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）
kick the tires
to try something or examine it carefully before you buy it
在购买之前精挑细选；仔细检查
Come and kick the tires on this latest version of the software. 过来仔细检查一下这个软件的最新版本。（Cambridge）
I’ve got no intel that Amazon wants to buy TikTok, but I’d be surprised if it’s not at least kicking the tires. It’s the only other U.S. company with the cash, tech capacity, and lack of obvious antitrust issues that could get it done. (Axios)
Sinophile
A Sinophile is a person who demonstrates a strong interest for Chinese culture or its people. It is also commonly used to describe those knowledgeable of Chinese history and culture, non-native Chinese language speakers, pro-Chinese politicians, and people perceived as having a strong interest in any of the above. (Wikipedia)
亲华的; 亲华人士; 指对中国文化或中国人民表现出浓厚兴趣的人。它也常被用来形容那些了解中国历史和文化的人，母语不是汉语的人，亲中国的政治家，以及那些被认为对上述任何一种有强烈兴趣的人。
London has also clashed with Beijing over the imposition of a new security law in Hong Kong but Johnson has said he is a Sinophile, and the British government would welcome another large tech investment in Britain particularly as the Coronavirus crisis sends the economy into a deep recession and possible trade disruptions loom over Brexit. (Reuters)
be a tall order
to be something that is difficult to do
是件困难的事情；是件难以做到的事情
Clinching a deal that will satisfy all parties and potentially act as a lightning rod for U.S.-China relations will be a tall order. （Reuters）
shotgun wedding
noun [ C ](US also shotgun marriage)
an enforced or hurried wedding, especially because the bride is pregnant；a marriage that is arranged very quickly and suddenly because the woman is pregnant
（由于女方未婚先孕而）仓促结婚；奉子成婚；强迫结婚
A potential shotgun wedding to Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) for TikTok’s U.S. operations provoked an outcry on Monday on Chinese social media as well as criticism from a prominent Chinese investor in TikTok owner ByteDance. （Reuters）
in the firing line
(also in the line of fire); (US also on the firing line)
likely to be criticized, attacked, or got rid of
易遭到批评（或攻击、抛弃）(Cambridge)
TikTok, whose stars such as Zachary King and Charli D’Amelio have gained worldwide popularity for their brief video performances, has also been in the firing line of U.S. President Donald Trump over supposed security concerns. (Reuters)
carte blanche
noun [ S or U ]/ˌkɑːrt ˈblɑːnʃ/
complete freedom to do something
全权；绝对的自主权
That deal reaffirmed the commander-in-chief has carte blanche on M&A security risks. And Trump’s administration has meddled several times since. In March, Trump required Beijing Shiji Information Technology to sell hotel management software firm StayNTouch. In 2018, Ant Financial dropped its $1.2 billion purchase of MoneyGram. The Chinese owner of dating app Grindr was ordered to sell it three years after buying it in 2016. (Reuters)
poison pill 毒丸计划
noun [ C ]
something that a company does to make itself less attractive to another company that might want to buy it
当一个公司一旦遇到恶意收购，公司为了保住自己的控股权，就会大量低价增发新股。目的就是让收购方手中的股票占比下降，也就是摊薄股权，同时也增大了收购成本，目的就是让收购方无法达到控股的目标。(Baidu)
The tougher environment has affected other deals. A banker told Breakingviews of two recent instances in which a Chinese firm received higher offers from Chinese suitors but went with a lower price from a U.S. buyer to avoid CFIUS reviews. ByteDance is the latest in a long line of Chinese firms that have learned Uncle Sam is the ultimate poison pill. (Reuters)
pro forma
adjective [ before noun ], adverb /ˌproʊ ˈfɔːr.mə/
Pro forma words or actions are usual or done in the usual way.
惯常（的），形式上（的）
New York Magazine: “Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren didn’t know each other extremely well until March… So when Warren and Biden spoke on the phone shortly before she dropped out of the presidential race early this year, there was every reason to believe it was a pro forma one-off — even after he embraced her bankruptcy policy in March, a move then widely seen as a gambit to win her endorsement and the support of Bernie Sanders voters.”
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
More Americans say the U.S. is blowing it on coronavirus. Trump voters disagree. In fact, new polling exposes a striking version of this dynamic: While Americans increasingly believe that the United States is handling the novel coronavirus worse than most other countries, pluralities of Trump voters and Republicans think the United States is handling it better than most other countries are. （Washington Post）
toadyism
(countable and uncountable, plural toadyisms)
Sycophancy; fawning, obsequious behavior.
谄媚;奉承讨好,谄媚的行为
It’s time for Senate Republicans to answer for their toadyism. CNN reports that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “has signaled to vulnerable GOP senators in tough races that they could distance themselves from the President if they feel it is necessary, according to multiple senior Republicans including a source close to McConnell.”
