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）
kryptonite
[ˈkrɪptənaɪt] n.
in stories and films, a fictional (= invented) substance that can hurt the character Superman, who is extremely strong and not hurt by most things； something that hurts or damages a person or thing that usually seems strong:
氪(仅存在于超人等故事中的化学元素，超人若接近此元素即丧失超常能力)；能严重削弱或伤害某人或某事的东西
Tuesday’s governor’s race in Kentucky showed there is kryptonite to beat President Trump even in red America, and that kryptonite is health care. Democrats should take that lesson to heart as the 2020 election nears.
write-in
adjective and noun
relating to a person whose name is not on a ballot paper (= a voting paper) but who wants to be elected
投票者在选票上所写的非原定候选人; 非原定候选人
This November, Bolton won’t vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden but won’t vote for Trump either. He’d be comfortable with Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, occupying the Oval Office. Bolton says he’ll find a suitable conservative as a write-in for his ballot.
drubbing
noun [ C usually singular ]/ˈdrʌb.ɪŋ/
a beating or serious defeat, especially in a sports competition
（尤指体育比赛、竞选中的）惨败，重创
PARIS (Reuters) – France President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party received a drubbing on Sunday in municipal elections, as the Greens celebrated victories in several big cities after a surge in support.
persnickety
adjective /pɚˈsnɪk.ə.t̬i/
US informal disapproving /pɚˈsnɪk.ə.t̬i/ (UK pernickety)
giving too much attention to small details that are not important in a way that annoys other people
吹毛求疵的，爱挑剔的
In the spring of 2018, then-Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton and one of his top lieutenants, Fiona Hill, were locked in a lengthy closed-door negotiation with a persnickety European ally. （Washington Post）
run-off
noun [ C usually singular ]
an extra competition or election to decide the winner, because the leading competitors have finished equal
（比赛打平后的）附加赛；（两名竞选者得票相同后的）决胜投票
Polish president Duda faces tough run-off vote on July 12. Poland’s nationalist incumbent Andrzej Duda won the first round of a presidential election on Sunday but will have to face the centrist mayor of Warsaw in a run-off on July 12, in a race that could transform the nation’s ties with the European Union.
traction
noun (ACCEPTANCE)
the fact of an idea, product, etc. becoming popular or being accepted
（观点或产品等）变得流行（或被接受）
President Trump is struggling to gain traction with his reelection message, as the death toll from the coronavirus crisis mounts and the economy reels.
Trump had been expected to make the economy the centerpiece of his message earlier this year, until unemployment soared amid the pandemic.
zero in on sth
to direct all your attention towards a particular thing
把注意力全部集中于
Progressives zero in on another House chairman in primary. Progressives energized by last week’s congressional primaries have another high-ranking House Democrat in their sights: Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts. ( The Hill)
