paunchy
Kumamon to promote films at Cannes
He has lectured at Harvard University and featured on the front pages of a global newspaper, now Japan’s paunchy black bear mascot is to walk the red carpet at Cannes promoting his own movies.
Kumamon—a stylised creation with red cheeks and a fixed grin—is to attend the premier global film festival when it opens in the south of France next week.
The man-sized mascot, whose name means “Bear-person” in the dialect of southwestern Kumamoto, will appear at the Japanese Pavilion at Cannes where the nation’s cinema and culture will be featured on May 18-19, Kumamoto Prefecture said in a statement.
“Kumamon will promote short films titled ‘Waiting in Kumamoto’ (Kumamato de matteru) and “Forever in Hometown’ (Furusato de zutto), in both of which he plays the lead,” the statement said.
今回取り上げる単語は“paunchy”です。辞書で調べてみると、「太鼓腹の」（『ジーニアス英和辞典第四版』大修館書店）とあり、LDOCEでは“paunchy”はヒットしませんでした。ちなみに、名詞形である“paunch”は、「腹、胃、太鼓腹」（『ジーニアス英和辞典第四版』大修館書店）、“a man's fat stomach”（LDOCE）とありました。今回のカンヌ映画祭では、くまモン主演の映画が上映されるそうです。くまモンについて少し調べてみると、公式サイトに「お仕事：いちおう公務員」などとプロフィールが書かれていて、面白かったです。（Green）
http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/kumamon-to-promote-films-at-cannes
