无关，“to boot”是(idiomatic) moreover, on top of that, besides, also (Wiktionary)。
*My boyfriend is funny, and a pretty good cook, to boot.
其中“boot”的意思是“【古语】益处；用处”(金山)，“bootless (adj.)”是“无用的，无益的”。

每日一词学英语(65): put the kibosh on

Larry Walters本是卡车司机，但20年来他一直想乘气球上天。虽然视力不好，凌云壮志一度因此受阻，可他决意飞行。Poor eyesight put the kibosh on Larry Walters‘ top-gun dreams, but the man was determined to fly. 最终他做成了，并给自己带来巨大名望，以及许多意想不到的事情......。

今天这个词组的意思是：put a stop to。“Kibosh(Alternative spellings: kybosh, or kyebosh)”这个词起源地不明，最早见于十九世纪上半叶，现在多用在今天这个词组里，除上述例句外，再举一些例子：

"That’s put the kibosh on that!" 意思是 “that’s disposed of it”, “that’s finished it off”. 这个词组也用于指责某人: You’ve really put the kibosh on that, haven’t you! 意思是被指责的人最后把什么事弄糟了，致使事情无法执行或完成。

每日一词学英语(64): sweltering

上个月是2006年7月以来英国最热的一个月，不过，更热的天气可能还在后头。(From The Times, July 1, 2009: Britain braced for baking temperatures with steamier heatwave to come)

As most of the country was sweltering yesterday, with the temperature in London higher than in Bangkok, NHS Direct received 378 calls from people suffering symptoms related to the heat. 昨天，英国多数地区闷热难当，伦敦的气温甚至比曼谷还高。NHS因此接到378个电话，都和热浪袭击有关。

想象一下又闷又热的感觉，就是sweltering，Wiktionary上是这么说的：(of weather) hot and humid; oppressively sticky。
*The day was sweltering, so Lauren put on the shortest pair of shorts she could find and went to get ice-cream with her friend Rob. 天气闷热，Lauren换上最凉快的短裤，和好朋友Rob一起去找冰淇淋吃了。

动词swelter：1. (intransitive) To suffer terribly from intense heat. 2. (intransitive) To perspire greatly from heat. 热得难受；汗流浃背。

环球同此凉热，看来治理气候变暖确实刻不容缓。

每日一词学英语(63): al fresco

又到了barbecue的季节，How pleasant to cook and dine al fresco, as the sun casts long shadows across the lawn. 不过要注意，空气中不光飘着热气和香味，温室气体也随之排向大气(From Economist.com, June 29, 2009: The not-so-great outdoors)。

这个词源于意大利语，意思是：Outdoors, in the open air (Wiktionary)，也可以写作alfresco。

从环境保护的角度看，对barbecue要从三方面着手改进：the style of barbecue used, the food that is cooked on it and where that food comes from。不过也许最环保的办法是放弃barbecue，改吃绿色天然食品。But to be truly green, perhaps it would be best to dispense with the barbecue all together and settle for a cucumber sandwich—spread with soya, naturally.

每日一词学英语(62): no-brainer

For many people, no-brainer is not a no-brainer — it is downright confusing. 今天这个词让英国人也感到迷惑(From The Times, May 18, 2009: What exactly is a no-brainer?)。

No-brainer is just one of the thousands of new words in the brand new 7th edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 这本词典中对这个词的解释最详细、最清楚，学习一下你就不会迷惑了。

no-brainer noun, adj. (informal)
i) noun
1. A decision or problem that you do not need to think about much because it is obvious what you should do.
*The question of who to support in this election should be a no-brainer.
*Protecting the environment is a no-brainer it is obvious that we must protect it.
*Accepting their offer was a no-brainer for me.
*The exam was a no-brainer it was not difficult.
2. A stupid person or action.
*These days, any no-brainer who wants to talk on the radio can do it.
*He punched another player in front of the referee - that was a real no-brainer.
ii) adj. [only before noun] requiring little intelligence or mental effort; easy.
*no-brainer solutions
*a no-brainer action movie
*a no-brainer chocolate cake one that is easy to make
*This book contains 20 no-brainer ways to improve your English vocabulary.

