worth one’s salt
少し前のことですが，名古屋場所を10勝5敗という成績で終えた旭日松は、パフォーマーとしても人気をあげています。
Worth his salt / Juryo wrestler makes name with bold gesture
NAGOYA--Juryo division wrestler Asahisho makes up in gusto what he lacks in size.
The Chiba Prefecture native, aiming to endear himself with fans at the recently completed Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, did just that with an audacious display of pre-match salt-throwing.
Wrestlers toss salt from a ringside box to purify the ring in a long-standing tradition. Asahisho just happened to throw more than usual. Much more.
"I want the fans to remember my name," Asahisho said of the fistful of salt with which he showered the ring.
Asahisho, who turned 23 during the tournament, might be better known for what he did after the ritual. He finished with a 10-5 record as a No. 4 juryo, which will likely earn him a promotion into the uppermost makuuchi division for the first time.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/T120724004726.htm
見出しにあるworth one’s saltは「給料分の働きをする，仕事の完全な，尊敬に足る」という意味の表現です（『ジーニアス英和大辞典』大修館書店）。旭日松のお清めの塩を余分に撒くパフォーマンスにかけていますね。23歳で好成績を残しているので，今後の活躍に期待です。（Sugiuchi）
unticketed
オリンピックで早速のconfusionです。
Between 50 and 100 spectators have been left disappointed, after arriving to watch the first stage of the Olympic archery at Lord's cricket ground.
The event was advertised by games organisers as "unticketed", meaning the public would not be allowed in.
But, as the BBC's Joe Wilson explains, a number of people were left angry after interpreting the phrase differently.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19010407
キーワードはunticketedです。この言葉の解釈の違いが混乱を招きました。一般に考えられている意味は「チケットを発行されていない。」（"Not having been issued a ticket"）ですが，競技運営者側はunticketedを「一般の方はチケットなしでは入れず，記者と競技関係者のみチケットなしで入れます。」という意味で使っていました。
この言葉はよくunticketed infant「切符を持っていない子ども（小さいので切符が不要の子ども）」という形で使われます（英辞郎on the WEB）。英語母語話者間でもこのような解釈の違いは起こるものなのですね。（Sugiuchi）
fly the coop
旭山動物園から脱走したフラミンゴはまだ捕まっていません。
SAPPORO — Staff at a Hokkaido zoo have been scrambling to recapture a flamingo that flew the coop in mid-July after recently getting wind of unexpected sightings on the prefecture's west coast.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120729a5.html
coopは「鶏小屋，おり」という意味で，fly the coop（米俗）となると「脱獄する，逃げ出す，離れる」となります（『オーレックス英和辞典』旺文社）。確かに鶏小屋から逃げ出すには，飛ぶのが普通ですよね。
better man
柔道男子６０キロ級の平岡拓晃選手は決勝戦でガルスチャン（ロシア）と対戦しましたが，一本負けで銀メダルとなりました。
Galstyan, whom Hiraoka lost to in the quarterfinals of the 2010 world championships, was also the better man on this day at the ExCel venue.
Hiraoka defeated Elio Verde of Italy, scoring an inner-leg sacrifice sweep for ippon to make the final against Galstyan, who he shared the bronze with in 2010.
Despite his disappointment, Hiraoka's silver gave Japan a boost for its first medal of the 2012 Summer Games.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120729p2g00m0sp006000c.html
the better manは「〜よりも上を行く，一枚上手である」というときに使われるイディオムです。
今回のオリンピック関連の記事を読んでいると，なぜかbetterが目にとまります。開会式の"Hey Jude"が記者の耳でこだましているのかもしれません。（UG）
LONDON (Kyodo) -- Japanese weightlifter Hiromi Miyake captured the silver medal in the women's 48-kilogram class at the London Olympics on Saturday, going one better than her father who won bronze at the 1968 Mexico Games.
Miyake lifted a national record total of 197 kilograms and became the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal. China's Wang Mingjuan took the gold with 205 kg, and the bronze went to Ryang Chun Hwa of North Korea at 192 kg.
Miyake, who finished ninth in her Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games and sixth in Beijing four years later, hoisted a national record-tying 83 kg in her first snatch attempt and broke it with 85 kg and then 87 kg.
In the clean and jerk, the diminutive 26-year-old tied her own national record of 110 kg in her second effort.
"This feels like a dream," said Miyake, who claimed bronze at the 2006 world championships.
"It hasn't hit home yet. I have been aiming for a medal for 12 years. I was just focused on bettering my own record, but I never thought that I would be able to get a medal. I am glad I went one better than my father (Yoshiyuki) who won the bronze," she said.
Olympic debutant Honami Mizuochi, the other Japanese in the field, placed sixth with a total of 176 kg.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120729p2g00m0sp008000c.html
on hand 再び
秋田県の佐竹敬久知事は東日本大震災後のロシアの支援への感謝を表すため、愛犬家として知られるプーチン氏に秋田犬の雌の子犬 ゆめを贈呈しました。大統領は返礼として同知事に「シベリア猫」を贈る意向だそうです。
on handは以前にも扱いましたが（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20111231/1325341528），ここは「待機して，常住して」という意味です。（GP）
Puppy for Putin flies business class
Kyodo
AKITA — An Akita dog intended as a present from the Akita Prefectural Government to Russian President Vladimir Putin was upgraded to business class from the cargo hold on its flight to Moscow and received VIP treatment when it arrived, officials said Saturday.
