常時英心:言葉の森から 1.0

約10年間,はてなダイアリーで英語表現の落穂拾いを行ってきました。現在はAmeba Blogに2.0を開設し,継続中です。こちらはしばらくアーカイブとして維持します。

be poised to

be poised toはよく見かける表現で、be prepared toと同義です。しかしながら、この表現が選択されるのはどのような文脈なのでしょうか。EnDoughくん、どうぞ。(UG)

Japan PM Yoshihiko Noda set to call general election

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is poised to dissolve parliament and call a general election.
Mr Noda, in power since August 2011, will face newly-elected opposition leader Shinzo Abe in the polls.
Mr Abe's party is expected to win the most seats but the election is seen as unlikely to deliver a clear winner.

Mr Noda has lost support over his sales tax rise and handling of the Fukushima aftermath, while Mr Abe is an ex-PM who struggled to connect with the public.
Support ratings for both the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are low.

A number of other smaller parties draw some support - controversial Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has formed one, so too former DPJ stalwart Ichiro Ozawa. Toru Hashimoto, the Osaka governor, is also forming a political party.
Polls show almost half of all voters are undecided, indicating that the next government will likely be a coalition.

Media reports say the polls will be on 16 December. Parliament will be dissolved this afternoon, then the cabinet will set the election schedule and Mr Noda will hold a news conference later today, NHK reported.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20352448