儒琴今日英语单词选自日常用语，欧美报刊文章, 以及英语原文小说。每天坚持学习今日英语单词，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；增强日常英语交流能力。
儒琴今日英语单词 Word of the Day
invoke
verb [ T ] formal
If you invoke something such as a principle, a saying, or a famous person, you refer to them in order to support your argument.
如果你invoke (引用)某个原则、谚语或名人之类的话，你会引用它们(他们）来支持你的论点。
Iran’s supreme leader also invoked the virtues of the slain commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, saying he was a “great, brave warrior” and “dear friend to us.” Huge crowds in Iran have mourned Soleimani’s death last week in the airstrike in Baghdad.
— AP Jan 08, 2020
fault
verb /fɒlt/ (CRITICIZE)
to find a reason to criticize someone or something
找…的缺点，挑剔；指责 (Cambridge)
Other lawmakers faulted Trump, blaming him for an “impulsive” decision last week to take out Soleimani. That decision was made after an Iranian-backed militia group in Iraq staged an attack that killed an American contractor, crossing a line that Trump had warned Iran not to. — Politico.com Jan 08, 2020
persona
noun [ C ]/pəˈsəʊ.nə/
plural personae personas
the particular type of character that a person seems to have and that is often different from their real or private character
（同本人真实品格不一致的）表面形象，表象人格
“The broader, strategic situation of all this is awful,” he said. “While many of our diplomats are urging restraint, that is simply not Trump’s persona. I am very concerned about where all this is leading.“ — Politico.com Jan 08, 2020
turn up the heat (on sb/sth) (also put the heat on sb)
to try to force someone or something to do something in order to get the result you want.
强迫某人或某事做某事以得到你想要的结果。
The next move could depend on whether Trump believes it’s worth turning up the heat on Tehran, a decision that could also be affected by whether there are any Americans killed or wounded as a result of the Iranian missile strike.
off-ramp
noun [ C ] US ( slip road)
a short road on which vehicles leave a highway or other main road
（离开主路的）引路，驶出坡道
Second, that moderation won out, and this largely empty signal — hitting military targets in the dead of night with a small number of missiles — provides the off-ramp both sides might ultimately want. This would be logical, given neither Tehran nor Washington have much to gain from a prolonged fight. — CNN Jan 08, 2020
ramshackle
adjective /ˈræmˌʃæk.əl/
badly or untidily made and likely to break or fall down easily
摇摇欲坠的；东倒西歪的；要散架的
If the attacks in Iraq are indeed the full scope of Iran’s response, they carry with them another risk: that the Trump administration think their ramshackle performance over the last week has paid off, and Iran has been vanquished. This would risk further irrational action from Washington, perhaps not just against Iran but also other enemies. It also makes Iran look weak, which may embolden Tehran’s other regional adversaries. — CNN Jan 08, 2020
alarmist
adjective & noun /əˈlɑː.mɪst/
intentionally showing only the bad and dangerous things in a situation, and so worrying people
危言耸听的；制造恐慌的
someone who makes people worried by telling them about bad or dangerous things when it is not necessary or helpful
危言耸听者，靠散布危险言论制造恐慌的人 (Cambridge)
apologist
noun [ C ] formal /əˈpɒl.ə.dʒɪst/
a person who supports a particular belief or political system, especially an unpopular one, and speaks or writes in defence of it
（尤指不受欢迎的政治信仰或制度的）辩护者，辩解者 (Cambridge)
“The president took out the world’s most threatening terrorist and the Democrats are trying to take out the president. He wins!” said Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president. “The alarmists and apologists show skepticism about our own intelligence and sympathy for Soleimani.” — Politico Jan 08, 2020
go easy
to treat someone in a gentle way and not criticize them or punish them
温和地对待；宽容对待
Heading into the 2020 election, both the president’s moves in Iran and the impending impeachment trial are providing Trump an opportunity to pump himself up as a tough guy. In addition to fighting off the Democratic investigations and the two articles of impeachment, he is also now talking tough on Iran — which he has long viewed as a country that President Barack Obama and George W. Bush went too easy on. — AP Jan 08, 2020