The 3-month-old puppy, named Yume, was initially scheduled to travel in cargo, but Aeroflot Russian Airlines decided to move it to the business class cabin, the officials said.
The dog was kept in a cage close to a prefectural official. During the roughly 10-hour flight from Narita International Airport, Yume never barked and was received warmly by other passengers, according to the officials.
After arriving at Sheremetyevo International Airport, about 30 km from central Moscow, the puppy was passed on to an employee of the presidential office at around 6 p.m. Friday before heading to Putin's official residence, where presidential security officials were on hand.
"We hope (Yume) will help in deepening mutual understanding and developing relations between Japan and Russia," Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake said in a statement.
It Takes a Lot to Rattle Me
Newsweek onlineは米国女子サッカーの守護神 Hope Solo選手に関する特集を掲載しています。
見出しにあるIt Takes a Lot to Rattle Meのrattleにはおなじみの「ガラガラ鳴らす，早口でしゃべる」という意味の他に（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20110518/1305725884），「驚かせる，混乱させる」という俗語の意味があります（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20110508/1304841171）。そこからこれは「少々のことででは動じない」「腹が据わっている」と解釈できましょう。
波瀾万丈の３１年を送ってきた彼女の素顔にふれてみてください。大作です。（UG）
Olympian Hope Solo: ‘It Takes a Lot to Rattle Me’
“I made an honest mistake, and I take great pride in being a clean athlete,” Solo tells me. “I’ve been through so much on and off the field, from the time I was young. But every challenge that I’ve faced, I’ve been able to conquer and get through—and that’s what gives me strength as a player and as a person. It takes a lot to rattle me these days.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/15/u-s-olympic-soccer-goalie-hope-solo-speaks.html
inner-thigh throw
海老沼が準決勝に進出しました。
Reigning world champion Masashi Ebinuma reached the semifinals of the men's judo 66-kilogram competition after winning a controversial decision Sunday at the London Games.
There were, however, more tears of despair for Japan's women on the second day after Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Misato Nakamura crashed out in the women's 52-kg class, losing her first match in the second round to Beijing silver medalist An Kum Ae of North Korea.
A roar of boos rained out from a confused crowd when the three judges raised three blue flags in favor of South Korea's Cho Jun Ho following the overtime golden score, where Ebinuma's inner-thigh throw had been disallowed after further video inspection.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2012/07/172462.html
判定に縺れ込んだ試合です。審判3人の旗が最初は韓国のチョ・ジュンホに上がりましたが、前に決まりかけた海老沼の小内刈り(inner-thigh throw)もあり観客が大ブーイング。再度審議に入り、日本に旗が3本上がりました。(Minnesota)
in the pivot
バスケットボール選手のパウ・ガソル選手を取り上げた記事から英語表現を拾います。ガソル選手はロンドン五輪の開会式でも旗手を務めるなど、ＮＢＡではもちろん、スペインでも国民的スター選手です。今大会も米代表が豪華メンバーを揃えていますが、スペインにも頑張って欲しいところです。
Gasol leads by example for club and country
Kobe Bryant is one of the five most famous athletes on the planet.
His Los Angeles Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, a supremely talented and intelligent big man is instantly recognized almost everywhere he goes, too. This will only increase in time.
Gasol, Spain's flag bearer, for the Opening Ceremony, is more than the hard-working older brother of standout center Marc. The elder Gasol combines humility and confidence as he leads.
Winning championships with Bryant and playing under Phil Jackson in past years gave Gasol as demanding a foray into what it takes to win at the elite level as one can get.
But don't forget Spain has excelled in recent years (see: 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan), and Gasol's steady play in the pivot — doing things that show up in the boxscore and doing the things that coaches point out to their charges (the proper pass that leads to the assist, boxing out, proper positioning to set a screen) — has not gone unnoticed to true hoop enthusiasts.
Embracing the moment was the message Gasol gave during Thursday's crowded news conference.
Looking ahead to the Spain-China match on Sunday, Gasol said, "It's the first game of the championship. We want to play well. We are going to have to play hard to start the tournament the way we want to."
The absence of retired NBA star Yao Ming changes the makeup of the China lineup, but Gasol said Spain cannot overlook its opponent's ability to pull off an upset.
To return to the grind of basketball after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, Gasol admitted "I've been preparing myself and working to get better . . . (to perform) at a high level and then for Los Angeles."
"The goal is to get back on top as a team," said Gasol, who has been the subject of countless trade rumors in the past few years.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/sp20120729eo.html
pivotはバスケットボールをやった事がある人ならすぐ思い浮かぶと思います。バスケ用語で「トラベリングをしないように、軸足をフロアに固定して足を動かすこと」ですね。
『ジーニアス英和辞典』(第4版、大修館書店)によると、第1義は「ピボット、枢軸、旋回軸」と載っていました。しかし、今回はこの第1義の意味ではなく、第2義の「(theを伴って)[議論などの]中心、かなめ、中心となる人物」という意味(『ジーニアス英和辞典』、第4版、大修館書店)で用いられています。
ですので赤文字の部分は「チームの中心人物(エース)としてプレイしている」と解釈することができます。バスケらしい面白い表現ですね。なお，形容詞のpivotalはすでに取り上げられています。
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20120311/1331454721 (EnDough)
