ぐちゃっと踏む/噂をもみ消す
解説 Definition
ぬかるみや水たまりを踏んで、ぐちゃっと音を立てることです。また、噂や反対意見などを広がる前に強く押さえ込み、もみ消す意味もあります。
To squelch means to crush something soft with a wet, messy sound, or to move with that kind of sound. It can also mean to stop or suppress something, such as a rumor, protest, or idea, before it grows. The second meaning is common in formal or news-style English.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
squ- で始まる語には squash, squish のように「押してぐちゃっとつぶす」感触があるものが多い。squelch もまず、ぬかるみや水たまりを踏んで靴の下で水気のあるものがつぶれる映像で覚える。その感触が比喩に広がり、「噂・抗議・反対意見の勢いを出る前に強く押さえ込む、もみ消す」になる。squelch rumors / dissent が定番。suppress より生々しく、音ごと封じる感じ。quench とつづりが少し似るが、意味は別。
Words starting with squ- often feel soft, wet, or crushed, like squash or squish. That makes squelch easy to picture as stepping in mud with a wet crushing sound. From that image, it also developed the idea of crushing rumors or protest before they grow. Think of squelch rumors as pushing them down hard.
例文
Her boots squelched through the muddy field after the rainstorm.
雨の後、彼女のブーツはぬかるんだ畑をぐちゃぐちゃと音を立てて進んだ。
The manager tried to squelch the rumors before they spread further.
マネージャーは噂がさらに広まる前にもみ消そうとした。
His wet shoes squelched loudly on the tile floor.
彼の濡れた靴はタイルの床の上で大きくぐちゃっと音を立てた。
squelch の類義語・関連語
squelch の語源・成り立ち Etymology
squelch は明確な古典語源より、ぬかるみをぐちゃっと踏む音をまねた擬音語的な英語です。squ- には押しつぶす感じがあり、そこから「ぐちゃっと踏む」に加え、比喩的に「勢いを押さえつける・もみ消す」へ広がりました。関連語は squish, squash。
"Squelch" is probably imitative in origin, formed to sound like the wet, crushing noise of stepping in mud. Its "squ-" shape matches other English words with ideas of squeezing or crushing, such as "squash" and "squish." From the physical sense of pressing something down with a messy sound, it later developed the figurative meaning of suppressing or silencing something.
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