weigh up

BBCでコーヒーや紅茶等の飲み物が人体に及ぼす影響について特集されている記事から取り上げます。

Tea or coffee: Which drink is better for you?

Countless arguments have been waged over the superiority of one beverage over the other. But what does the scientific evidence say?

George Orwell may have written that “tea is one of the mainstays of civilization in this country” – but even we British have to acknowledge that our national drink is facing stiff competition from the espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes invading our shores.

Despite the dangers of wading into such a charged argument, BBC Future decided to weigh up the relative merits of each drink. There’s no accounting for taste, of course, but we have combed the scientific literature for their real, measurable effects on our body and mind.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160115-tea-vs-coffee-which-drink-is-better-for-you

今回取り上げる表現は “weigh up”です。「重さを量る」という意味を思い浮かべますが，『ジーニアス英和辞典第4版』（大修館書店）では「〈人が〉〈物・事〉をよく考える；…を比較考察する」とあり，LDOCEでは “to consider something carefully so that you can make a decision about it”と定義されていました。ここでは各飲み物がもたらすメリットを比較し考察してみる，となります。（Inaho）