cold spell 復習
今季最大クラスの寒波が、日本列島に押し寄せています。
Blustery weather brings heavy snowfall over weekend
With the severest cold spell of the season sweeping across the Japanese archipelago, heavy snow struck again on Friday, mainly in the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions.
The adverse weather is expected to intensify over the weekend, when the National Center Test for University Admissions is due to take place, with heavy snow forecast to hit Aichi, Osaka and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the northern part of the Kanto region. The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of possible transport delays. According to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, one person has died and four people were injured in the severe weather conditions.
以下省略
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003457524
今回注目した表現は、“cold spell”です。“cold”の項目を『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)で引いたところ、“cold spell”で「寒波」という意味だと載っていました。
LDOCEでは、“a period of several days or weeks when the weather is much colder than usual”と定義されていました。
“spell”には「つづる」という意味の単語と同じつづりの別の単語で、「(ある天候が続く)期間、一続き」という意味を持つものがあります(『ウィズダム英和辞典』)。この“spell”の語源は「ひと続きの仕事」という意味からきているそうです。(Blue Sky)
