blemish 復習

　収穫前のりんごが盗まれる被害が相次いでいます。

Aomori apple farmers dealt 1-2 punch

At least 13,000 apples have been stolen since October during this harvest season in Aomori Prefecture.

Although exports of the fruit produced in the prefecture remain strong, consumers are seeing higher prices this year because of pre-harvest losses caused by typhoon No. 21 in September. These factors are seen as contributing to the thefts, compounding an already bad situation for farmers.

According to the Aomori Prefectural Police, a man who looks after apple trees in Tsugaru in the prefecture found on Thursday morning that Fuji apples, one of the main varieties, had been plucked off the trees. That loss of about 5,000 Fuji apples stolen from more than 20 trees cost the farm as much as \400,000.

中略

The higher prices are a result of the overall smaller supply of the fruit due to the typhoon, accompanied by an estimated 10 percent decline in yields of top-quality crops for gifts due to blemishes caused by the typhoon.

以下省略

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0004938906

blemish /blémɪʃ/ を取り上げます。台風の影響でりんごに出た被害のことをさしています。『ライトハウス英和辞典』（第5版　研究社）で引くと「（外観を損なう）傷、しみ；汚れ」とありました。ここでは、りんごの表面に傷ができてしまっていることが伺えます。

　LDOCEには “a small mark, especially a mark on someone’s skin or on the surface of an object, that spoils its appearance” と定義されています。小さいものでも見た目への影響は大きいことがわかります。

　盗まれたりんごは傷がなく、色付きも良いものばかりだったことから、知識のある者による犯行とみて捜査が進められています。（aqua）

skin blemish 復習 - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から
unblemished 復習 - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から
blemish 復習 - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から