arguably

米国新聞社シカゴ・トリビューンは, 長年, 極秘とされてきたケンタッキーフライドチキンのレシピを解明した可能性があると報道しました。

KFC recipe revealed? Tribune shown family scrapbook with 11 herbs and spices

So many stories have been told about Colonel Sanders and his Kentucky Fried Chicken, it's impossible to know where the truth ends and the fiction begins.

This is one of those stories. A mix of memory, mystery and a pinch of "what if?" It involves one of the best-kept culinary secrets of all time, and the man who's arguably the original celebrity chef.

These days, the late Colonel has been resurrected on TV commercials as a caricature played by the likes of George Hamilton and Jim Gaffigan. But, as many of us remember, the real Colonel was a bespectacled, white-haired guy named Harland David Sanders who spawned a fast-food empire. For decades, "The Colonel" was synonymous with snow-colored suits, black string ties and "finger lickin' good" chicken coated in a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices.

Attempts to unearth the Colonel's Original Recipe, or replicate it, have been made too many times to count. For KFC Corp., keeping the elusive mix of 11 herbs and spices under wraps has been paramount — not to mention a great marketing tool. In 2008, the Louisville, Ky.-based company used a Brink's armored truck and briefcase marked "Top Secret" when it made a big show of beefing up security at the vault containing the Colonel's handwritten recipe.

以下省略

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/ct-kfc-recipe-revealed-20160818-story.html

今回取り上げる表現は “arguably” です。

“argue” の副詞形であることから, ある見解を主張する際に用いる表現ではないかと予測しました。

『リーダーズ英和中辞典』(研究社)で調べると, 「おそらく, まず間違えなく」と記されていました。Oxford-Dictionaries.com には “it may be argued ( used to qualify the statement of an opinion or belief ) と定義され, “She is arguably the greatest woman tennis player of all time.” という例が挙げられています。

ケンタッキーフライドチキンの極秘レシピに関してさまざまな憶測があるなかで, 今回は「あの人物こそが秘伝の味を生み出した名シェフである」と断定する際に “arguably” を用いたのではないかと思います。(Cayu)