每日一词学英语(61): promiscuous

英国的海洋保护协会(Marine Conservation Society, MCS)自1993年以来每年9月都要举行一次海岸调查。去年的调查结果显示，在英国的海岸线上，每公里有2,195件垃圾，这个数字是1994年的两倍，比2007年增长了7%。

在这些垃圾中，Plastics are promiscuous killers of wildlife。这个词的意思是：(Adjective) Made up of various disparate elements mixed together; of disorderly composition (Wiktionary)，混杂的(金山)，和第17课的“cocktail”(Noun)意思差不多。

每日一词学英语(60): spelling bee

Believe、receive等词我经常写错，把“i”和“e”的次序搞反，其实早有一句话用于记忆：“i before e except after c”。不过，it applies only to words in which the ie or ei stands for a clear ee sound. Unless this is known, words such as sufficient and veil look like exceptions。还有更多例外，如eight, feisty, foreign, heinous, protein and seize。

对想参加spelling bee的孩子来说，上述规则大概算小儿科了吧。Spelling bee是拼字比赛，a spelling competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell English words; the individual or team spelling the most words correctly wins (Wiktionary)。该比赛源于美国，现在也见于很多别的英语国家。

旁白：本博Alexa排名June 26, 2009首次突破900万，达868.8258万；June 27, 2009首次突破800万，达773.9430万。

每日一词学英语(59): RIP

Michael Jackson去世使得全世界的人纷纷上网搜索消息来源以辨真假，从而导致网速变慢。News of Michael Jackson's death saw the internet grind to a halt as people scrambled to find out whether the reports were true.

消息确认后，各种悼念活动随即展开。今天Twitter网的头条是“RIP MJ”。RIP又写作R.I.P，是“Rest in Peace”的缩写，在拉丁文中是“Requiescat in Pace”。在西方国家多见于墓碑，现在渐渐有人用于网上悼念活动。

愿逝者安息。

每日一词学英语(58): veritable

也许你见过有些穆斯林妇女穿着长袍(burqa or burka, a head-to-toe Islamic garment)，只露眼睛在外面。法国于2004年开始，禁止穆斯林妇女在公立学校及其它公用建筑内戴头巾(headscarf)，如今总统萨克奇(Nicolas Sarkozy)又对长袍发起攻击，有些人甚至称其为“名副其实的移动监狱”。The deputies called burqas “veritable walking prisons”. (From The Economist, June 25, 2009: No cover up)

在这点上英国与法国不同，Britain could never debate the burka like France。It does expose a fundamental cross-Channel difference。Times上一篇文章有介绍(June 24, 2009)。

每日一词学英语(57): hubristic

海外投资、中华文化、孔子学院，中国影响力正在遍及全球(From The Times, June 24, 2009: Currency, culture, Confucius: China's writ will run across the world)。

有人预计2027年中国的经济实力会超过美国，2050年会领先一倍。In 2027 Goldman Sachs estimates that the size of the Chinese economy will overtake America's and by 2050 will be twice as big. 不仅仅是经济崛起，中国的政治和文化影响力也必将不断增强。西方国家不愿意承认吗？那原因只有一个：过分自信。

The only plausible reason that I can think of is the hubristic belief that our ways of doing things are so superior that other countries will automatically adopt our arrangements, values and belief systems. It is based on the absurd assumption that China's modernity will not be deeply shaped by its own long and rich history and culture. 因为自信过头，所以觉得别的国家当然应该接受西方的决议、价值及信仰体系，可笑地认为中国无法借助自身悠久深厚的历史文化实现现代化。“hubristic”和两个词呼应：“superior”、“absurd”，因为自信，所以觉得优越；而自信过头，往往荒谬可笑。

Wiktionary的解释：
1) Of, or relating to hubris; overly arrogant
2) Displaying hubris (as a personality characteristic)

“hubris” (uncountable noun): Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance (originally toward the gods). 盛气凌人，自以为是，狂妄自大。

Times这篇文章的作者Martin Jacques is author of When China Rules the World: the Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World。看得出，他不是一个“过分自信”的人，但这样的人其实不少，言语间往往透露着可笑的优越感，试看文章的留言之一：

All i'm going to say is 'chopsticks'. If the chinese are so great how come, after all those century's, the best solution for eating food they could come up with is still 'two sticks'. The west will always be culturally dominant for we have the knife, fork and spoon!

