meager 復習

市内の小中学校の給食調理室の一部から、発がん性物質のアスベストを含む恐れのある建材が見つかったため、札幌市で多くの子どもたちが温かい給食を食べられなくなっています。

Students' blood runs cold up north as hot lunches scrapped

SAPPORO--Winter is on the horizon in this chilly northern city, but 13,000 children here are being forced to eat cold, meager meals instead of hot lunches at school.

The usual menus were dumped after a layer of insulation suspected to contain asbestos was found fallen off the inside of a ventilation duct at a district community center in the city on Oct. 13.

An emergency probe into the vents of kitchens in schools across Sapporo was then ordered by the city government. Layers of insulation have been found peeling off inside the vents of kitchens at 15 elementary and junior high schools as of Oct. 31. Asbestos was detected from materials found in nine of the schools.

A total of 12,867 students enrolled in the schools as well as 15 other institutions that are provided school lunches from those schools are having to make do with the most depressing of dishes.

“This is horrible!” a fourth-grade boy cried out in a classroom at Azumabashi Elementary School.

On his desk that noon was a cheerless cold lunch comprising a slice of bread, apple jam, milk and pineapple jelly.

Students would normally have received a full meal comprising spinach pilaf, fried "koya" tofu (freeze-dried tofu) and a fruit cocktail on Oct. 31, according to the lunch schedule.

“Stop complaining,” was all the teacher could say to the angst-ridden kid.

以下省略

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201611010059.html

今回取り上げる表現は、“meager”です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)を引いたところ、「〈量・質などが〉乏しい、不十分な、粗末な」とありました。

LDOCEには“a meagre amount of food, money etc is too small and is much less than you need”と定義されています。

“meager”と“meal”の綴り方が少し似ていたので語源を調べてみたところ、２つの単語の間に直接的なつながりはありませんでした。しかし、“me-”の部分は印欧祖語 の*mē-「量る」に当たり、「量」を意味するようです(「goo辞書」)。(Blue Sky)

PS 本日より５日までサークルの合宿に参加してきます。ネット環境がない場所なのでその期間連絡を取ることができません。すみませんが、ご理解のほどよろしくお願いいたします。