大敗北
解説 Definition
決定的な敗北を意味する。ナポレオンがワーテルローの戦いで敗れたことに由来する慣用表現。
A Waterloo is a final, crushing defeat that ends someone’s power, ambitions, or chance of success. The figurative use alludes to Napoleon’s decisive defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
地名 Waterloo が、1815年にナポレオンの支配を終わらせた決定的敗北と結び付き、比喩的に「再起不能になるほどの大敗」を表すようになった。meet one’s Waterloo「決定的な敗北を喫する」を一まとまりで覚える。単なる loss より、経歴や計画を終わらせる最終的な敗北を強く示す。
Remember Waterloo through the fixed expression meet one’s Waterloo, meaning to suffer a decisive defeat from which one cannot recover. The image comes from Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which ended his return to power. This makes the figurative noun stronger than an ordinary loss or setback: a Waterloo closes a career, campaign, plan, or period of dominance. The name is normally capitalized because it comes from a place name, even when used metaphorically. Picture a previously successful person finally meeting an opponent or obstacle that ends the run.
例文
The Battle of Waterloo in 1815 marked the end of Napoleon's rule.
1815年のワーテルローの戦いはナポレオンの支配の終焉を告げた。
The town of Waterloo in Belgium attracts history enthusiasts from around the world.
ベルギーのワーテルローの町は世界中の歴史愛好家を引きつけている。
Meeting such fierce opposition was his Waterloo — he could not recover.
そのような激しい反対に遭ったことが彼の敗北となり、立ち直ることができなかった。
waterloo の類義語・関連語
類義語
対義語
waterloo の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ベルギーの地名Waterlooに由来。オランダ語water（水）＋loo（森・開けた土地）で「水辺の開けた地」の意。1815年ナポレオンがこの地で決定的敗北を喫したことから、英語で「大敗北・致命的失敗」を意味するようになった。meet one's Waterlooで「大敗を喫する」。
Waterloo was originally the name of a place in present-day Belgium. The name is Dutch in origin and combines water with loo, an element referring to a clearing or open area. Its figurative English meaning arose from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, where Napoleon was decisively defeated by allied forces. Because that defeat ended his renewed rule, Waterloo came to denote a final and overwhelming defeat, especially in the phrase meet one’s Waterloo.
同じレベルの語彙をもっと
外部辞書で調べる
この英単語をクイズで覚えよう