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）
Russian roulette
noun [ U ] /ˌrʌʃ.ən ruːˈlet/ （Cambridge）
1.a very dangerous game of chance where each player aims at their own head with a gun that has one bullet in it and five empty chambers (= spaces where bullets could go)
俄罗斯轮盘赌（一种危险的游戏，参加者在能装6发子弹的左轮手枪中只装一发子弹，然后将枪口对准自己的头扳动扳机）
2. the action of taking very serious risks with something important
（在某件重要事情上）冒着巨大的风险
Dumbfoundingly, those gathered on the White House South Lawn weren’t tested for the coronavirus in advance, and only a few in sight wore masks through the Thursday night event. The privilege of being invited to take a physical seat for the “convention finale” was the coronavirus version of Russian roulette: a choice between demonstrating loyalty to the president and risking a bullet from the “virus.” （Washington Post）
hard-nosed
adjective
practical and determined；realistic and determined; tough-minded.
执着的，顽强的；现实的和坚定的; 意志坚强的。
The New York Times profiled a swath of Trump’s steadfast supporters who “outlined myriad reasons for wanting to re-elect him, ranging from the pragmatic … to a gut-level attraction to his hard-nosed personality.”
《纽约时报》报道了一大批特朗普的坚定支持者，他们“列举了想要重新选举他的无数理由，从务实……到被他的顽强个性的深深吸引。” 2020-8-25
airbrush
名词：画家 (绘画等用的) 气笔，喷枪; 用压缩空气喷绘的装置。
动词：用喷枪喷绘, 引申为：表示或描述(某人或某物)比实际更好或更漂亮；粉饰；修饰，美化
例句：
AP Analysis: Trump’s convention aims to airbrush his tenure
美联社分析: 特朗普的共和党全国代表大会旨在粉饰他的任期
frighten/scare sb out of their wits
(also frighten/scare the wits out of sb)
to make someone very frightened
把（某人）吓得魂不附体
Biden needs to distance himself from the rioters and agitators and troublemakers who are scaring people out of their wits. And Trump and his own pot-stirring allies need to publicly recognize that protesting police violence against unarmed Black people is legitimate and well within our traditions. (Washington Post)
nary a…
not one or none at all; used for emphasis
（用于强调）没有一点
Nevertheless, Trump may have turned his listless campaign around with a convention that contrasted starkly — and by degrees, better — with the Democratic version. It helps sometimes to go second. Trump brought real people and applause to his convention with nary a celebrity, rock star or Hollywood star in sight. None would have come if invited, but such absences are of little concern to potential voters who saw themselves in a series of personal stories that illustrated conservative principles. (Washington Post)
in the know
If you are in the know about something, especially something that is not known about or understood by many people, you have information about it.
知情; （尤指） 熟悉内幕，掌握内情
The chasm between expectations born of polling and expectations born of instinct remind us that there is in-the-know, and then there is in-the know about the rest-of-America. (Washington Post)
