ensconce

新潟県糸魚川市の大火災の焼け跡に残ったものがないか探している被害者の姿が見られました。

After the inferno: Residents tour site, realize they lost everything

ITOIGAWA, Niigata Prefecture--This Christmas is one that hundreds of residents of this coastal city in northwestern Japan are unlikely to forget.

Local residents burned out of their homes and businesses by an inferno that destroyed a huge swath of the downtown area on Dec. 22 were allowed to return for a few hours on Dec. 24 to inspect the damage, and possibly salvage personal items.

In most cases, only grief awaited them.

According to city authorities, 744 people from 363 households were forced to find at least temporary accommodation as of 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 24. While many had moved in with family and friends, 30 were ensconced in evacuation centers that had been hastily set up.

以下省略

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201612240032.html

今回取り上げる表現は、ensconce /ɪnskάns/です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)を引いたところ、「«…に»…を安置する；〚be 〜d〛«…に»落ち着く«in, at, on»」とありました。

LDOCEでは、“to settle yourself in a place where you feel comfortable and safe”と定義されています。

今回の記事のensconceでは「（とりあえず）身を預ける」というような解釈が上手く当てはまるのではないかと思います。一刻も早い復旧を願うばかりです。(Blue Sky)