小説を読みながら、語彙を増やしましょう。
夏目漱石の小説『坊っちゃん』の原文と毛利八十太郎が英訳した “Botchan (Master Darling)” を併せて見ていきます。
【あらすじ】
釣りが下手だと思われたくない主人公は、赤シャツ（教頭）の誘いに応じて野だいこ（画学の教師、吉川）と３人で沖釣りに出かけます。
●----------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Yoshikawa is the teacher of drawing whom I had nicknamed Clown. I don't know what's in the mind of this Clown, but he was a constant visitor at the house of Red Shirt, and wherever he went, Clown was sure to be trailing after him. They appeared more like master and servant than two fellow teachers. As Clown used to follow Red Shirt like a shadow, it would be natural to see them go off together now, but when those two alone would have been well off, why should they invite me,--this brusque, unaesthetic fellow,--was hard to understand. Probably, vain of his fishing ability, he desired to show his skill, but he aimed at the wrong mark, if that was his intention, as nothing of the kind would touch me. I would not be chagrined if he fishes out two or three tunnies. I am a man myself and poor though I may be in the art, I would hook something if I dropped a line. If I declined his invitation, Red Shirt would suspect that I refused not because of my lack of interest in the game but because of my want of skill of fishing. I weighed the matter thus, and accepted his invitation. After the school, I returned home and got ready, and having joined Red Shirt and Clown at the station, we three started to the shore. There was only one boatman to row; the boat was long and narrow, a kind we do not have in Tokyo. I looked for fishing rods but could find none.
"How can we fish without rods? How are we going to manage it?" I asked Clown and he told me with the air of a professional fisherman that no rods were needed in the deep-sea fishing, but only lines. I had better not asked him if I was to be talked down in this way.
well off 何不自由ない
brusque 無愛想な
unaesthetic 悪趣味の、不快な
vain of …を自慢にして
tunny マグロ
夏目漱石による原文はこちら。
＊＊＊ 慣用句を覚えよう ＊＊＊
Elbow（ひじ）
at one's [the] elbow
（いつでも役立つように）すぐかたわらに、そばに、近くに
bend [crook, lift, raise, tip] one's [the, an] elbow
酒を飲む、飲みに出かける、（特に）飲みすぎる
get the elbow
袖にされる、肘鉄を食う
give someone the elbow
人と縁を切る、追放する、肘鉄を食わせる
jog someone's elbow
ひじをつつく（注意･警告などのため）
More power to your elbow!
健闘（成功）を祈る、がんばれ、よくやった!
nudge elbows with
…と（親しく）交際する
out at (the) elbow(s)
（衣服が）ひじの所が破れて、（人が）みすぼらしい服装の、困窮して
up to the [one's] elbows
（仕事などに）没頭して、忙殺されて
use some elbow grease
力仕事をする、骨を折る
【参考】
▽青空文庫