JT, London, UK

每日一词学英语(56): draconian

古希腊有个制定严酷刑律的立法者叫Draco，今天这个词就是由他而来，意思是very severe, oppressive or strict (Wiktionary)。

MPs face draconian new sanctions which could result in criminal prosecutions for misdemeanours under new legalisation being rushed through Parliament. 按照新立法，陷入“报销门”的违规议员面临严厉制裁，可能是刑事起诉。(From Times Online, June 23, 2009: MPs face draconian criminal sanctions on expenses)

Wiktionary上有几个例句：
The despot chose a draconian punishment.
The Nazi regime was draconian.
The mayor announced draconian budget cuts today.
“Draconian budget cuts”金山词霸译为“大幅度的削减预算”。

每日一词学英语(55): clubbing

Nails can provide clues to a number of underlying problems. 看指甲可以辨病(From The Times, June 22, 2009: Q&A: Why do my nails have ridges?)。

A thorough doctor will always glance at a patient’s nails during an examination. 去看病时细心的大夫会留意你的指甲，借以发现某些疾病的苗头。在各种异常指甲中，perhaps most worrying of all is the change known as clubbing where there is loss of the natural angle between the nail and the cuticle. 指甲及其根部皮肤间无自然角度就叫clubbing。

如果近期有异变，可能就和某些严重疾病有关，否则可能没事。检查方法就是把手指伸平，看看有没有这个角度(正常角度应小于165度)。

每日一词学英语(54): graft

一位心理学家兼畅销书作者说，要想出人头地，至少要下1万小时苦功夫才行。他自己身体力行了吗？The bestselling pop psychologist says greatness requires 10,000 hours of hard graft. So has he put in the groundwork? (From The Sunday Times, June 21, 2009: News review interview: Malcolm Gladwell)

这位心理学家对出人头地(greatness)的定义是“really successful at something”，1万小时可以理解为“roughly a decade”，也可以是7年或者5年，取决于你每天投入的时间。

Hard graft是in the British sense of hard work，最早起源于19世纪的澳大利亚和新西兰。To graft is “to push the tool down to its full depth each time the soil is lifted”，意思就是脚踏实地的埋头苦干。

努力了不一定会成功，但成功的人一定都是努力过的。如果你觉得自己不成功，不妨先问问自己：Have I put in the groundwork with 10,000 hours of hard graft?

每日一词学英语(53): junket

中国部分杼困款项没有用于拯救濒于倒闭的工厂，而是流向澳门赌场(From The Times, June 20, 2009: Chinese bail-out cash heads for Macau’s casinos rather than Guangdong factories)。

The unprecedented velocity of credit creation will be especially useful in rebuilding the revenue-rich junket operations that suffered during the credit crisis, Gabriel Chan, an analyst at Credit Suisse, said.

这个词是赌场用语，金山词霸上找不到意思，Wiktionary上有：gaming 20-40 table gaming rooms for which the capacity and limits change daily. Junket rooms are often rented out to private vendors who run tour groups through them and give a portion of the proceeds to the main casino. 不知怎么翻译，反正是一种可以创造很多税收的赌博方式。

旁白：本博Alexa排名首次突破1000万，最新排名989.4342万(June 20, 2009)。

每日一词学英语(52): proceeds

银行来信说，I am writing to remind you that your investment matures on 21 June 2009. As requested, the proceeds will be automatically repaid into your nominated account.

取金山词霸上的解释：The amount of money derived from a commercial or fundraising venture; the yield. 收入，获利：从商业或基金机构获得的钱；收益。据Wiktionary，有时指gross revenue(总收入)，有时指net revenue(净收入)。

注意：一定要用复数形式才有这个意思。

每日一词学英语(51): ethos

Remeber every bit counts!
积少可以成多，为了节约能源，有人提出把浏览器首页设为黑屏(blackle.com)，——不是完全黑屏，搜索功能和Google一样，只不过背景是黑的，据说这样每年可以省750度电。

某位专栏作家为了践行这一节能精神，特意在博客上开了个黑天窗。In keeping with this ethos, allow me to present a small area of darkness for your screen。我也有样学样，见上图。

Wiktionary的解释: The character or fundamental values of a person, people, culture, or movement. “echos”是单数形式，复数是ethe or ethea。这个词和21课的“Zeitgeist”类似。

不过有人表示反对，说黑屏对眼睛不好，建议用“绿Google”(forestle.org)代替“黑Google”，这样每次搜索可以拯救0.1平米热带雨林。

绿Google和黑Google，无论你选用哪个，记住，在不用的时候关掉显示器。

每日一词学英语(50): pundit

Barely a day goes by now without some pundit or another speculating that the housing market has bottomed out. (Timesonline, June 15, 2009: e-Poll: Will house prices be higher in a year's time?)

