儒琴今日英语单词选自日常用语，欧美报刊文章, 以及英语原文小说。每天坚持学习今日英语单词，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；增强日常英语交流能力。
儒琴今日英语单词 Word of the Day
coat of arms
noun [ C ] plural coats of arms
a special shield or shield-shaped pattern that is the sign of a family, university, or city
（作为家族、大学或城市标志的）盾形纹章，盾徽
It may not be the most dramatic scandal facing Donald Trump this week, but the US president has been accused of branding his US commercial properties with a stolen coat of arms.
streak
noun [ C ]/striːk/
a short period of good or bad luck
一阵好运；一阵霉运
I just hope my lucky streak continues until the world championships. 我只是希望我的好运能延续到世界锦标赛。
Their longest losing streak has been three games. 他们最低迷的时候连输过3场。
After winning a couple of bets, he thought he was on a winning streak. 下注赢了几回后，他以为自己红运正当头。(Cambridge)
U.S. sheds 701,000 jobs, ending a record-long hiring streak. A record-long streak of U.S. job growth ended suddenly in March after nearly a decade as employers cut 701,000 jobs because of the viral outbreak that’s all but shut down the U.S. economy. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% from a 50-year low of 3.5%.
blowback
noun [ U ]/ˈbloʊ.bæk/
negative reactions or results that were not intended, such as criticism, protest, or anger
非预期的负面反应或结果，如批评、抗议或愤怒
The statement comes hours after U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the Defence Production Act requiring companies to prioritize the production of masks and ventilators to fight the spread of COVID-19. But 3M warns that ceasing those exports could cause blowback.
delineate
verb [ T ] formal /dɪˈlɪn.i.eɪt/
to describe or mark the edge of something
描述；勾勒
The main characters are clearly delineated in the first chapter. 主要人物在第一章里得到了清晰的描述。
The boundary of the car park is delineated by a low brick wall. 一堵矮墙标出了停车场的边界。（Cambridge）
In a brief moment Saturday morning, President Trump’s legal team managed to sharply delineate the stark dilemma facing any senator of conscience.
vain
adjective (SELFISH)
too interested in your own appearance or achievements
虚荣的；自负的
He was very vain about his hair and his clothes. 他很虚荣，在发型和衣着方面非常讲究。(Cambridge)
Trump was like one of those characters in an 18th-century comedy meant to embody a particular flavor of human folly. Trump struck me as adolescent, hilariously ostentatious, arbitrary, unkind, profane, dishonest, loudly opinionated, and consistently wrong. He remains the most vain man I have ever met. (Vanityfair)
synthesis
noun (MIX) [ C ] formal plural syntheses
the mixing of different ideas, influences, or things to make a whole that is different, or new
综合，融合
He describes his latest record as “a synthesis of African and Latin rhythms”. 他说他的最新唱片“融合了非洲和拉丁音乐的韵律”。(Cambridge)
The potlatch was a synthesis of coastal life: celebratory, abundant, status-conscious, and artistic .
phallic
adjective /ˈfæl.ɪk/
representing, shaped like, or relating to the penis
阴茎形象的；阴茎状的；阴茎的
phallic symbolism/imagery 阴茎象征主义／意象 (Cambridge)
A teenager in Bishop’s Stortford, a town outside of London, mowed the shape of a penis into a field along with the message “Oi Trump” in hopes that the U.S. president would see it on his flight into the U.K. this week. The phallic welcome message for Trump comes as the president is expected to face massive protests in the country later this week.
emasculate
verb [ T ] /ɪˈmæs.kjə.leɪt/ formal
to reduce the effectiveness of something; to remove the male parts of something
使衰弱；使效力减弱; 阉割
They were accused of trying to emasculate the report’s recommendations. 他们被指责企图贬低报告的可取之处。
Pelosi Appears On Wednesday TV To Emasculate Trump & McConnell. In commentary offered over the weekend, Pelosi called the president’s own behavior “deadly.” While proclaiming virus concern to be a “hoax” publicly, privately he did little to nothing to help shore up U.S. defenses against the virus as the crisis grew.
lichen
noun [ C or U ]/ˈlaɪ.kən/ /ˈlɪtʃ.ən/
a grey, green, or yellow plant-like organism that grows on rocks, walls, and trees
地衣，苔藓
Lichen is truly nature’s love story. It takes the precise species of fungus and algae to come together, in just the right environment, to create a lichen. The two soulmates coexist in a symbiotic bond with equal cooperation, both providing vigor to the relationship.
