with a straight face

　少子高齢化が進む日本と, 若者の今後のあり方について述べられた記事から表現を取り上げます。

Building a society that gives youth hope

The number of births dropped below 1 million for the first time last year. The roots of the structural problems in Japanese society, such as the declining birthrate, aging population and increasing government liabilities, have grown deep — and it is today’s youth who will foot the bill in the coming era. How do we build a society that can give our youth hope for the future? We asked some experts who frequently interact with young people.

中略

There are students who say with a straight face, “My mother is the most respectable person in the world.” That’s understandable if they are expressing gratitude. But there are students who know few other adults, and are totally serious when they say it. They have not met a diverse range of role models, or the majority of their encounters with others have been prearranged.

以下省略

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003495521

　今回取り上げる表現は “with a straight face” です。まず, “straight face” を『リーダーズ英和中辞典』(研究社)で調べたところ, 「(笑い・喜びを押し殺した)まじめくさった無表情な顔」とありました。ここに “with” が伴うことで, 「表情も変えず, にこりともしないで」となります。The Free Dictionary.com には, “a face that betrays no sign of emotion” と定義されていました。

　“straight” は, まっすぐな状態を表すほか, 目的に向かって「ひたむきな」という場合や, 演技などが「まじめな」という際にも用いられる表現であることがわかりました。(『リーダーズ英和中辞典』)(Cayu)