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）
sharp as a tack
phrase of sharp North American
extremely clever or astute
非常聪明或机敏的
I spent about an hour chatting with one of my Mom’s very loyal friends this afternoon. When Mom was in the nursing home phase of life, this woman and another of Mom’s friends were unbelievably helpful to Mom and to me. She is now 96 (still driving), sharp as a tack mentally and totally aware of what is going on. She asked me if I thought this would ever be over.
sleight of hand
noun [ U ]/ˌslaɪt əv ˈhænd/
skilful hiding of the truth in order to win an advantage
花招，手腕
By some statistical sleight of hand the government has produced figures showing that unemployment has recently fallen. 通过在统计数字上耍些手腕，政府弄出了一些显示最近失业率下降的数字。（Cambridge）
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Public health officials in some states are accused of bungling coronavirus infection statistics or even using a little sleight of hand to deliberately make things look better than they are.（AP）
encryption 加密
noun [ U ] /ɪnˈkrip.ʃən/
the process of changing electronic information or signals into a secret code (= system of letters, numbers, or symbols) that people cannot understand or use without special equipment
加密，是以某种特殊的算法改变原有的信息数据，使得未授权的用户即使获得了已加密的信息，但因不知解密的方法，仍然无法了解信息的内容
decryption /dɪˈkrɪpt/ 解密
The long-simmering debate over encryption has come to a boil once more, as Attorney General Bill Barr again attacked Apple on the issue and a leading Senate encryption critic now has law enforcement looking to get into his own device.
follow through (with, on )
If you follow through an action, plan, or idea or follow through with it, you continue doing or thinking about it until you have done everything possible.
努力完成某事；兑现某事
Abbas appears now to be following through on a drastic threat he had made previously, though it remains to be seen if and how his statement will be implemented.（Axios）
sequestration
[ˌsiːkwəˈstreɪʃn]
封存; 扣押; 隔离; 没收
the act of taking temporary possession of someone’s property until they have paid money that is owed or obeyed a court order
Garcia said inadequate resources due to Obama-era defense sequestrations led to record low levels of readiness and not enough resources for war fighters during a continuous, 20-year global war on terror. (Washington Examiner)
bungle
verb [ T ]/ˈbʌŋ.ɡəl/
to do something wrong, in a careless or stupid way；carry out (a task) clumsily or incompetently.
弄糟；（笨手笨脚地）把…搞砸
States accused of fudging or bungling COVID-19 testing data. Public health officials in some states are accused of bungling coronavirus infection statistics or even using a little sleight of hand to deliberately make things look better than they are. (AP)
fudge
verb [ T ] /fʌdʒ/
to avoid making a decision or giving a clear answer about something
回避；搪塞；敷衍；含糊其辞
The government continues to fudge the issue by refusing to give exact figures. 政府一直回避这一问题，拒绝给出准确的数据。(Cambridge)
The War on Words in Donald Trump’s White House: How to Fudge, Obfuscate, and Lie Our Way Into a New Universe. The strategies employed in Washington to confuse and mislead the public have subtly eaten away at the country’s collective mindset, creating fertile ground for Trumpian-style lying to successfully take root. (commondreams）