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。

false floor

将来Koyamamotoが乗りたいと思っている車のreviewからの引用です。
今回採り上げるのはfalse floor。最初にこの表現を見たときは車のどこの部分を指しているのかわかりませんでした。しかし,falseに「(わざと)偽った」,さらには「人工[人造]の(artificial)」 という意味があること(『プログレッシブ英和中辞典』小学館),さらには文脈から,false floorは「トランク内の床下収納(の蓋)」を指していることがわかります。falseを使うという発想が私にとっては新鮮でした。(Koyamamoto)


BMW X1 review: the small 4x4 that's big on talent
The second incarnation of the BMW X1 aims to mix the magic of BMW’s larger X3 and X5 4x4s with more compact, town-friendly dimensions
Time was we all knew where we stood with a 4x4. They were big, agricultural, unwieldy things that were fantastic off the road, but pretty poor on it.
Not any more. Nowadays, the balance has changed, and most 4x4s are pretty decent to drive. The desire for rugged looks on the outside, high-quality trimmings on the inside and an imperiously high driving position has given rise to the premium SUV; a softer, more usable 4x4 with a luxurious bent.
They come in all shape and sizes, and the BMW X1 is one of the smallest. Like its rivals, the Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, it combines all the things that make larger premium SUVs so desirable with a compact size that makes it more manoeuvrable and easier to drive in town.
Considering this is supposedly a small SUV, the amount of room you get in the X1 is truly huge. In fact, in almost every dimension, it’s considerably larger than its rivals inside.
There’s loads of luggage space in the boot, and a false floor means you can hide odds and ends away out of sight. What’s more, electric catches combined with a spring-loaded mechanism makes the rear seats a doddle to fold down, and you can specify a sliding rear seat, should you wish to add even more flexibility.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/bmw/bmw-x1-review/