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）
gum up
phrasal verb
To gum something up means to stop it working properly or efficiently.
使出故障，使运转不正常
After gumming up the confirmation of judges for most of Barack Obama’s presidency — and eventually ignoring Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has used the first three years of Trump’s presidency to remake the U.S. judiciary in the GOP’s image.
— The Washington Post Dec 23, 2019
appellate
adjective /əˈpel.ət/
involving an attempt to get a legal decision changed; having jurisdiction to review cases on appeal and to reverse decisions of inferior courts
上诉的；有权受理上诉的
So not only is the Supreme Court now tilting toward the GOP, but that’s also the case at the appellate level. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Trump appointees have tilted 3 of the 13 federal appellate courts from having a majority of Democratic-appointed judges to having mostly GOP-appointed judges. They now have a majority in 7 out of those 13 courts, which are the final word on all but the small number of cases that reach the Supreme Court.
grease the skids
To work to prepare something for success.
使事情顺利进行
Not to be Pollyannaish about what lies ahead, but Trump’s status as a heat-seeking missile for controversy can provide cover for lawmakers who are trying to cut such deals, and his malleability on certain types of policy could grease the skids. Many conservatives hated the shutdown deal, for instance, but their opposition didn’t really break through. This setup hasn’t produced much bipartisan legislation through Trump’s first three years — and an onslaught seems unlikely in a presidential election year — but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
diatribe
noun [ C ] /ˈdaɪ.ə.traɪb/
an angry speech or piece of writing that severely criticizes something or someone
怒斥，抨击；檄文 ( Cambridge)
“He put all four ambassadors there. And he’s employing the FBI agents,” Giuliani said, before continuing the conspiracy-theory-laden diatribe.
work your tail off
to work until you are so tired that you cannot work any more
努力工作直到精疲力尽
She’s worked her tail off to get where she is. And even when she left Oklahoma, she still worked her tail off for our family,” Herring said. “Our family is part Republican and part Democrat, and we all love her and support her 100 percent. She’ll fight for your family just like she’ll fight for hers, if you elect her.”
travesty
noun [ C ] /ˈtræv.ə.sti/
If you describe something as a travesty of another thing, you mean that it is a very bad representation of that other thing.
嘲弄; 歪曲
“Do the American people need any more proof that this impeachment is a travesty to our nation?” Giuliani said in a tweet. “Make up non-wrongdoing charges, rush it through and now delay. They think we’re stupid. This only stops with voting Pelosi and her Ds out of office. Otherwise she will do it again.”
flak
noun [ U ](also flack) (CRITICISM)
strong criticism or opposition
严厉批评；激烈反对
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), who switched his party affiliation last week to Republican in response to Trump’s impeachment, said Monday that he has received less flak from Democrats than he expected.
