儒琴英语词汇选自欧美报刊文章以及英语原文小说。坚持学习英语今日词汇，有助于阅读和理解当今欧美主流媒体的新闻时事报道和英语文学作品。
儒琴英语词汇（English Words and Phrases of the Day）
rain on sb’s parade
to do something that spoils someone’s plans
泼冷水；煞风景；扫兴
Saturday’s national celebration was inevitably more subdued, but the president refused to let the pandemic or dismal poll figures rain on his parade, waving with his wife, Melania, from a White House balcony then walking the south lawn to ripples of applause and a cry of: “Four more years!” （Reuters）
phase sth out
— phrasal verb with phase verb [ T often passive ]
to remove or stop using something gradually or in stages
逐步淘汰，分阶段停止使用 （Cambridge）
(Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to begin phasing out the use of Chinese tech giant Huawei’s technology in Britain’s 5G network as soon as this year, The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.
dial back
to reduce in frequency or intensity. You need to dial back the drinking, man. Dial it back a notch, hitting on the women. See more words with the same meaning: to decrease, reduce.
降低频率或强度
As much of U.S. dials back on July 4, Trump goes big. As coronavirus cases spike, public health officials are pleading with Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations, but subdued is not U.S. President Donald Trump’s style, and he was going big with a “special evening” that could bring tens of thousands to the National Mall. （CTV）
blow it
informal (also blow your chance)
to fail to take advantage of an opportunity by doing or saying something wrong
错失机会; 搞砸
Biden Is Way Ahead, But He Could Still Blow It. Politico: “Biden might say the wrong thing at a debate, or have an awkward moment in an interview or at a press conference. Trump’s massive advertising campaign might begin to resonate, hurting Biden’s favorability ratings. Biden’s campaign might make poor decisions about spending allocations in the battleground states, or the coverage of his campaign may sour if he loses even a percentage point or two in polls. Presidential candidates with large leads have all suffered from less.”
powerbroker / power broker
noun [ C ]/ˈpaʊ.ɚ ˌbroʊ.kɚ/
someone who has a big influence on decisions about who should have political power
政治掮客，权力掮客
As thousands around the country protested the police killing of George Floyd, a conservative Texas powerbroker and activist asked Gov. Greg Abbott in early June to instruct the National Guard to “shoot to kill” rioters, The Texas Tribune first reported yesterday. (Axios)
cookout
noun [ C ]US informal /ˈkʊk.aʊt/
a party at which food is cooked outdoors
（尤指作为聚会一部分的）露天烧烤，野餐 （Cambridge）
Amateur fireworks and small backyard cookouts are winning the weekend as the coronavirus takes the flash out of the Fourth of July. （Axios）
unnerve
verb [ T ]/ʌnˈnɝːv/
to make someone feel less confident and slightly frightened
使紧张；使缺乏信心；使恐惧
“President Trump’s unyielding push to preserve Confederate symbols and the legacy of white domination, crystallized by his harsh denunciation of the racial justice movement Friday night at Mount Rushmore, has unnerved Republicans who have long enabled him but now fear losing power and forever associating their party with his racial animus,” the Washington Post reports.