其实看到上面这句话时“bottom out”也让我心动了一下，原因有两点：“触底”的另一种说法；“out”的用法。不过还是选了pundit，Wiktionary上的解释是：A professed expert in a particular field, as called upon to provide comment or opinion in the media。和expert的区别是，碰到什么事，这些专家都爱跑出来发表一通看法，见诸媒体。中文媒体上常有专家针对食品、房价等品评一番，译成英文注意不一定是“expert”。当然，pundit的内涵比expert要大，有时带贬义，Wikipedia上有更详细的解释。

每日一词学英语(49): fag-end

虽然这段时间布朗丢了不少颜面，可首相的位子总算保住了，Is this good news or bad? (Economist.com, June 11, 2009)

For his party, it is probably bad. In the fag-end of its 12-year reign, Labour has lost even core supporters.

Fag-end指the last and worst part of anything; remnant，没用的剩余物(金山)。执政12年，工党在最后阶段狼狈不堪。

每日一词学英语(48): complication

英国一名38岁妇女昨天(June 14, 2009)死于swine flu，死者曾患有中风等疾病及一些并发症。Harry Burns, Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, told The Times that pregnancy could put a strain on woman's bodies which might make them more susceptible to infection. It can also exacerbate existing chronic respiratory conditions which also lead to complications with swine flu.

Wikitionary的解释：(medicine) A disease or diseases, or adventitious circumstances or conditions, coexistent with and modifying a primary disease, but not necessarily connected with it.

ウィキペディア(Wikipedia): 合併症(がっぺいしょう、英語：complications)とは、原疾患(もともとある病気のこと、英語：primary illness)が前提となって生ずる続発性の病態・病変・疾患を指す。

Complication的基本意思是“复杂，混乱”。

每日一词学英语(47): aplomb

英国头号网球手Andy Murray夺得London Grass Court Cup，这是英国人71年来的首次加冕，也是Murray本人第12次巡回赛冠军及第1次草场冠军。He achieved it with aplomb, serving as consistently well as he has done in a tournament week, moving with a grace that belies a sometimes lumbering appearance and, as soon as he had the measure of an opponent — Blake was particularly tricky because he does not strike a conventionally consistent ball — accelerating ahead of them without a backward glance。他赢得自信从容(同义词：self-confidence; poise; composure)。

Witionary例句：His nonchalance and aplomb during hard times have always been his best character trait. 时运不济时保持淡定、从容，一直是其最佳品质。

每日一词学英语(46): not half

大象会跑吗？有人说，Elephants cannot lift all four feet simultaneously. So no, elephants can't run, but they can't half walk fast. 大象不会跑，但走得可不慢哩。

“Not half”在Wiktionary中解释为：(British, slang) Greatly; to a considerable extent。

Wiktionary中还有个词条“not half bad”: (not comparable) (idiomatic) pretty good; okay; decent.
*It was my first attempt at cooking, but I tried it and it was not half bad.
第一次做饭，可我尽力去做了，结果还不赖。

以下是Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary中的解释：

not half: (BrE, informal) used to emphasize a statement or an opinion.
*It wasn’t half good (= it was very good). 那可不是一般的好。
*‘Was she annoyed?’ ‘Not half!’ (= she was extremely annoyed).
“她生气了？”“不止！”

not half such a: not nearly. 远非。
*He is not half such a fool as they think.
他远非别人想的那么傻。

not half bad: (informal) (used to show surprise) not bad at all; good.
*It really isn’t half bad, is it?
可真不赖啊，是吧？

对比一下：it isn't half good和it isn't half bad意思差不多，而不是字面上的意思相反。中文里“我好高兴”和“我好不高兴”都表示“我很高兴”，与这倒是有点异曲同工。

抛砖引玉，关于这个词的用法和体会还可以写很多……