2023年9月11日 星期一

devilishly, play devil’s advocate, the devil take the hindmost, escape by the skin of our teeth


It’s a familiar scene: a Bad Guy with a gun has the Good Guy dead to rights, and things look grim. With a wicked smile, the villain delivers this line: “Say your prayers, hero.” The Good Guy grimaces stoically, but he doesn’t clasp his hands in prayer. After all, we all know what the Bad Guy really means.

In the West, Christianity has a way of sneaking into our everyday language, and not just when we’re taunting our enemies. We also count our blessings, we fall from grace, we play devil’s advocate and, on occasion, we escape by the skin of our teeth (that last one is from the Bible’s Book of Job). Even common words can have hidden religious roots: “limbo,” “a capella” and “goodbye” all come from Christianity.



“The weather is too devilish hot to talk about love; but oh, that I had a cool, shady place, where I could sit among gurgling fountains of perfumed ice-water, an’ be loved into a premature death of rapture. I would give the world for this—I’d love to die such a glorious and luxuriant [sic] death.” —Mark Twain

wealthy young man do not devil for East End doctors
 白做工

the devil take the hindmost
書 講SPECULATION之歷史
Devil Take the Hindmost by Edward Chancellor
Let everyone put his or her own interest first, leaving the unfortunate to their fate. For example, I don't care if she makes it or not--the devil take the hindmost. This expression, first recorded in 1608, probably originated as an allusion to a children's game in which the last (coming "hindmost") is the loser, and came to mean utter selfishness.








Iceland, Ardent Prosecutor of Bankers, Sees Few Returns
By ANDREW HIGGINS
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — In a country that has gone after financiers with far more vigor than other countries hit by the crisis, obtaining convictions has proved devilishly difficult, even after Parliament appointed a special prosecutor.


devilish 

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛv(ə)lɪʃ/ 

ADJECTIVE

1Like or appropriate to a devil in evil and cruelty:devilish tortures
1.2Very difficult to deal with or use:it turned out to be a devilish job

devil
名]

1 ((時に the D-))魔王, 悪魔(Satan);(サタンの手下で神と敵対する)悪鬼, 悪霊
Better the devil you know (than the devil you don't know).
((ことわざ)) 正体不明の敵[悪]より正体のわかった敵[悪]のほうがよい
Speak [Talk] of the devil, and he will [is sure to] appear.
うわさをすれば影
The devil finds work for idle hands.
((ことわざ)) 小人閑居して不善をなす
The devil looks after his own.
((ことわざ)) 憎まれっ子世にはばかる.
2 極悪人;意地悪[残酷な]人;((略式))暴れん坊;狂暴な動物
a hideous devil
ぞっとするようなやつ.
3 すご腕の人, 智恵者, 精力家, (仕事・勝負などの)鬼, がむしゃらな人, 向こう見ずな人;…狂((for ...))
a devil for golf
ゴルフ狂
the devil of avarice
強欲の権化
He was a devil with the girls.
女の子にかけてはすご腕だった.
4 ((形容詞を前に置いて))((話))…なやつ
a poor [lucky] devil
かわいそうな[運のいい]やつ.
5 印刷見習い工;弁護士の下働き[助手];下請けの文筆業者.
6 機械, (特に)ぼろ切断機, 木ねじ製造機.
7 (香辛料などのよくきいた)料理, (特に)焼き肉.
8 (インド・中近東・アフリカの)砂あらし.
9 ((the 〜))((強意))
(1) ((のろい・嫌悪))ちくしょう, まさか
The devil (take it)!
ちくしょう, ちえっ.
(2) ((副詞的))((疑問詞を強調して))((話・古風))一体全体. ⇒DEUCE2 2
What (in) the devil did you say?
一体なんて言ったのか.
a [the] devil of a ...
a [the, one] HELL of a ....
be a devil and do
((英話))((命令文))腹をくくってやれ.
be a devil for ...
…が大好きである.
between the devil and the deep (blue) sea
進退きわまって, にっちもさっちもいかない.
catch [get] the devil
((略式))ひどく怒られる.
for the devil of it
いたずらで, ふざけて.
give a person the devil
ひどく叱りつける.
give the devil his due
きらいな[取り柄のない]人間でもよい所は認めてやる.
go to the devil
(1) ((古風))完全に失敗する, 破滅する.
(2) ((命令文))((話))くたばれ, こんちくしょう.
let the devil take the hindmost [the hindermost]
遅れた[無能な, 不運な]者はほうっておく, 人のことはかまわない.
like the devil
猛烈に, 激しく.
play the devil with ...
…をめちゃくちゃにする[荒らす].
raise the devil
大騒ぎを引き起こす;大宴会をする, 浮かれる;強く抗議する;強硬な手段をとる.
the devil (and all) to pay
HELL to pay.
the devil's own luck/((略式))the luck of the devil
考えられないほどの好運[悪運].
the (great) devil (of it)
やっかいな事, 最悪の事.
━━[動](〜ed, 〜・ing or((主に英))〜led, 〜・ling)(他)
1 ((主に米略式))…を悩ます, 困らす(annoy)
devil mom for a new prom dress
新しいダンスパーティーの服をせがんで母を困らす.
2 〈ぼろなどを〉切断機で裂く.
3 …に香辛料をきかせる.
━━(自)(作家・弁護士の)下請けをする((for ...)). 
したうけ【下請け】

a subcontract; 〔人〕a subcontractor
下請けの仕事
subcontract (ed) work
あの会社は注文をみんな下請けに出している
That company farms [parcels] out all their orders to subcontractors.
下請け契約 a subcontract
下請け工場 a factory doing subcontract work
下請け業者 a subcontractor
下請法 the Subcontract Act

[古英語←ギリシャ語diábolos(悪口を言うもの). 原義は「投げつけるもの」. ヘブライ語sātānの翻訳借用. △SATAN
hindemost
also hind·er·most (hīn'dər-)
adj.
Farthest to the rear; last.




details

phrase plural ]A2 

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