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）
put sth to bed
to successfully deal with something or solve a problem
成功处理；解决 (Cambridge)
“We smashed the roadblock,” Johnson said in his victory speech in Westminster. He said the election proved that, “getting Brexit done is the irrefutable irresistible unarguable decision of the British people.”
He said the result had put to bed any chance of a second referendum.
— Politico Europe Dec 13,2019
lock horns
If two people lock horns, they argue about something.
激烈争论, 杠上了
“Given that the United States has decided to lock horns with China on trade, tech and other issues, it is likely to make it a condition of any deal with the UK that it is precluded from having a free trade agreement with China,” the editorial said. “And a FTA with China is something the UK has also pinned its hopes on post-Brexit.”
–CNN Dec 13, 2019
punch the air
to make a movement like a punch towards the sky, to show that you are very pleased
向天空挥拳，表示你很高兴; 挥拳庆祝
Key Johnson advisor Dominic Cummings said he was with the prime minister when the exit poll dropped at 10 p.m. Asked by reporters what Johnson’s reaction was and whether he punched the air he said: ‘That’s not our style. We keep it cool.’
— Politico Europe Dec 13,2019
up in the air
If a matter is up in the air, it is uncertain, often because other matters have to be decided first.
悬而未决 (Cambridge)
We have some idea of what a future UK-EU trading relationship might look like, though it’s likely it will continue to be hashed out for months, if not years, to come. What remains somewhat up in the air is how the country deals with its other important trading partners, chief among them the world’s two leading economies, China and the United States.
–CNN Dec 13, 2019
shellacking
noun [ C usually singular ]
a complete defeat
彻底的失败 (Cambridge)
The landslide British Prime Minister Boris Johnson engineered in yesterday’s U.K. elections is as dramatic as Donald Trump’s victory in 2016.
It was an electoral shellacking for the history books. Conservatives are projected to win 364 seats in the House of Commons as compared to just 203 for Labour. That’s their largest majority since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide in 1987.
harbinger
noun [ C ]
a person or thing that shows that something is going to happen soon, especially something bad
先兆，预兆
Trump hopes U.K. election is ‘harbinger of what’s to come’ in U.S. After congratulating Johnson on Friday, Trump said of the British results: “I think that might be a harbinger of what’s to come in our country.”
haemorrhage UK / hemorrhage US
verb & noun /ˈhem.ər.ɪdʒ/
to lose a large amount of blood in a short time; a sudden or serious loss
大出血, 遭受大损失
Labour’s campaign began with the hope of reclaiming some marginal seats in Glasgow and other parts of the Central Belt, where industrial decline has ravaged communities for generations. In reality, Labour haemorrhaged its vote share to other parties and lost seats to the SNP by thousands, not hundreds of votes.
— Politico Europe Dec 13,2019
deadlock / gridlock / roadblock
a situation in which agreement in an argument cannot be reached because neither side will change its demands or accept any of the demands of the other side.
死结；僵局；路障
“We broke the deadlock, we ended the gridlock, we smashed the roadblock,” the prime minister said at a victory rally in Westminster as the final few seats were being counted. “A new dawn rises on a new day and a new government.”
— Politico Europe Dec 13,2019
positive bubble
We called it Positive Bubble because these people seem to carry around with them a sort of Positive Bubble – a self-belief, and an attitude or approach to life that made life well, more enjoyable – whatever the situation, they seemed to be happier. （positivebubble.com）
积极的泡沫：一种自信，一种让生活更美好、更愉快的态度或生活方式；无论情况如何，他们似乎都更快乐。
“I stay in my own positive bubble,” Lizzo said Thursday on “CBS This Morning,” adding, “It’s their opinion, so I mean, it’s not for me to really ingest. It’s for them to express and for me to choose to listen or not.”
flack (less common spelling of flak) noun
criticism, opposition one who provides publicity
Lizzo is responding to criticism over her revealing thong outfit at Sunday’s Lakers-Timberwolves game in Los Angeles. The rapper, singer and classically trained flutist said she hasn’t really heard the flack ( she’s getting after her courtside twerking (抖臀舞)
