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）
backbiting
noun [ U ] /ˈbækˌbaɪ.t̬ɪŋ/
unpleasant and unkind words that are said about someone who is not there
背后说的坏话
A lot of backbiting goes on in our office. 我们办公室里经常有人背后说人坏话。(Cambridge）
Morale inside the White House remains low — a throwback, officials say, to the early chaotic days under then-chief of staff Reince Priebus, when backbiting consumed officials’ time. These days, decisions are increasingly made by a tiny circle of top advisers, like Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law; Hope Hicks, the longtime Trump communications aide; and chief of staff Mark Meadows — leaving whole offices inside the White House sidelined. （Politico）
Groundhog Day
a situation in which events that have happened before happen again, in what seems to be exactly the same way
过去发生的事情又再次同样发生，周而复始 （Cambridge）
Trump’s coronavirus briefings were a political ‘Groundhog Day’. The same arguments, over and over and over. (Washington Post)
strong suit
noun [ C ]
mainly US (UK usually strong point)
a particular skill or ability that a person has
（某人擅长的）强项
Patience isn’t exactly her strong suit (= she is not at all patient). 耐心不是她的强项。(Cambridge)
Other Republicans argue that unless Trump becomes a more disciplined candidate, he will continue to fall behind in the polls — and staying on message has never been Trump’s strong suit.
on message
adverb [ after verb ], adjective
(of a politician) saying things in public that support the official ideas of his or her political party
（政界人士在公开场合讲话与所在政党的官方观点）一致地，口径一致地
Trump tries to stay on message in the campaign’s home stretch. Donald Trump is pretty much sticking to the script in these final days.
the home stretch
(UK:the home straight)
noun [ S ]
the last part of something that is being done
（事情的;比赛、竞选的）最后一部分
It’s taken three months, but we’re on the home stretch now. 到目前为止已经花了3个月的时间，不过我们现在已经在做最后一部分了。
‘Undisciplined’ Donald Trump won’t ‘lay low’ in home stretch: biographer. Donald Trump’s election campaign has played out much like his business career, driven by his gift for self-promotion and, perhaps, doomed by his lack of discipline, his former biographer says.
tax holiday
A tax holiday is a temporary reduction or elimination of a tax. It is synonymous with tax abatement, tax subsidy or tax reduction. Governments usually create tax holidays as incentives for business investment
免税期；免税期是暂时的减税或取消税收，政府通常设立免税期以鼓励商业投资，或进行救济。
The president’s orders will extend unemployment benefits, provide a payroll tax holiday, defer student loan payments and extend the federal moratorium on evictions. （CNBC）
doom and gloom
a general feeling of pessimism or despondency.
前途暗淡；无望; 绝望和沮丧
It’s all added up to an ever-growing sense of doom and gloom about the president’s political future. (Politico)
shouting match
noun [ C ] informal disapproving
an argument that involves people shouting at each other because they have very strong opinions
大声争吵
The meeting soon degenerated into a shouting match. 会议很快沦为一场争吵。(Cambridge)
TikTok’s Fate Was Shaped by Oval Office Shouting Match.
Washington Post: “In front of Trump, trade adviser Peter Navarro and other aides late last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin began arguing that the Chinese-owned video-sharing service TikTok should be sold to a U.S. company. Mnuchin had talked several times to Microsoft’s senior leaders and was confident that he had rallied support within the administration for a sale to the tech giant on national security grounds.” (Washington Post)
