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）
move the needle
To shift the situation in some area, activity, sphere etc. to a noticeable degree;
to make some sort of progress
有所改变, 影响; 造成或带来可见的变化
The new revelations, coming at a time when half of Americans support impeaching and removing the President even though impeachment proceedings have not moved the needle of public opinion, underscored the problem for Trump and his supporters in Congress: Public hearings in the impeachment inquiry may be in the rearview mirror, but new details about his pressure campaign on Ukraine continue to trickle out.
in (one’s) corner
Giving one’s full support to someone
全力支持某人
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have Representative Titus in my corner for the fight we have ahead of us,” the former vice president told reporters on a phone call later in the day. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
— CBS Nov 25, 2019
steamroll ( or steamroller )
verb
(of a government or other authority) forcibly pass (a measure) by restricting debate or otherwise overriding opposition.
(指政府或其他当权机构）通过限制辩论或以其他方式压制反对而强行通过（一项措施）； 迫使，强迫
Politico: “President Trump came into office vowing to unshackle his military commanders from years of Obama-era micromanagement. But now he’s facing a rupture with his Pentagon leaders after steamrolling them on a series of decisions — from Mideast troop movements and the use of military funds for a border wall to disciplinary cases involving individual commandos.”
mojo
noun [ U ]/ˈmoʊ.dʒoʊ/
a quality that attracts people to you and makes you successful and full of energy
个人魅力 (Cambridge)
Elizabeth Warren loses her mojo in Iowa. She is no longer seen as the prohibitive frontrunner in the first-in-the-nation voting state, Democratic
operatives and activists told POLITICO.
— Politico Nov 27, 2019
plead the Fifth ( Amendment)
When one “pleads the 5th,” the person is invoking the right outlined in the Fifth Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights. The Fifth Amendment says that a person cannot be required to give any evidence which might be evidence against him- or herself.
1.《美国宪法修正案》第五条〔规定不得强迫刑事犯罪者自证其罪〕
2.美国宪法第五修正案(有关保障公民权利的规定,如被告有权拒绝回答可以导致证明自己有罪的问题)
Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani who was indicted last month on campaign finance charges, reportedly said in a Monday court filing that he would plead the Fifth Amendment in his December court appearance as a means of refusing to answer certain questions about the payments.
go up in smoke
Something that goes up in smoke fails to produce the result that was wanted.
未达到预期的效果，化为泡影
CBS News: “Joe Biden’s opposition to pot has apparently gone up in smoke. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president on Monday rolled back his stance that marijuana is a ‘gateway drug’ — and wrongly claimed that he had never said so in the first place.”
Nov. 26. 2019
outwork
verb
to work harder than someone else
比别人更努力
“I am a high functioning human being able to outwork people half my age. Compared to Biden and Pelosi, I’m a phenom.”— Rudy Giuliani, quoted by New York Magazine.Nov. 26, 2019
no-nonsense
adjective [ before noun ]
If you describe someone as a no-nonsense person, you approve of the fact that they are efficient, direct, and quite tough. (collinsdictionary)
如果你把某人描述成一个的 no-nonsense 人，你就会认可这样一个事实：他们是有效率的，直接的，而且相当强硬; 务实严肃的
I’m about eight months old, a pudge-faced, no-nonsense bruiser in diapers and an ironed white dress, looking ready to slide out of my mother’s clutches, staring down the camera as if I might eat it.
— Page 5 Becoming / Michelle Obama
in-law apartment
also know as an accessory apartment, a self-contained living area within a single-family home, as for an aging parent. (dictionary.com)
家中的老人房间
On Euclid Avenue, we were two households under one not very big roof. Judging from the layout, the second floor space had probably been designed as an in-law apartment meant for one or two people, but four of us found a way to fit inside.
Page 6 Becoming / Michelle Obama
accordion door
accordion door， also known as folding door, an interior door that opens by folding back in sections (rather than by swinging on hinges)
折叠门
Purnell Shields, my mother’s father, who was an enthusiastic if not deeply skilled carpenter — brought over some cheap wooden paneling and built a makeshift partition to divide the room into two semiprivate spaces. He added a plastic accordion door to each space and created a little common area in front of where we could keep our toys and books.
— Page 6 Becoming / Michelle Obama
