続 今日の英語

はてなダイアリーで地味に続けていた「今日の英語」の続き。日常出会った気になる英語表現を、オンライン辞書の例文などとともにメモしています。

Grovel, grovel, grovel!

(もちあげろ!)
ミュージカル映画オペラ座の怪人(The Phantom of the Opera)」より。オペラ座の新しい支配人アンドレとフィルマンは、リハ中、気分屋のカルロッタが「役を降りる!!」とキレるのを見てアタフタ。前支配人に「こういう時はどうすれば?」と聞いたところ返ってきた答えがこれ。

  • grovelには「へつらう/ぺこぺこする/卑屈にふるまう」といった意味合いが(to praise someone a lot or behave with a lot of respect towards them because you think that they are important and will be able to help you in some way/to treat someone with too much respect or fear in a way that shows weakness in order to be forgiven or to gain approval or favor/to behave with too much respect towards someone to show them that you are very eager to please them/act in an obsequious manner in order to obtain someone's forgiveness or favor ※obsequious:こびへつらい)。相手を持ち上げるんだけど、あくまでも見返りを要求した行為。「(人)にへつらう」と対象が入る時は「grovel to someone」の形に。
    • I had to really grovel to the bank manager to get a loan.
    • He had to grovel to get her to accept his apology.
    • He made a groveling apology to his girlfriend.
    • He sent a grovelling note of apology.
  • 普通に「はいつくばる」という意味もある。
    • She was groveling on the floor in fear.
    • I saw him grovelling in the road for his hat.



(個人的には舞台版(25周年記念公演)のほうがずっとおすすめ!)